IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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I.I 


If  IM    12,2 


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2.0 


1.8 


1.25 

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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WERSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  8 '2-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CiHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IVIIcroreproductions 


Institut  uanadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filmiiig.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagee 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimentaires: 


Th 
to 


L'Institut  a  microfilmd  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pelliculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolordes,  tachet^es  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tach^es 


("T^Showthrough/ 
I — I    Transparence 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


n 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  fagon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
be 
thi 
sio 
oti 
fin 
sic 
or 


Th 
shi 
Til 
wh 

Mi 
dif 
eni 
be< 

rig 
rec 
mc 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

'' 

30X 

' 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 


Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
gAn6rosit6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  Ail 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  film6s  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  ccmporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »•  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — »•  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmte  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  filmi  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

THE  WORKS 


Of 


HUBERT  HOWE  BANCROFT. 


THE  AV-ORKS 


OF 


HUBERT  HOWE  BANCROFT. 


VOLUME  XXXIV. 


CALIFORNIA    PASTORAL. 

1769-1848. 


SAN    FRANCISCO- 
THE    HISTORY    COMPANY.  PUBLISHERS. 

1888 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  In  the  year  1888,  by 

HUBERT  H.  BANCROFT, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


AU  Bights  Reserved. 


CONTENTS  OF  THIS  VOLUME. 

CHAPTER  I  '•AGE 

-THCccxzoN-coMP^xn.  cxva..no.v  ..^  3.v.a«Ms. , 

CHAPTER   II. 

COLOXUL  P  JLICY  OF  SPAIN, 

57 

CHAPTER  III. 

MEXICO  AS  SEEN  THROPGH    THE     FVP-  r.. 

THE  NINETEENTH  CESTVnY, .  '"''''  ^^    ™^    «^«^^'"'«  OF 

' 97 

CHAPTER  IV. 

LOTOS-LAND, 

135 

OrPOSINO    FORCES,. CHAPTER    V. 

151 

CHAPTER   VI. 

GOLDEN  AGE  OF    CALIFORNIA 

179 

CHAPTER  VII 

COLONIZA^N     Pt;EB«,  STSTEM,   AND  LAND  GRANTS 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY, 

260     • 

CHAPTER  IX. 

MILTTARY  SYSTEM 

294 

CHAPTER  X. 

VOMAN  AND  BER  SPHERE, 

305 

(V) 


a  '       CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XL  '"''"' 

PAHTUKES  AND    FIELDS 335 

CHAPTER  xrr. 

FOOD.  T'.iESS,    E WELLISGH,  AND  DOMESTIC   KOITINK, SCO 

CHAPTER   Xlir. 

AMCSEMENTS, 40G 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

OCCUPATIONS  AND   INDUSTKIES 437 

CHAPTER  XV. 

INLAND  TRADE   AND  COAST  TRAFFIC, 459 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A   FUTILE   FIGHT   WITH   IGNORANCE 493 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

CALIFOBNIANISMS \ 526 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LAW,    GOVERNMENT,   AND    RELIGION 537 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

CRIMES   AND  COURTS, 57I 

CHAPTER   XX. 

A  VERY  HEALTHY   COUNTRY f gU 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

BANDITTI, g4j 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL   CALIFORNIA 751 

GLOSSARY, , ., , 793 


CAIZI^ORNIiV  PASTOEAL. 


..406 


,.459 


.493 


.526 


.537 


.571 


,.611 


641 


751 


,....793 


CHAPTER   I. 

INTRODUCTIOX. 

COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIOX.S   AND  SAVAOISM.S. 

Tliiit  whicli  ooustitutos  history,  proju'rly  so  called,  is  iu  great  part  omitteil 
from  Works  on  the  subject. — Hvrlxirt  Spvncvr. 

Before  pcnctratinjTf  into  the  mysteries  of  our  mod- 
ern lotos-land,  or  enterini^  upon  a  description  of  the 
golden  aui'e  of  California,  if  indeed  any  age  character- 
ized by  ignorance  and  laziness  can  bo  called  golden, 
let  us  glance  at  life  and  society  elsewhere  on  this 
planet,  particularly  as  it  exi.sted  in  Spain  and  ^Mexico, 
and  within  the  charmed  circles  of  the  highest  earthlv 
intelligences,  these  places  and  conditions  being  more 
intimately  than  any  others  connected  with  the  spirit- 
ual conquest  and  occupation  of  Alta  California  in  the 
eighteenth  century. 

Great  as  is  the  difference  between  men  and  races  on 
the  globe,  we  are  apt  sometimes  to  make  it  more  than 
it  is.  Especially  is  this  the  case  with  regard  to  mental 
culture,  and  the  progress  of  peoples  in  arts  and  indus- 
tries. It  is  an  interesting  study  to  place,  side  by  side, 
at  the  same  points  of  time,  widely  separated  societies, 
and  note  their  outworking  of  the  problem  of  progre.'iS, 
each  independent  of  and  without  any  knowKdge  of 
the  existence  of  the  other,  and  yet  both  apparently 
driven  forward  by  the  same  forces,  and  building,  like 
bees  their  cells,  upon  one  model.  And  nowhere  is 
there  a   more    befitting  field   for  such    investiucation 

Cal.  V\^t.  Vol.  I.    I  ( 1 ) 


9  COMrAIlATIVK  CIVILIZATIONS  AKI»  SAVAGlsMS. 

tliiin  in  roiiij>ariiit4  tli<;  civilizutions  and  savnijjlsins  of 
I'Aiiopc  and  Anic'iica,  more  particularly  ot"  tlir  Span- 
iards and  the  Aztecs,  as  matters  stood  just  i)etore  the 
<liscovejy  by  C(»luml»us,  and  while  there  was  yet  no 
knowledi^e  whatever  one  of  the  other. 

(iilaiice  Krst  at  the  bej^innini^  of  the  dark  aj^o  in 
Euroj)e,  which  was  the  end  of  th(>  first  epoch  of  civ- 
ilization in  that  quarter.  One  mij^hty  wave  of  pi-o- 
jH^ress  had  swollen  up,  rolled  alon<^  the  ctMituries,  and 
subsided,  and  for  a  time  all  was  calm.  From  old  ivn^ 
and  luxury  Roman  i-ivilizatioii  died,  and  (xi'rmanic 
hiirharism  and  Christianity  assisted  at  its  burial. 

Social  systems,  like  creeds  and  polities,  evolve  from 
conditions  apparently  fortuitous,  l^efore  tlu'  occu[)a- 
ti(»n  of  W(^stern  Euro})0  iiy  the  R(tmans,  society  con- 
sisted of  small-town  a-'ricultural  conununities,  every 
family  ])roviding  its  own  necessities,  livin;^  in  a  state 
of  indej»endence,  paying;"  no  taxes,  supportini;'  no  gov- 
I'rnment,  the  revenue  of  states  beinaf  for  the  most  part 
obtained  from  the  workin;jj  of  state  lands  by  state 
slaves.  Sometimes  a  number  of  these  towns  WL>uld 
confederate,  and  the  confederations  divide  their  time 
between  cultivating  the  ground  and  warring  on  each 
(•ther.  Every  citizen  was  a. soldier  and  a  land-owner, 
and  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  attempting  to  de- 
fend or  increase  his  (  jmain.  For  everyone  of  these 
conditions  we  may  find  a  parallel  in  the  earlier  periods 
of  the  history  of  more  than  one  of  the  American  ab- 
original nations. 

The  foundation  of  our  present  social  structure  was 
laid  in  Europe  by  the  Romans  in  tlio  days  of  repub- 
lican grandeur.  Sending  out  their  armies  north  and 
west,  they  laid  under  contribution  fair  provinces  and 
fastened  upon  the  peo])le  their  laws.  In  their  social 
structure  there  was  no  intelligent  middle  class;  a 
profligate  aristocracy  and  a  cruel  jiopulace  compri-cd 
the  republic.  All  the  world  besides  themselves  were 
barbarians,  and  if  caught  were  made  slaves.  In  their 
colonies    were  but    two  classes,  conqueror  and   con- 


Ki:Ul>AU.SM. 


was 

hpnb- 

11  aufl 

Is  and 

^social 

ss;    a- 
ri-icd 
were 
their 
coa- 


qnorod.  Under  their  systi  inatic  divastatlons  and 
(rushing  rule,  depopulation  and  di'sohitioii  rollowcil 
them.  ]>ut  witli  the  empire  arose  u  protective  spirit 
Avliieh  sprt-'ad  tran([uillity  and  fostered  a  Hpeeirs  of 
hiisL!  culture.  The  intellect  was  forced  into  a  hot- 
liou.sc  develojinu'ut,  and  cocK.'S  ol'  niainiers  wito  i-st-ili- 
lislu'd,  hut  under  a  condition  of  hontlajj^e  so  .servile^  as 
to  fftti'r  miiiil  and  deu^radi'  morids.  Into  this  mass  of 
tutored  isxnorance  a  martial  spirit  was  infused  hy  the 
fierce  tribes  from  (jlermany,  and  a  spirit  of  supersti- 
tion and  bigotry  })y  the  churchmen  of  Home.  "^I'hen 
glowed  a  red(U>r  immorality  tluin  ever  republic  had 
seen.  The  liomani/.ed  natives  of  ,'">|  'n  who  had 
more  readily  adopted,  and  more  rapidl ,  de\eloped, 
the  ai'ts  and  industiies  of  their  masti  iv->  tlian  the  oilier 
colonies,  at  hrst  attempted  t(»  r  ^.^  thi;  h.ir!»arous 
Visigoths  to  their  level.  ]hit  it  is  easier  !<»  pull  down 
fho)'.  to  build  up.  Their  own  social  structure  \\as  mmt! 
of  the  stroiigest;  the  prii>onderauee  «it"  power  was 
with  the  hai'barians;  the  loutish  northmen  bore  lu^avily 
r.[ion  them,  and  Spain  in  common  with  all  Kurooe 
lapsed  into  the  age  of  darkness. 

Ancient  barriers  were  broken  down,  and  ancient 
laws  obliterated  as  by  one  general  act  of  ol)livion, 
Society,  molten,  was  recast.  The  lands  of  Europi-  wei-e 
parcelled  anew.  Con([uered  })rovinces  were  hiokeii 
into  frao:ri)ents,  and  distributed  amoni;  th(  military 
chiel'taius  who  had  taken  jtart  in  the  concjuest.  A 
multitude  of  independent  states  were  formed,  dilleiing 
i:i  language  and  traditions,  but  all  I'alling  into  a  system 
of  military  tenures  with  singular  uniformity.  From 
the  ninth  to  the  foui'teenth  centuries,  essentially  the 
.same  species  of  feudality,  though  in  modified  forms, 
existed  throughout  Euro[>e.  This  uniformity  is  to  be 
attributed,  not  to  any  connivance  of  the  concjuei'ors, 
who  were  of  widely  different  stocks  and  training,  but 
to  social  necessities,  which  under  like  conditions  worked 
out  similar  results.  Phases  of  European  feudalism 
were  scattered  all  over  America,  fronn  Alaska  to  Pat- 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMa 


agonia,  ana  were  formed  to  some  extent  ever  amon^ 
the  so-called  savage  nations.  The  first  groat  Jaw, 
common  to  all,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  was 
that  of  self-protection.  The  possession  of  lands  which 
were  won  by  the  sword  must  be  held  by  the 
sword.  Every  land-holder  was  a  soldier,  and  a  feudal 
kingdom  partook  more  of  the  character  of  a  military 
than  a  civil  government.  These  military  sovereign- 
ties in  the  various  dismembered  provinces  were  with- 
out political  system,  separate  and  independent. 

In  the  Old  World,  the  conqueror  assuming  dominion 
over  the  territory  allotted  him  divided  it  among  his 
chiefs  or  barons,  who  in  return  stood  ready  with  men 
and  arms  according  to  their  ability,  and  at  their  own 
cost,  to  obey  the  call  of  their  king  in  order  to  make 
or  repel  an  invasion.  The  nobles,  accepting  the  con- 
ditions, built  for  themselves  castles  and  fortifications, 
and  partitioned  their  lands  among  their  vassals,  who 
in  like  manner  were  bound  to  do  military  service  ac- 
cording to  the  pleasure  of  their  lord.  The  title  to 
lands  thus  held  b}^  feudal  tenure  was  vested  in  the 
sovereign,  and  few  other  obligations  rested  upon  the 
occupant  than  that  of  attending  him  in  his  wars.  Cap- 
tives taken  in  battle,  and  freemen  who  were  unable  to 
secure  land,  sunk  into  a  state  of  serfdom  or  villanage. 
They  were  employed  in  tending  flocks  and  cultivating 
the  ground.  Their  condition  was  but  little  better  than 
that  of  absolute  slavery.  They  were  bound  to  the  soil 
and  made  to  pass  with  it,  but  could  not  be  removed 
from  it ;  nor  did  they  possess  any  of  the  rights  pertain- 
ing to  liberty  or  property.  Thus  society  during  the 
feudal  ages  was  but  a  state  of  vassalage,  of  greater  or 
less  degree. 

This  system,  however  well  adapted  to  purposes  of 
offence  and  defence,  was  but  little  calculated  to  pro- 
mote internal  tranquillity,  or  lay  the  foundations  of 
powerful  states.  Every  feudal  baron  within  his  own 
domain  was  absolute  master  Even  the  king  could 
not  interfere  to   regulate    his   internal  affairs.     He 


! 


V. 


FEUDAUSM. 


bliaii 

soil 

>vocl 

uu- 

tbe 

br  or 

js  of 
Ipro- 
js  of 
own 
tould 
He 


could  make  war  upon  his  own  account  at  pleasure, 
intliet  the  death  penalty  upon  his  vassals,  Sbize  and 
liold  the  lands  of  his  neighbor,  if  he  possessed  the 
power,  with  none  to  question  him.  AH  the  world 
lived  in  barracks.  The  master  of  a  household  was 
but  chief  of  a  band  of  robbers.  To  overrun  adjacent 
lands,  murder  the  inhabitants,  burn  the  houses  and 
drive  off  tJie  cattle,  was  the  ordinary  and  honorable 
occupation  of  life.  Following  the  promptings  of  am- 
bition or  revenge,  neighb<:)ring  barons  would  for  a 
moment  lay  aside  their  hereditary  feud,  and  join 
against  some  distant  or  more  powerful  foe;  after 
which  each  returned  to  his  ancient  quarrel  with  tlie 
other  with  new  vigor.  By  their  blot>dy  contentions 
the  nobles  thus  kept  the  country  in  a  state  of  perpet- 
ual fermentation.  Husbandmen,  in  the  pursuit  of 
their  vocation,  tremblingly  ventured  beyond  the  j)re- 
cincts  of  the  castle  during  the  day,  and  at  night  hud- 
dled in  small  villages  beneath  its  walls.  They  were 
moreover  obliged  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to 
attend  their  master  in  his  raids  at  any  moment. 
Marriage  among  them  was  discouraged.  Soldiers  to 
figlit,  rather  than  women  and  children  to  feed,  Avas 
the  necessity  of  the  feudal  lord.  Redress  for  injuries 
rested  upon  the  arm  of  the  injured,  and  when  forms 
of  justice  were  established,  matters  were  but  little 
changed;  for  decisions  were  governed  by  juission 
ratlier  than  principle,  and  too  often  the  judge  was  the 
criminal,  and  the  accuser  his  victim. 

Social  intercourse  was  prevented ;  commerce  l)e- 
tween  foreiun  nations  ceased;  seas  were  infested  bv 
pirates;  every  foreigner  was  an  enemy.  Medireval 
regulations  made  the  stranger  a  vassal  of  the  lord 
within  whose  domain  he  rested  more  than  a  year  and 
a  day;  shiiAvrecked  mariners  were  made  slaves.  The 
property  of  strangers  was  at  their  d<  atli  confisi^ated  to 
the  ruler.  Highways  were  filled  with  banditti,  so 
tliat  travellers  could  journey  only  in  companies.  Laws 
were  made  and  customs  established  which  almost  pro- 


COMPARATIVE  CIVIUZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


hibitod  distant  journeys,  so  that  all  knowledge  of 
remote  nations  was  lost.  Under  these  baneful  in- 
Huonces  population  increased  but  slowly,  and  increase 
of  such  a  character  obviously  tended  to  strengthen 
the  I:,  ron,  make  powerless  the  sovereign,  and  rivet 
still  tighter  the  chains  of  the  vassal.  Humanity  thus 
restrained  became  dwarfed.  Budding  civilization  with- 
ered  in  such  uncongenial  climes,  and  Europe  })lunged 
into  profound  ignorance.  But  for  the  Ottoman  on  the 
east  and  the  barbarian  on  the  north,  the  feudal  system 
would  not  have  existed  so  long  in  western  Europe. 
Finally  it  collapsed  in  a  struggle  between  sovereigns 
and  nobles.  And  all  this  while,  and  later,  the  [)eople 
were  nothing  but  the  plaything  of  the  rulers,  the  tools 
alternately  of  kings,  barons,  and  priests. 

In  Spain  the  feudal  system  was  greatly  modified 
by  the  eight  centuries  of  Christian  warfare,  which  not 
only  developed  Spanish  valor  and  Spanish  chivalry  to 
the  greatest  advantage,  but  knit  the  several  king 
doms  of  the  peninsula  in  one  connnon  cause, 
condition  of  the  Spanish  peasantry  was  imjtrcned, 
rather  than  otherwise,  by  a  war  in  which  personal 
prowess  rose  above  social  distinctions;  yet  tJie  atti- 
tude of  classes  was  essentially  the  same  as  in  France 
and  Germanv.  Villanajje  was  less  known  in  Castile 
and  ]jeon  than  in  Aragon,  whose  histitutions  and  geo- 
graphical position  gave  to  that  kingdom  a  peculiar 
physiognomy. 

Thus  was  the  humanity  of  our  own  civilization  caged 
like  wild  beasts  in  a  menagi'rie;  pc^nncd  up  in  petty 
principalities,  ducliies,  and  baronial  j)rovinces;  a  state 
of  universal  antipathies  but  one  remove  from  savagism. 
Obviously  out  of  these  grim  sliadows  not  a  step  could 
be  made  till  the  partition  walls  were  battered  down. 
\Vhence  was  deliverance  to  come!'  What  mighty 
power  should  arise  and  breathe  peace  upon  the  na- 
tions, heal  innumerable  hatreds,  and  cause  thousands 
of  hereditary  foes,  as  one  man,  to  sheathe  their  bloody 


le 


THE  CRUSADES. 


swords  and  clasp  bauds  like  brothers?  It  was  not 
by  tbe  will  of  man,  nor  through  man's  invention,  tliat 
these  feudalistic  fetters  were  to  be  broken;  but  as  ever 
in  human  affairs,  it  was  that  mysterious  power  of 
progress  ever  working  in  and  round  societies.  On 
this  occasion  that  power  was  Christianity,  the  religion 
of  all  others  with  which  European  civilization  seemed 
most  inclined  to  fraternize.  An  aid  in  itself  to  pro- 
gress, it  has  been  aided  and  purified  thereby.  When 
Aryan  paganism  gave  way  to  the  purer  Semitic  faith, 
Christianity  became  a  power  mightier  than  Rome  her- 
self— a  power  destined,  in  the  hands  of  Roman  pontiH's, 
to  rule  Christendom  long  after  Rome  the  mighty  had 
fallen.  Csesar  and  Christ,  the  sword  of  Roino  and 
tlie  faith  of  Rome,  were  for  a  time  one  in  purpose  and 
in  })ower;  but  faith,  rising  superior  to  brute  force, 
seized  the  sword  and  for  a  time  wielded  it  in  her  own 
interests. 

It  was  tlic  very  irony  of  religion,  that  frenzied  zeal 
which,  during  the  crusades,  gave  cliristianity  the 
form  of  chivalry.  The  martial  spirit  now  became 
inllamcd  by  fanaticism,  and  society  was  profoundly 
moved. 

From  the  earliest  ages  of  the  church,  it  liad  bei.-n 
deemed  an  act  of  piety  for  believers  in  Christ  to  make 
a  pilgrimage  to  his  tomb,  and  gaze  uj)on  the  scenes  by 
wliich  he  was  surrounded  when  working  out  the  re- 
dein[)tion  of  man.  The  riglit  of  these  i)ious  j)crsons 
to  visit  tlie  holy  sepulchre  was  never  (questioned  by 
the  Mohannnedans  until  near  the  close  of  tiie  eleventh 
century,  when  a  series  of  atroi-ities  were  committed  by 
a  horde  of  Turkish  invaders  which  roused  all  Christen- 
dom. The  nations  of  Eur()i)e  paused  in  their  inter- 
necine bickerings,  and  turned  their  eyes  witli  one  accord 
toward  the  east.  During  the  two  succeeiling  centuries 
millions  of  volunteers  came  forwai'd  and  enlisted  in 
holv'  crusades  against  the  profane  infidels.  Although 
extrenu'ly  disastrous  to  the  crusaders  themselves,  the 
elfect  of  this  movement  on  civilizat'on  was  most  bene- 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


ficial.  To  join  as  believers  and  brethren  in  a  common 
cause,  to  turn  the  arms  which  for  centuries  had  been 
drawn  only  against  each  other  upon  a  foe  of  their  faith, 
was  to  dissolve  the  insane  crystallizations  of  ages. 
Chieftains  of  proud  families,  who  for  generations  had 
nourished  an  inveterate  hate  one  for  the  other,  threw 
aside  their  animosities,  and  joining  hands  in  Christian 
union  if  not  m  Christian  love,  hurled  their  united 
strength  against  the  enemy,  vying  with  each  other  in 
acts  of  magnanimity.  The  enlightening  benefits  of 
travel  and  intercourse  with  the  more  refined  cities  of 
Italy  and  the  east,  the  awakening  of  a  new  faith  between 
man  and  man,  the  necessity  of  acknowledging  human 
rights  and  duties  other  than  those  of  power  and  place, 
roused  the  intellect  from  its  long  lethargy.  A  people, 
which  for  ten  generations  had  hardly  lost  sight  of  the 
banner  which  waved  from  its  castle  tower,  was  led 
forth  as  from  a  dungeon  to  behold  scenes  hitherto  be- 
yond their  conceptions.  Side  by  side  they  marched 
through  new  and  wondrous  regions,  w^iere,  in  place  of 
imps  and  ogres,  creatures  of  their  clouded  imaginations, 
thty  found  a  people  like  themselves,  ready  to  join  in 
promoting  a  cause  in  which  their  whole  soul  was  en- 
gaged. The  doctrine  of  universal  enmity  became  less 
defined,  and  vague  conceptions  of  human  relationships 
arose. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  crusades  was  to  asso- 
ciate and  intermix  mankind.  Europe  became  more 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  luxuries  and  refine- 
ment of  Asia.  The  power  of  the  maritime  cities 
Genoa,  Pisa,  and  Venice,  whose  vessels  carried  the 
crusaders  eastward,  was  increased.  The  absence  of 
feudal  lords  on  their  pious  wars  delivered  the  land 
somewhat  from  contentions;  households  were  split 
into  fragments  and  scattered,  and  their  independence 
inspired  them  to  labor.  A  consciousness  of  manhood 
arose  in  their  breasts,  and  with  it  came  self-respect, 
wealth,  domestic  comfort,  and  social  advancement. 
Population  increased;  towns  were  built;  manufactories 


bi'ies 


CHIVALRY.  0 

established;  and  a  class  between  the  nobleman  and 
the  churl  appeared.  Serfs  who  had  enlisted  in  the 
lioly  cause  on  their  return  were  free  men.  Many  of 
the  barons,  in  setting  out  on  their  crusade,  had  been 
obliged  to  part  with  their  landed  possessions  in  order 
to  procure  a  becoming  outfit;  many  never  returned, 
and  of  their  estates  some  were  bought  by  the  sover- 
eign at  a  nominal  price,  others  reverted  to  tlie  crown 
in  default  of  heirs.  Thus,  as  the  feudal  aristocracy 
dechned,  govci-nment  centralized,  and  regal  authority 
trained  streni^th. 

Spain,  meanwhile,  had  infidels  enough  at  home;  the 
whole  Mohammedan  war  was  but  one  grand  crusade, 
and  petty  feudalistic  fights  were  swallowed  up  in  one 
large  fight ;  so  that  neither  the  feudal  system  which 
l)()und  men,  nor  the  holv  adventures  which  liberated 
them,  obtained  in  Spain  as  elsewhere  througliout 
Europe.  Another  phenomenon,  however,  which  grew 
out  of  all  this,  imported  into  Si)ain  at  an  early  day, 
finding  there  a  rich  soil,  took  root,  and  fiourished 
extra\  agantly,  dee})ly  tinging  the  character  of  the 
nation. 

Chivalry,  from  cJievalier,  knight,  or  horseman — we 
might  call  it  mounted  monarchism;  now  the  cham- 
pion was  for  Christ,  and  now  for  a  fair  lady — at  once 
defender  of  the  faith,  and  defender  of  all  things  else; 
protector  of  the  innocent;  righter  of  the  wronged; 
under  the  banner  of  the  cross,  crusader;  wandering 
over  the  world  in  quest  of  adventure,  knight-errant. 

A  strange  blending  of  relinion  and  ijfallantrv,  of 
'  >"si.i;igs  and  justice;  a  fantastic  sentiment  fortunate 
ioi  humanity  at  this  juncture,  most  fortunate  for 
woman,  lilting  her  uj)  from  her  low  estate,  arraying 
her  in  brightness,  and  i)lacing  her  among  the  stars, 
meanwhile  toning  down  man's  cragginess,  polishing 
manners,  calling  up  finer  instincts ,  ornamenting,  adorn- 
ing strength  with  sympathy  and  valor  with  constancy, 
arraying  virtue  in  robes  of  loveliness,  stripping  some- 


10 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


what  from  war  its  ferocity,  from  vice  its  liidcousness ; 
trulv,  a  nobler  fanaticism  than  tliat  which  adds  tor- 
ture  to  ignorance,  and  better  at  all  events  than  the 
beastly  customs  of  feudalism.  Acting  in  conjunction 
witJi  the  holy  adventures,  and  before  the  creation  of 
standing  armies,  chivalry  played  its  part  in  the  great 
work  of  civilizing  man. 

But  whence  more  directly  came  chivalry?  About 
the  middle  of  the  tenth  century  humane  men  of 
the  nobler  sort,  fired  by  self-sacrificing  devotion  to 
an  unselfish  cause,  ingrafted  u[)on  certain  orders  of 
knighthood  the  sentiments  of  ])rotection  to  the  weak, 
and  vindication  of  the  riijhts  of  humanitv.  This 
chivalrous  spirit  was  fostered  by  the  crusades,  and  in 
the  eleventh  century,  tournaments,  regulated  by  fixed 
laws,  were  established  throuuhout  Christendom.  To 
eradicate  the  grosser  evils  of  feudalism,  to  redress 
wrongs,  to  vindicate  the  right,  to  merit  divine  favor 
bv  metini*'  out  fair  iustice  to  man,  were  amoni>'  the  ex- 
alted  purposes  of  this  romantic  sentiment.  Hence 
woman,  as  the  ensemble  of  all  that  is  lovely  and  depend- 
ent, became  the  prime  object  of  chivalrous  devotion. 
Ifere  it  was  that  she  was  first  raised  from  a  servile 
state,  and  placed  beside  that  divine  love  of  which  she 
is  the  incarnated  essence.  Thus  we  see  in  the  chival- 
ric  ideal  a  blending  of  thhigs  temporal  and  spiritual; 
a  materialization  of  Christianity.  It  was  an  outward 
manifestation  of  the  inner  and  hidden  life  of  the  mon- 
astery. For  a  time  this  spirit  well  accorded  with  the 
genius  of  the  age;  cliivaliy  became  the  great  religious 
and  social  inspiration,  and  all  creeds  and  customs  were 
made  to  conform  to  it.  Neither  is  it  strange  that  in 
this  new  glow  of  manhood  the  sentiment  swelled  to 
excess,  nor  that  this  excess,  like  all  excesses,  brought 
about  reaction  and  decline.  As  in  the  church,  that 
inordinate  zeal,  which,  amidst  filthy  poverty  and  self- 
torture,  wrought  out  j«>ys  ecstatic,  thus  elevating  the 
inin<l  by  debasing  the  body;  as  the  age  of  asceticism 
was  followed  by  an  age  of  clerical  gluttony — so  this 


m 


KNICJHT  ERRANTRY. 


11 


excessive  devotion  to  holy  saints  and  lovely  woman 
wrought  out  its  own  destruction,  and  ended  in  licen- 
tiousness. 

The  sentiment  became  chronic;  a  sort  of  chivalric 
slang  crept  into  language;  crusaders  were  dubhed  vas- 
sals of  Christ;  the  soldier  who  at  the  crucifixion 
pierced  the  Saviour's  side  was  pronounced  a  dastariUy 
knight  who  thereby  disgraced  his  order;  the  virgin 
mother  of  God  was  a  fair  lady,  worthy  the  «>xalted 
devotion  of  every  true  knight.  Even  the  most  bene- 
ficial [)art  of  the  chivalric  ideal,  the  worshi[>  of  woman, 
was  carried  to  such  an  extreme  as  in  the  end  to  result 
in  a  lovelier  immorality,  and  into  wickedness  lendered 
all  the  more  seductive  from  being  veiled.  Xeverthe- 
less,  the  temporary  uni(jn  of  chivalry  and  Christianity 
against  wickedness  in  high  places  could  not  be  other 
than  a  great  stej)  towartl  refinement. 

The  special  political  and  .social  state  of  Spain  dur- 
ing the  Arab  invasion,  no  less  than  something  in  the 
Spanish  character  itself,  contributed  to  develoj)  a 
chivalric  ideal  of  more  than  ordinaiy  vividness. 
"Spain  gives  us,"  says  Hegel,  "the  fairest  picture  of 
kniglithood  in  the  middle  ages,  and  its  hero  is  the 
Cid;"  and,  adds  Schlegel,  "the  spirit  of  chivalry  has 
nowhere  outlived  its  political  existence  so  l(»ng  as  in 
S])ain."  For  this  lofty  and  more  than  fanciful  species 
of  chivalry,  Spain  is  indebted  to  the  Saracens.  It 
has  even  l)een  held  that  they  originated  the  system 
and  taught  it  to  Europe.  SismontU  afKrms  that  those 
"notions  on  the  j)oint  of  honor,  which  not  only  ])os- 
sessed  a  great  influence  ovei-  the  svstem  of  cliivahv, 
but  even  over  our  modern  manners,  rather  belonged 
to  the  Arabians  than  to  the  (;iermau  tribes." 

Upon  the  ruins  of  the  kniglits  temj^lar  and  hospital- 
ler, who  obtained  large  possession  in  S[)ain  after  tlieir 
return  from  the  crusades,  aro.se  three  new  chivalric 
orders;  Santiago  or  St  James,  Calatrava,  and  Alcan- 
tara. The  first  of  these  orders  was  approved  by 
papal  bull  in  f  175.     The  story  of  its  origin  is  briefly 


12 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


as  follows:  During  their  struggles  with  the  infidels, 
the  apostle  St  James  had  vouchsafed  on  many  occa- 
sions to  appear  in  aid  and  encouragement  of  the 
Christians.  His  body,  which  had  been  miraculously 
discovered,  was  interred  at  Compostela,  a  small  town 
in  Galicia.  Thither  resorted  many  pilgrims  who,  in 
the  performance  of  their  pious  duty,  suttered  greatly 
from  the  constant  annoyances  of  the  Arabs.  For  tiie 
jtrotection  of  these  devout  itinerants,  several  knights 
and  cavaliers  united  and  formed  the  order  of  Santi- 
ago. The  members  of  this  order  were  distinguished 
by  a  white  mantle,  upon  which  was  embroidered  a 
red  cross,  shaped  as  a  sword,  under  which  was  an 
escalop  shell,  this  being  the  device  upon  the  banner 
of  their  saint  when  he  appeared  to  them  upon  the 
eve  of  battle.  And  many  a  death-shriek  has  gone 
up  from  the  wilderness  of  America  in  answer  to 
the  terrible  battle-cry  of  the  steel-clad  Christians: 
"Santiago  y  d  ellosl"  Saint  James  and  at  theml 
The  fraternity  of  Santiago  were  sworn  to  obedience, 
chastity,  and  comnmnity  of  property.  The  orders  of 
Caiatrava  and  Alcdntara  imposed  upon  their  members 
greater  austerity.  The  obligation  of  perpetual  celi- 
bacy was  assumed;  they  were  obliged  to  sit  at  table 
in  unbroken  silence;  to  eat  the  plainest  food,  with 
but  one  dish  of  meat  three  times  a  week,  and  to  sleep 
armed  and  ready  for  battle.  During  the  conquest 
of  Granada  tliese  chivalric  orders  vied  with  each 
other  in  presenting  an  imposing  appearance  in  the 
field.  There  always  existed  between  them  a  generous 
rivalrv;  at  the  first  in  the  loftiness  and  severitv  of 
their  vows,  and  at  the  last  in  the  skill  with  which 
they  evaded  them. 

Chivalry  at  length  met  its  death  at  the  hand  of  mili- 
tary art.  As  early  as  the  fourteenth  century  knights 
began  to  desert  their  round-table  principles,  and  fight 
for  those  who  would  pay  them  best.  But  in  Spain 
the  spirit  lingered  long  after  the  form  had  departed. 
Not  until  Cervantes  had  published  his  caustic  carica- 


WALLED  TO\VNS. 


13 


ture,  a  hundred  years  and  more  after  America's  dis- 
covery, was  the  passion  for  knight-errantry  wholly 
eradicated  from  the  popular  mind.  The  ridiculous 
antics  of  the  valorous  knight  of  La  Mancha  were  too 
much  for  even  the  sedate  Spaniard  to  swallow,  with 
all  his  reverence  for  the  past. 

With  the  building  of  walled  towns  there  is  a  new 
shuffle  and  a  new  deal  in  the  game  of  statecrait.  The 
mail-clad  barons  and  their  restless  retainers  find  their 
match  in  the  stout  burghers  of  the  cities.  This  new 
order,  the  French  tlers-etaf,  the  English  commonalty, 
is  played  by  the  kings  against  the  nobles,  and  the  re- 
sult is  a  decline  in  lawless  op})ression,  and  a  rise  in 
lawful  tyranny.  Hitherto  every  link  in  the  chain 
which  bound  men  together  was  forged  by  injustice. 
The  weak  and  the  wretched,  unable  to  defend  them- 
selves, were  forced  to  take  refuge  within  castle  walls; 
and  thus  the  power  of  the  nobles  was  increased  as  that 
of  the  peo[)le  diminished.  The  forming  of  indeiHMi- 
dent  nmnicipal  comnmnities,  theref\)re,  with  a  re[>ubli- 
caii  form  of  ijfovernment,  is  a  lono'  stritle  forward. 
Ijanding  and  walling  themselves  in,  the  connnoners 
are  able  to  bid  defiance  to  their  old  masters.  The 
sovereign,  who  is  king  in  name  only,  regards  the  rise 
of  this  new  power  with  favor;  or  if  not,  he  is  power- 
less to  oppose  it. 

The  towns  become  cradles  of  liberty,  a  refuge  for 
the  oppressed.  Slaves  and  serfs  resorting  thither, 
and  there  remaining  umnolested  for  one  year,  arc  free 
men.  Wealth,  the  precursor  of  refinement,  begins  to 
accunmlate;  laws  are  made  and  the  machinery  of 
courts  adapted  to  requirements.  To  enlarge  their  in- 
fluence, municipalities  join  the  sovereign  against  his 
barons,  or  forming  leagues  among  themselves,  become 
independent  of  both  king  and  nobles. 

Kin<;craft  now  becomes  an  art.  Baronial  castles 
are  thrown  down,  burying  dead  feudalism  beneath  the 
ruins.     A  check  is  placed  upon  the  growing  power  of 


u 


fOMrARAIIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 


the  citii'S,  and  Kurgiiisv  to  tlic  opposite  extreino  mon- 
nroliv  risoH  into  dtspotisn).  A  tliviiu'  ])o\ver,  it"  not  a 
celcstiul  origin,  is  ascribed  to  rulers.  The  kinij  run  do 
no  evil;  his  word  is  not  only  law,  hut  rii^liteous  law. 
T\)v  doctrine  of  halancing  jiower  arises — first,  domes- 
tic, the  feudal  j)rinci))le  halanced  hy  the  municipal, 
with  the  ecclesiastical  hehl  in  reserve  to  l>e  thrown 
into  either  side  of  tlic  scale  as  the  interests  of  tlio 
church  dictate;  and  finally,  as  ]>(^tty  principalitii-s 
coalesce,  the  states  thus  formed  hold  each  other  in 
check.  That  brilliant  trio,  Charles  V.,  Francis  I., 
and  Henry  VIII.,  divide  between  them  Euro[>e  and 
America,  then  fight  each  other  for  the  supivnuicy. 
Tin  so  mighty  potenta^^'^'S  in  their  lust  of  iiom[)  and 
power,  actuated  by  no  princi})le  save  that  of  personal 
aggrandizement,  crimson  the  soil  of  Europe  with  tlie 
blood  of  their  subjects,  and  then  themselves  return  to 
dust. 


With  artful  kingcraft,  killing  becomes  an  art. 
Hitherto  men  had  roamed  for  i)rev  sin^lv  or  in  small 
bands ;  now  they  unite  and  establish  rules  under  wliich 
their  murderous  propensities  may  be  more  fully  grati- 
fied. Time  was  employed  not  uneciually  in  pursuing 
those  arts  which  led  to  takinii-  and  to  sustaining  life. 
The  undrilled  artisan,  however,  made  but  a  poor  sol- 
dier, while  raids  and  fightinus  were  not  the  schools  t)f 
prosperous  husbaiKhy,  nor  were  the  higher  functions 
of  the  government  less  paralyzed  by  the  heterogeneous 
fragments  into  which  the  military  force  of  tlie  nation 
was  split.  Grand  results  can  be  achieved  only  by 
united  strength  and  concerted  action.  It  is  onlv  when 
the  resources  of  tlie  state  are  finnly  grasped  and  ab- 
solutely wielded  by  one  sole  sovereign,  that  tranquillity 
at  home  and  respect  abroad  can  be  maintained.  Be- 
fore armies  were  established,  disjmtatious  cavaliers 
vacillated,  almost  at  will,  between  the  court  and  their 
feudal  domains;  but  however  fascinating  such  a  life 
might  be  to  themselves,  it  was  one  little  calculated  to 


STANDING   ARMIES. 


15 


their 

a  llfc 

Ited  to 


elevate  the  people,  or  .stroni^tlioii  the  arm  of  the  gov- 
erniuent.  In  order  to  initi;^ate  this  evil,  thr  sov- 
ert'ii^ns  of  Europe,  about  the  middle  of  the  fi^'tci'iith 
century,  introduced  the  system  of  standiiiiX  aimios. 
J)urini;"  the  turbulence  and  anaichy  of  feudalism,  ex- 
cept in  Sjiain  vhere  the  sevei-al  states  wen;  obliged 
to  unite  ai^ainst  the  encroachments  of  tlu^  Aial)S, 
kno\vled<i^e  of  military  tactics  and  the  manceuvring  of 
lan'e  bodii^s  of  trooi)s  were  in  a  nu'asure  lost.  In 
144o  Charles  A'l  I.  of  France  withdrew  from  the  in- 
iluence  of  the  barons  fifteen  hundivd  men-at-arnis, 
and  j)lace(l  them  under  pay  of  the  government.  His 
ix:uni)le  was  followe<'.  by  other  nations,  to  whom  the 
advantages  of  the  system  soon  became  apparent.  The 
employment  of  mercenary  trocjps,  who  adopted  arms 
as  a  profession,  antl  who  were  kept  in  constant  train- 
ing, and  undi-r  the  immediate  eye  of  their  king,  greatly 
strengthened  the  government;  while  the  mass  of  the 
]>eople,  relieved  from  sudden  and  constant  calls  to  do 
military  service,  were  enabled  to  pi'osecute  their  s(>v- 
cral  vocations  with  ijreater  advantaiife  to  themselves 
and  to  tlie  state. 

Up  to  this  time  the  rules  of  chivalry  had  ])revented 
gentlemen  from  appearing  ujion  the  field  of  battle  ex- 
cept in  lull  armor  and  mounted,  with  all  the  gaudy 
parapliernalia  of  the  tournament.  And  by  tluin  the 
fate  of  battle  was  determined;  but  little  dependence 
was  to  be  ])laeed  on  undisci[)lined  churls  drawn  IVom 
the  barcmial  estates.  All  this  was  now  changed  l>y 
the  ai)peaj"ance  of  a  new  element  in  military  practice, 
destined  by  intensifying  war  to  promote  the  interests 
of  peace.  Gunpowder,  an  invention  of  the  Chinese, 
was  carried  by  the  Arabs  into  Spain,  whence  it  spread 
throughout  Europe. 

With  the  use  of  fire-arms  the  machinery  of  war 
became  more  complicated,  the  necessity  for  disci- 
pline was  increased;  the  mounted  cavalier,  encased  in 
breastplate,  helmet,  and  shield,  lost  his  advantage,  and 
the  cavalry  became  more  formidable.     But  the  adop- 


16 


COMPAKATIVE  CIVIUZATIONS  AND  SAVAfJlSM3. 


I 


tion  of  any  new  invention  at  that  time  took  place  but 
slowly,  and  not  until  lonji^  after  the  conquest  of  Amer- 
ica were  tlieir  ancient  ini[)leinent8  of  warfare  laid  aside 
by  the  Sj)aniardH.  A  curious  medley  of  death-deal- 
ing instruments  was  displayed  upon  the  battle-fields 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Cross-bows,  battle-axes, 
pikes,  and  arquebuses,  short-swords,  bucklers,  daggers, 
and  pistols  were  placed  into  the  hands  of  the  infantry; 
while  the  stately  knight,  glittering  in  full  armor  with 
lance  an<l  sword,  sou<jrht  out  some  duel  better  suited 
to  his  arm  and  humor.  Besides  a  clumsy  artillery, 
hurling  from  various  machines  balls  of  stone  or  iron, 
there  were  mounted  archers  who  did  good  service. 
The  long-bow  was  a  formidable  weapon,  projecting  an 
arrow  two  hundred  yards  through  a  breast|)late  or 
an  inch  plank.  The  Saracen  knight  fought  with  lance 
and  buckler,  mounted  on  a  richly  caparisoned  lK>rse ; 
the  Saracen  footmen  with  cross-bow,  cimeter,  spear, 
and  arquebuse. 

Fortress  walls  were  scaled  by  the  esculaJorfs,  under 
cover  of  mantelets,  or  movable  parapets;  and  for  ef- 
fecting an  entrance  into  walled  towns,  large  wooden 
towers,  provided  with  ladders,  drawbridges,  and  all 
the  requisite  apparatus,  were  rolled  up  to  the  ram- 
parts, whence  the  attacking  party  emerged  upon  the 
wall-top  and  descended  into  the  city. 

During  the  wars  of  Granada,  artillery  being  the 
arm  most  necessary  for  the  carrying  of  fortified  places, 
their  catholic  majesties  gave  every  attention  to  the 
perfection  of  this  weapon.  From  Valencia,  from  Bar- 
celona, from  l^ortugal,  from  Flar.  lers,  and  from  Sicily 
powder  was  b  ought,  and  with  that  belonging  to  the 
kingdom,  dep  uted  in  underground  magazines.  Ar- 
tillery officers  '^ere  procured  from  Italj',  France,  and 
Germany;  gui  were  multiplied;  their  construction 
was  improved,  nd  more  convenient  proportions  given 
to  their  caliber  The  batteries  increased  the  rapidity 
and  force  of  their  fire ;  burning  mixtures  were  brought 


OUNl'OWDKR. 


IT 


the 


into  rcfjulsltion,  and  the  mobility  «)f  the  guns  likewise 
auj^nn'iit('<l. 

PciliJijts  no  |HTi<vl  in  the  liistory  of  human  viirfiiro 
Ufiitts  so  ni;niv  clcnuntH  of  awful  splondor  a.^  •luiins' 
tlii^i  tiansition,  when  ui»on  the  satut.'  hattlc-HcId  was 
soon  the  pai'tini:^  HouriRh  of  anciont  chivalry,  inin'^linrf 
with  tlic!  sulphurous  sniokf  of  sricntiHc  wai'tan>.  Thcic 
the  njillaiit  knii^ht,  olittorini,^  in  hurnislu'd  stciil, 
njouiitt<l  on  dororated  steed,  singled  out  his  foe  and 
rushed  ])roudly  to  the  eharo'e,  amid  tlu!  flash  of  fire- 
!oek,  the  twang  of  long-bow,  and  the  clattiT  of  piko 
an<l  hattJe-axo.  The  canip  was  brilliant  with  bravt; 
ostentation  and  rich  display.  There  were  gay  pavil- 
ions, «Ieeorated  with  il;''-.nting  ])einions  and  silken 
hangings;  gold-embroidered  furnisiiings,  luxurious 
couches,  generous  wines,  and  rich  food,  served  from 
j)lato  of  gold  and  silver.  Upon  the  battle-fields  of 
Spain  there  was  the  stately  Spanish  knight,  little 
K'ss  than  king,  who  brought  into  the  field  a  thousand 
vassals,  all  his  own  serving-men,  and  all  at  his  own 
expense.  There  were  gallant  chevaliers  from  France, 
with  pages  and  esquires,  and  English  yeomen,  armed 
rap-a-pie,  who  fought  with  long-bow,  pike,  and  battle- 
axe. 

After  the  siege  of  Constantinople,  in  14o:3,  in 
which  cannon  played  an  important  part,  the  apjiliea- 
tion  of  gunpowder  to  purposes  of  war  rapidly  extended, 
and  hastened  the  decline  of  chivalry.  The  Spaniards, 
who  at  tJie  first  had  suffered  severely  from  tiie  artil- 
lery of  the  Moors,  at  length  seized  and  turned  against 
the  invaders  their  own  weapons,  and  with  them  finally 
battered  down  the  walls  of  Mdlaga  and  Granada,  and 
drove  their  instructors  from  Spain. 

So  all  things  worked  together;  and  as  the  opposi- 
tion of  negative  electricity  accumulates  and  intetisiHes 
the  positive,  so  the  presence,  through  succeeding  ages, 
of  hereditary  enemy  and  infidel,  produced  that  iufatu- 

Cal.  Past.,  Vol.  I.    2 


I:'! 


II    ! 


, 


m 


COMP.mATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 


atlon  of  loyalty  and  superstition  which  Buoklo  rovilGS 
as  the  two  |)redoniinant  clcniciits  of  Spanish  character. 

With  standinuf  armies  and  cfunpowder,  the  riijjht  of 
individuals  to  wage  private  war  was  discountenanced. 
Disputes  were  referred  to  courts  of  justice,  and  heavy 
penalties  iniiicted  upon  those  who  sought  redress  for 
iiij  uries  at  the  head  of  their  retainers.  It  was  a  strange 
bias  of  intellect,  the  deciding  of  judicial  causes  hy  mor- 
tal combat,  the  invoking  of  Cod's  justice  by  armed 
champions,  and  the  settling  of  disputes  by  the  endur- 
ance of  pain. 

Points  of  law  were  determined  by  skill  in  sword 
exercises.  Kven  religious  disputants  referred  their 
controversy  to  trial  by  combat.  To  be  vanquished  in 
battle  was  clear  evidence  that  the  cause  was  unjust. 
In  England,  as  late  as  1571,  a  trial  by  combat  was 
pcTmittcvl  by  the  court  of  common  pleas;  and  the  cus- 
tom prevailed,  in  cases  wliere  tlie  evidence  was  not 
( lear,  of  permitting  criminals  to  obtain  an  acquittal 
upon  purging  themselves  by  oath. 

JVIany  absurd  practices,  humiUating  to  reason,  were 
resorted  to  in  the  decisions  of  justice.  JCndurance  in 
handling  red-hot  iron,  walking  upon  heated  plough- 
shares, holdinu:  the  arm  in  boilinu;  water,  standin<jf  with 
arms  extended  before  a  crucifix,  were  among  the 
wlilmsical  methods  em[)loyed  to  determine  the  guilt 
or  innocence  of  tlie  accused.  A  direct  appeal  to  the 
court  of  heaven  was  the  most  infallible  means  of  ob- 
tainin<>' justice,  and  numberless  are  the  instances  among 
the  records  of  the  church  in  which  the  almiglity  mi- 
raculously interposed  his  arm  in  vindication  of  t!ie 
right.  To  such  an  absurdity  was  this  system  of  mili- 
tary jurisprudence  carried,  that  in  some  instances  tlio 
judge  upon  his  bench,  when 'about  to  deliver  his  sen- 
tence, might  be  impeached  by  the  culprit,  ami  defied 
to  mortal  cond)nt.  Finall}',  here  as  elsewhere,  the 
kir.g  inter[)oscs  between  heaven  and  mankind,  and 
appeal  is  made  from  the  decisions  of  feudal  barons  to 
him  instead  of  to  God  direct.     The  accidental  discov- 


LITKRATURR 


10 


ery  in  Italy,  about  the  niidcUe  of  tlio  twelfth  cor.tnry, 
of  a  ct)i)y  of  the  Panel octs  of  Justinian,  tcndocl  j:frt'atly 
to  promote  the  study  of  law  and  the  influence  of 
courts. 

-\<,'ain,  in  the  mysterious  workings  of  mind  do  wo 
see  kiiowk'dfio  hcijotteu  of  intensified  isjnorance.  That 
curiosity  which  led  to  learning  from  medijeval  torpid- 
ity was  aroused  by  a  spirit  of  tlieological  C()ntn>versy. 
J  Hsputations  between  Arian  and  ]*elagian,  Peripa- 
tetic and  Platonist,  however  absurd  in  themselves, 
excited  inquiry;  and  metaphysii-al  wranglings  over 
iionsensieal  shadows  of  doctrine  was  perhaps  as  good 
a  mental  exercise  as  any  other. 

Vv'hiK;  Greece  was  the  omj)ire  of  letters,  Home  be- 
raine  the  empire  of  political  power.  The  .arts  and 
<  ulture  of  Greece  were  carried  i)y  her  captors  to  the 
world's  ends,  Greek  was  the  lan'>ua<xe  of  letters  and 
refiiKMnent,  Latin  of  legislation  and  religion, 

Spanish  intellect  during  the  sixteenth  century  dis- 
played a  freshness  and  versatility  unsurpassed  l)y  any 
nation  of  modern  times.     The  illiterate  adv(;nturer, 
thrown  suddenly  from  the  beaten  paths  of  his  ances- 
tors into  untried  fields,  exltibited  a  marvellous  fertility 
of  talent  for  seizing  occasion;    while   in   the   liigher 
orders  of  society,  literature  attained  its  greatest  excel- 
lence among  those  whose  lives  were  nK)st  active.     The 
system  of  paid  historiographers  instituted  by  Alfonso 
the  Wise  continued;  but  at  this  time  tliere  had  arisen 
other  writers,  fresh,  active  minds,  sprung   from   the 
ranks  of  a  progressive   peopl(\  who,  for  the  love  of 
truth  or  fame,  ♦)r  from  an  ovcrfiowing  redundancv  of 
thought,  turned  from  the  more  practical  employments 
iu  which  many  of  them  had  already  acquired  fame, 
and  devoted  their  lives  to  the  ennobling  occu[)ation  of 
literuture.     The   most  eminent   poets  wore  also  the 
most   famous  soldiers;    the  greatest  statesmen  were 
<cclesiastics,     Juan   Boscan,  who  introduced   Italian 
vcrsilication  into  Spain,  acquired  a  name  for  oratory 
and  statecraft  before  the  poet's  wreath  was  awarded 


'  I' 


'I 


20 


COMPAllATIVE  CIVILIZATIOXS   AND  SA\'Af}IS.M,S. 


Jiiiii.  Garcilaso  do  la  A'ega  crowded  into  a  short  life 
of  thirty-three  yeara  a  scries  of  military  achieveiuonts 
which  shed  upon  his  name  scarcely  loss  lustre  than 
his  |)octical  genius,  to  which  the  Castilian  languai.',e  is 
indebted  for  its  sweetest  and  most  glowing  pastoral 
poem.  Hurtado  do  Mendoza  served  Charles  V.  as 
ambassador  and  military  governor.  Cervartes,  after 
losing  his  left  hand  fighting  the  Turks  at  Le})anto, 
and  spending  five  years  in  captivity  among  the  Alge- 
rinos,  upon  his  return  to  Spain  was  thrown  into  prison, 
and  there  wrote  the  first  part  of  his  inimitable  satirt!. 
While  following  a  sailor's  life,  Cohuubus  not  only 
api)lied  himself  to  geography  and  astronomy,  but 
attained  proficiency  in  polite  literatun;,  and  wrote 
Latin  verses  for  anmsemcnt.  Lope  do  Vega  and  many 
other  eminent  writers  were  also  soldiers  of  no  mean 
leputation. 

The  pursuit  of  letters  flourislies  with  the  prosperity 
of  states.  Intellectual  culture  rises,  culminates,  and 
declines  with  the  wealth  and  hap[)iness  of  the  people. 
The  same  elements  are  congenial  to  both;  both  are 
nurtured  in  the  same  school  of  disci[)line,  ri|)en  in  the 
same  sunshine  of  success,  and  decay  alike  with  luxury 
and  inaction.  The  functions  of  the  mind  are  wrought 
into  activity  by  the  stirring  events  which  make  great 
the  nation.  The  heart  swells  with  enthusiasm  in  bat- 
tling for  God,  for  country,  for  the  approbation  of  the 
fair,  and  bursts  forth  in  reliu'ious  and  romantic  song. 
In  the  calmer  moods  which  follow  long  periods  t)f  suc- 
cessful warfare,  science  unfolds  her  mysteiies,  art  blos- 
soms, and  the  cimifortsand  luxuries  of  leisure  nmltiply. 
The  repose  which  followed  the  expulsion  of  the  !Moors, 
the  newly  acquired  w^ealth  of  the  Indies,  and  the 
grandeur  attained  by  8})ain  under  the  brilliant  reigns 
of  Ferdinand,  Charles,  and  Philip  were  alike  favorable 
to  the  pursuit  of  literature. 

A  history  of  literature  is  but  a  history  of  the  nation; 
for  not  only  what  is  expressed,  but  the  forms  of  ex- 
pression, denote  the  character  and   progress  of  the 


CULTURE  OF  LETTERS, 


21 


pooplo.  TTcncc  if  we  would  learn  the  correlative 
iiil'cct  of  letters  upon  Spain  and  Spain  upon  letters, 
we  must  go  back  to  the  same  source  whence  other 
phases  of  civilization  are  evolved. 

The  culture  of  letters,  first  carried  to  the  peninsula 
l>y  tlic  Romans,  after  sinking  beneath  Visigothic  bar- 
baiism,  revived  under  the  Arabs.  Excepting,  as  we 
well  may,  the  miserable  theologic  drivel  of  the  (xotho- 
Latin  fathers  of  the  Spanish  church,  science  and  learn- 
ing first  appeared  at  Cordova.  Schlegel,  with  the 
pioverbial  zeal  of  a  neophyte,  and  newly  converted 
rliampion  of  the  church,  has  tried,  without  avail,  to 
underrate  the  Arabic  influence.  Humboldt,  verging 
to  the  other  extreme,  exalts  it  bevond  measure.  The 
Arabs,  he  says,  are  the  "actual  founders  of  ph^'sieal 
science,"  the  authors  of  chemical  pharmacy.  They 
"scared  back  to  some  extent  the  barbarism  which  had 
slirouded  Europe  for  more  than  two  hundred  years." 
They  had  a  "far  extended  and  variously  developed 
literature,"  and  they  "lead  us  back  to  the  imperishal)le 
sources  of  Greek  philosophy."  "The  reigns  of  the 
two  Abderrahmans,"  says  Tieknor,  "  and  the  period 
f»f  the  glory  of  Cordova,  which  begun  about  750  and 
continued  almost  to  the  time  of  its  conquest  by  tlie 
Christians  in  \2'M),  were  more  intellectual  than  could 
1)0  found  elsewhere."  The  kingdom  of  ( iranada,  which 
succeeded,  was  scarcel}'  less  ftuned  for  its  learning  and 
rcHnement  than  for  its  opulence  and  ostentatious 
luxury. 

Scattered  over  the  plain  of  Granada  at  the  time  of 
its  conquest  were  no  less  than  fifty  colleges  and  seventy 
puldic  libraries  where  literature  was  pursued,  and  the 
sciences  of  astronomy,  mathematics,  and  cluinistry 
cultivated, 

Jewish  literature  attained  eminence  under  tlie 
cali[)hs  of  Spain,  The  Moslem  schools  at  (iranada, 
('('•rdova,  Barcelona,  and  Toledo  were  thrown  open  to 
Israelites,  who  became  proficient  in  medicine,  mathe- 
niatics,  and  astronomy. 


COMPARATIVE  cmLIZATIOXS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 


Then  it  was  in  tlie  soutliern  part  of  Spain  tlmt  lit- 
erature first  t<v)k  root.  There  in  the  most  beautiful 
climate  of  Europe,  in  Barcelona  and  Valencia,  as  well 
J  s  in  southern  France,  was  the  native  seat  of  that 
sweet  Provenyal  poetrv',  "the  joyous  science."  Frcjiu 
Catalonia,  Valencia,  and  Aragon  it  passed  to  Castile. 
It  dates  back  to  the  eighth  centurv,  but  received  its 
^vciit  stimulus  from  the  crusades.  "The  crusades," 
says  Buckle,  "  increased  the  stock  of  fables,  and  all  the 
fictions  of  the  east  were  suddenly  let  loose  upon 
Europe."  In  the  twelfth  century  nearly  every  coun- 
try of  Europe  had  heard  the  fame  of  the  gal  saber. 

In  S[)ain,  as  Lafuente  has  shown,  this  literary  move- 
ment did  not  limit  itself  to  poetry  and  works  of  the 
imagination.  It  extended  also  to  theology,  ethics,  his- 
tory, politics,  and  jurisprudence.  Translations  of  tlie 
bible  and  commentaries  on  its  chronicles,  books  of  law, 
t>f  government,  and  of  theology  appeared.  So  greiit 
was  the  respect  paid  for  learning  at  the  close  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  that  on  tlie  accession  of  King  Don 
]\[artin  of  Aragon,  the  judicial  and  political  question 
of  succession  was  neither  foujjlit  out  nor  settled  bv 
the  nobles,  but  decided  by  a  committee  of  learned 
ecclesiastics  and  jurists. 

This  general  progress  of  public  feeling  toward  en- 
lightenment contrib  ited  much  to  the  creation  of  the 
I'niversity  of  i^arcelona  in  1430,  by  the  ancient  magis- 
tracy of  that  city.  It  was  endowed  witli  thirty-two  pro- 
fessorshi[)S,  including  chairs  t)f  theology,  jurisprudence, 
medicine,  philosophy,  grammar,  rhetoric,  anatomy, 
Hebrew,  and  Greek.  From  the  intimate  conunu- 
nication  between  the  Aragonese  and  the  ItalianSj  the 
lienaissance,  rising  in  Italy  since  the  fall  of  (\)n- 
stantinople,  was  carried  to  the  peninsula.  Spain 
was  fortunate  in  securing  Florence  as  a  teacher. 
When  Cosmo  di  Medici  died  in  1404,  his  grandson 
Lorenzo  succeeded  to  the  rule  of  Florence,  and  to  the 
guiding  of  great  events.  The  crescent  had  eclipsed 
th.e  cross  at  the  golden  horn  of  the  Bosporus;  with 


a 


SPAMiSU  LlTEllATUKE. 


tlit- 
itiful 

well 

that 
From 
istilc. 
id  its 
ados, 
dl  the 

upon 

coun- 
ter. 

iiiove- 
of  the 
cs,  his- 

of  the 
of  law, 
J  great 
;  of  the 
ng  Don 
ucstion 

tied  by 
learned 

ard  en- 
1  of  tlie 
b  n\agis- 
vvo  prt)- 
vidence, 
[iati)niy, 
couunu- 
ans,  the 
,f   Con- 
Spain 
teacher, 
randson 
d  to  the 
eclipsed 
us;  with 


the  city  of  Constautine  had  utterly  fallen  the  last  pil- 
lar of  the  eastern  empire.  The  learned  men  whom 
the  great  capital  had  imrsed  were  scattered  abroad, 
rieeiiig  with  their  hooks  and  instruments,  wandering 
they  knew  not  whiti.er.  Lorenzo  gathered  many  to 
his  Tuscan  city,  and  spared  neither  gold  nor  care  that 
they  and  their  manuscripts  should  make  their  stay 
permanent.  It  is  well  known  what  such  a  policy  did 
for  Florence;  and  how  this  light  made  many  darl:  ah- 
siirdities  untenable  for  Euro})e,  and  even  for  Spain. 
Xew  universities  sprang  up ;  Castile  took  her  place 
in  the  race,  and  everything  indicated  for  Spain  the  in- 
auguration of  new  and  great  things.  There  the  sci- 
ences were  more  backward  in  the  fifteenth  century  than 
letters.  Astronomy,  cosmography,  physics,  and  math- 
ematics had,  it  is  true,  their  professors  in  the  universi- 
ties of  Salamanca  and  Alcala.  But  the  information 
possessed  on  these  subjects  was  neither  equal  to  that 
in  Portugal  since  the  time  of  Prince  Henry,  nor  conj- 
mensurate  with  the  material  and  scientific  revolution 
that  tlie  discovery  of  the  New  World  had  produced. 
"Salamanca,"  says  Hare,  "once  possessed  twenty-five 
eolleges,  twenty  convents,  twenty-five  professors,  and 
twenty -five  arches  of  its  bridge;  but  the  last  alone  re- 
iiiaiu  intact — ev)lleges,  churches,  convents,  and  pro- 
Ifssorships  having  alike  fallen.  TJie  university,  which 
boasted  al)ove  ten  thousand  students  in  the  fourteentli 
(vuturv,  has  now  little  more  than  one  tliousand;  and 
the  spK'ndiil  collegiate  buildings,  palaces  wortliy  of  the 
corso  »if  Home  or  the  grand  canal  of  Venice,  are  either 
in  ruins  or  let  out  to  poor  families." 

While  the  Mohanunedan  contest  was  raging  the 
fiercest,  and  the  corruj)ted  Latin  of  the  Sj>aniar(h  was 
merging  into  the  Castilian  dialect,  Alfonso  X.  as- 
cended the  throne  of  Castile,  and  for  his  zeal  in  pro- 
moting the  intelligence  of  his  people,  was  surnamed 
The  Wise.  To  his  Arab  tastes  he  was  indebted  for 
this  title.  He  labored  to  introduce  into  l']urope  the 
sciences,  arts,  and  manufactures  of  his  Arab  neigiibors. 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIO:SS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


m 


He  was  something  of  an  astronomer,  something  of  a 
chemist,  and  he  j)ropoHed  a  system  of  tl'o  heavens 
based  upon  the  Ptokmiaic  scheme.  He  patronized 
k'tters,  and  liis  own  writiijgs  contributed  not  a  httle 
to  tlieir  advance,  and  to  that  of  science.  He  invited 
many  eastern  [)hilosophers  to  his  court,  and  he  had 
manv  of  their  works  translated  into  Castihan,  Of 
the  niore  material  advantages,  gunpowder,  our  min- 
erals, i)aper,  and  the  compass,  though  not  discovered 
by  the  Arabians,  were  introduced  by  them  to  Euro- 
})can  use.  The  first  schools  and  libraries  in  the  ])tnin- 
sula,  in  mediaeval  times,  were  those  of  the  Mussulmans. 
*'The  number  of  Arabic  authors  which  Spain  })ro- 
duccd,"  says  Sismondi,  "was  so  prodigious,  that  many 
Aral)ian  bibliographers  wrote  learned  treatises  on  the 
authors  born  in  particular  towns."  Was  it  any  won- 
der, then,  with  all  this,  that  to  the  Arab  colleges, 
academies,  and  libraries  there  resorted  in  g'K  .-t  num- 
bers, not  only  the  sons  of  the  faithful,  but  also  Chris- 
tians from  dilfenmt  parts  of  Europe?  So  nmch  for 
the  eastern,  for  a  long  time  not  only  the  principal 
but  the  only  source  of  learning  and  culture  in  Spain. 
Up  to  this  time,  which  was  the  middle  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  the  literature  of  Spain  consisted  of 
romantic  poems  of  the  order  o^  El  Rovaiicero  (hi  Cid, 
and  a  multitude  of  chivalric  ballads  of  like  quality. 
As  manifestions  of  temperament,  these  eit'usions  are 
not  without  value.  For  hundreds  of  years  heroic 
romances  and  tales  of  knight-errantry  constituted 
the  popular  literature  of  Spain,  and  these  monstrous 
fictions  were  devoutly  accepted  as  true  history.  No 
absurdity  was  too  great  for  belief;  and  although  this 
folly  was  eflectually  crushed  by  the  renowned  ]Jon 
Quixote  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, shortly  before  which  time  the  passion  for  reading 
books  of  chivalry  was  never  more  absorbing  nor  the 
influence  more  baneful,  its  impress  remains  indelibly 
stamped  upon  the  Spanish  mind.  Their  dramatic 
writings  consisted  chiefly  of  religious  farces  and  alle- 


lil 


ALFONSO  THE  WISE. 


25 


of  a 

veus 

li/A'tl 

little 

.itcd 

had 

Of 

uiin- 

vered 

h'^uro- 

R'uiu- 

iiians. 

1  pio- 

uiiiuy 

Ml  the 

■  wou- 

UcL^es, 
nuin- 

Chris- 

ch  for 

incipal 

Spain, 
thir- 
ted  of 
I  Cid, 
udlity. 
us  are 
heroic 
ituted 
listrous 
No 
i'h  this 
1  Von 
h  con- 
K-uding 
lor  the 
delihly 
laiuatic 
Id  alle- 


o-orieal  plays,  which  can  scarcely  be  ranked  a>  literature, 
niuch  less  poetry.  Alft)nso  digested  the  then  existing 
ojjinions  conoerning  morals,  religion,  and  legislation, 
into  a  uniform  system  of  laws,  applicahle  to  the 
various  conditions  (tf  his  people.  This  work  was 
called  his  Slete  Porfidas,  from  the  seven  parts  into 
which  it  was  divided.  The  learned  monarch  (how 
larjifelv  from  the  code  of  Justinian,  as  well  as  from 
other  sources.  In  this  coni})ilation  was  laid,  not  only 
the  foundation  of  Spanish  jurisprudence,  hut  it  em- 
bodied such  sound  ethical  maxims  as  to  atlect,  not  only 
the  polities  of  Spain,  but  of  the  colouics  of  Louisiana 
and  Florida,  and  throu'j^h  them  to  exert  a  modifvinjj: 
inlluence  upon  the  government  of  the  United  States. 
But  unfortunately,  the  paths  of  literature  for  the 
two  succ(H'(linnf  centuries  lav  not  throu<«:h  fertile  fiehis 
nor  by  clear  running  streams.  In  place  of  a  natural 
growth,  advancing  step  by  step  from  barbaric  igno- 
lance,  the  Spanish  intellect  plunged  at  once  from  the 
dieamv  languor  of  chivalric  ballads  into  the  dei)ths  of 
mysticism  and  theological  speculation.  Imagination 
still  usurped  the  domain  of  reason;  the  battle  was  be- 
tween nominalism  and  realism;  men  fought,  not  for 
the  truth,  but  for  the  abstract  idea.  The  faith  for 
wliich  tlie  Spaniards  had  so  lonij  struu'u'led  <loud(;d 
tlieir  understanding,  and  prevented  that  unprejudiced 
iixjuiry  into  causes  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
all  pi'ogress.  Only  the  theological  subtleties  of  the 
(Greeks  had  been  absorbed  by  the  Latins,  wliile  the 
more  sensible  Arabians  seized  upon  Aristotelean 
philosophy,  and  applied  it  to  useful  arts.  Tiie  church 
was  bv  no  means  unwillin«>'  that  her  secrets  should  be 
guarded  by  a  dead  language.  Cardinal  Bembo  seeing 
one  day  a  itriest  en<j;anfed  in  translatin<>:  a  i>ortion  of 
the  bible  exclaimed,  "Leave  off  this  child's  l)lay; 
such  nonsense  does  not  become  a  man  of  uravitv." 
Latm  therefore  continued  to  be  the  lanufuaue  of  the 
churcii,  and  as  the  clergy  only  were  taught,  the 
church  monopolized  learning.     AH  through  the  dark 


m 


sA 


comparativp:  civilizations  and  savagisms. 


I 


ago  there  gliiumercd  beams  of  light  from  Coustan- 
tiin)|)le,  from  Bagdad,  and  from  Cordova.  The  Om- 
ni iades  kept  up  regular  communication  with  the 
l^yzantine  em])er()rs.  To  the  papacy  as  the  tem- 
poral and  ecclesiastical  power  of  the  clmrch  of  Konie 
was  o])p()sed  the  calipliate  as  the  temporal  and  ecclesi- 
astical j)i)\ver  of  Mohammedanism.  While  the  bishop 
of  Komt!  held  undisputed  tenii)oral  and  spiritual  sway 
in  Italy,  in  Castile,  and  over  the  entire  north  of 
Euiopc,  the  calii>h  of  Mohanmjed  held  undisputed 
temi^oral  and  spiritual  sway  at  Cordova,  as  well  as  at 
Samarc.md.  The  bishop  of  Rome  was  pope  because 
he  was  emperor;  the  caliph  of  Mohammed  was  em- 
peror because  he  was  pope.  As  intercourse  with  the 
Greeks  and  Saracens  increased,  there  was  manifest 
throughout  Euro[)e  an  awakened  interest  in  learning. 
In  Constantinople  Greek  was  a  living  language  until 
that  city  was  conquered  by  Mohammed  II.  in  1453. 
In  1458  it  was  first  taunht  at  Paris,  in  1481  it  was 
]>iinted  at  Milan,  and  taught  at  Oxford  in  1488. 
With  the  restoration  of  Greek  literature  in  Italv, 
about  the  betjinnin*^  of  the  fifteenth  centurv,  b(  "j,an  a 
new  eia  in  tlie  extension  of  knowledge.  It  was  this 
lig]it  breaking  in  from  the  east  that  dispelled  the 
loiiLir  darkness.  Latin,  which  as  the  lan<4uaLre  of  the 
learned  had  hitherto  kept  wrapped  within  its  mystic 
folds  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients,  fell  into  disuse. 
From  vulvar  and  aboriginal  dialects  modern  Ian- 
ii'uanes  were  formed,  and  literature  was  taken  from 
church  control  and  spread  before  the  peop.le.  Schools 
arose,  and  laymen  as  well  as  clerg^'men  were  taught. 
Incpiiry  and  argument  left  the  unprofitable  fields  of 
windy  sclK)lasticism,  and  entered  the  more  practical 
])at1is  f)f  science.  Penetrating  eyes  were  ca.st  upon 
liuiiian  afiairs,  and  saw  therein  elements  not  reached 
by  the  meditations  of  the  cloister.  Men  dared  to  give 
license  to  thought,  to  give  rein  to  reason,  and  with  it 
to  invade  the  sacred  })recincts  of  old  delu:4ons,  and 
demand  of  bigots  the  why  and  wherefore  of  their  ab- 


^1 


PREfTINO. 


m 


istan- 

Oiu- 
i    tlie 

tein- 
Kinne 
eclesi- 

1  S4\vay 
itli   ot 

U  as  at 
jccauso 

as  Pi»- 
:itU  the 
nanifcst 
i:anuH'j;- 
,o;e  until 
in  1453. 
1  it  was 
n    1488. 
n   Italy, 
l)(>u;an  a 
svas  this 
lletl  the 
e  of  the 
Is  mystic 
)  disuse, 
cin    Ian- 
en  from 
Schools 
taught, 
fickis  ot 
practical 
|a,-^t  upon 
rcachctl 
•a  ti»  give 
Ll  with  it 
l-ions,  antl 
their  ah- 


sui'dlties.  Italy  again  hocomes  the  seat  of  loariiing 
and  refinement.  Tlie  Byzantine  school  of  art,  trans- 
planted with  Greek  literature,  breaks  fortli  in  dazzling 
splendor.  The  divine  in  man  assumes  form.  A  new 
nuisic  fioatiiig  through  the  chamhers  of  the  soul  finds 
vent,  coagulates  upon  the  canvas,  and  concretes  in 
mai-ble  statues  and  cathedral  domes.  Popular  litera- 
ture finds  expression  in  Ariosto,  Poloziano,  and  Pulci ; 
and  art  in  Michael  Angelo,  Tiziano,  and  Leonardo  da 
Vinci.  The  subtle  disputations  of  scholastics  fiide  be- 
fore the  more  philosophic  n^asonings  of  ^lachiavelli 
and  Lorenzo.  The  Ptolemaic  idea  of  astronomy, 
wliich  placed  the  earth  in  the  centio  of  the  universe 
and  sent  the  whole  heavens  whirling  around  it,  is 
e.\[»loded  by  the  theory  of  a  solar  system  pronud- 
gated  by  Copernicus. 

And  as  if  all  this  were  not  enough  for  the  enfran- 
chisement  of  the  intellect,  another  and  still  mightier 
powi-r  appears — the  art  of  printing.  Beside  this  arti- 
fice, sim[»le  yet  wonderful,  all  the  inventions  of  man  sink 
to  insignificance.  Transfixing  thought,  giving  per- 
petual speech  to  the  wisdom  of  ages,  bringing  up  the 
dead  past  and  surrounding  the  present  with  myriads  of 
tongues,  it  is  more  magical  than  magic,  more  cunning 
tlian  sorcery.  The  power  of  tho  pulpit  was  thenceforth 
doomed  to  give  way  before  the  pf)wer  of  the  press. 
Akliough  printing  was  invented  in  Germany  about 
1440,  the  art  was  not  established  in  Spain  until  1474; 
and  while  destir.ed  eventually  to  effeet  the  complete 
emancipation  of  learning,  it  was  so  pam[)ert  d  at  first  by 
the  jealousv  of  the  clerLiv  J^'^d  tho  restrictions  of  <''overn- 
ment,  that  its  influence  was  greatly  retarded.  Lender 
the  j>ontificato  of  Alexander  VI.  a  censorship  of  the 
press  was  decreed,  and  no  book  was  sutfered  to  be 
j)rinted  M'ithout  s})ecial  permission  from  the  clergy, 
under  pain  of  fire  for  the  book  and  exconnuunication 
for  the  author.  Four  centuries  have  since  passed 
away,  and  these  fetters  are  scarcely  yet  entirely 
removed. 


!       ^i 


ss 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMn. 


By  a  siii'T^ular  coincidence,  says  Lafuonto,  printinj^ 
was  introduci'd  into  Si)ain  in  tlie  year  Isabella  be<ifan 
to  occupy  tjic  throne  of  Castile.  Slie  received  and 
])rot('cted  the  art  with  ardor.  By  an  ordinance  made 
in  Seville  the  2oth  of  J)cceniber,  1477,  and  directed  to 
the  city  of  Murcia,  it  was  commanded  tliat  Teoilorico 
Alenian,  "printer  of  books  in  these  kingdoms,  be  freed 
of  all  taxes  and  duties  whatever — he  beinj;  one  of  the 
chief  inventors  and  practisers  of  the  art  of  printing, 
having  dared  the  many  jierils  of  the  sea  to  bring  it  to 
Si)ain."  By  means  of  this  and  other  wise  measures 
emanating  from  the  lively  protection  of  Queen  Isabella, 
and  notwithstanding  it  was  so  completely  muzzled  by 
fanaticism,  the  mai'vellous  art  of  Gutenberg  spread 
itself  throughout  Spain.  And  from  the  printing  of 
the  CcDitarcs  d  la  Vin/cii,  in  ^^alcncia,  till  that  of  the 
polyglot  bible,  a])peared  a  multitude  of  important 
books.  Before  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  there 
were  printing  establishments  in  all  the  principal  cities 
of  Spain,  in  Valencia,  Barcehma,  Saragossa,  Seville, 
Toledo,  Valladolid,  Burg(js,  Salamanca,  Zamora,  Mur- 
cia, Alcald,  Madrid,  and  in  others  of  less  consideration. 

With  Granada  fallen  and  America  discovered,  Sj^ain 
was  becoming  unified,  and  Castile,  indeed,  was  in  some 
sort  becoming  S[)ain.  All  literature  showed  life, 
(^hronicle  writint;  was  abundant,  and  beijan  to  crvstal- 
llze  into  history.  Isabella  then  turned  her  attention 
to  the  cultivation  of  letters  with  all  the  ardor  of  her 
nature.  She  summoned  to  her  court  the  learned  !Mil- 
anese,  Peter  INIartyr,  and  directed  him  to  open  a  school 
i'or  the  reclamation  of  noble  youths  from  ignoble  pur- 
suits, by  inculcating  in  them  a  taste  for  literature. 
She  encourafjed  the  most  eminent  Italian  scholars  to 
tako  up  their  residence  at  her  court,  and  to  excite  enm- 
ulation  applied  herself  to  the  study  of  Latin,  which  she 
had  first  bcefan  after  her  accession  to  the  throne.  Under 
royal  auspices  a  spirit  of  intellectual  rivalry  sprang  up, 
and  for  the  first  time  in  Spam  the  profession  of  letters 
rose  to  an  equality  with  the  profession  of  arms.     Men 


PRIEST(  PMFT, 


29 


and  W'otiion  of  all  classos  were  stlimilat( d  to  seek  dis- 
tinction in  Iftters.  But  even  this  generous  ainhitioii 
must  rest  subservient  to  the  fierce  bigotry  of  the 
times.  While  Isabella  thus  fostered  the  atlvaneement 
of  knowledge  among  lier  people,  lier  minister,  Ximeni;/, 
was  zealously  collecting  from  all  (juartcrs  the  heretical 
manuscripts  of  the  Arabs,  to  which  Spanish  scholar- 
ship was  most  greatly  indebted,  and  burning  them 
in  huge  piles  in  the  public  scpiare  of  (iranada.  Two 
centuries  later  with  Velasquez  and  ^lurillo  the  glory 
of  Spanish  art  departed,  and  with  Solis  and  C'akleron 
the  brilliant  reign  of  Spanish  letters  terminated. 

Throughout  all  tliis  extravaganza  of  expanding 
thought  the  ministers  of  superstition  were  not  idle, 
liaised  to  power  by  the  murky  moisture  of  intellectual 
night,  they  saw  and  seized  their  opportunity.  Nor 
for  this  are  they  entitled  to  special  blame.  It  has 
long  been  the  fashion  to  heap  upon  rulers,  temporal 
and  s[)iritual,  the  odium  attaching  to  the  sins  of  the 
peoph;;  as  if  kings  and  priests  made  man,  forged  his 
i'etteis,  and  whipped  him  into  servitude.  In  a  socio- 
logical sense,  even  in  despotic  and  superstitious  times, 
rulers  and  ecclesiastics  were  none  the  less  servants 
and  ministers  of  the  people  than  now.  They  were 
simply  the  incarnation  of  the  spirit  of  servility,  of 
intellectual  fear,  and  of  abasement  inherent  in  the 
masses.  Xor  were  they  more  cruel,  or  designing,  or 
li\  pociitical  than  other  men.  The  king  believed  him- 
self the  Lord's  annointed;  the  priest  believed  himself 
(lod's  vicegerent;  in  this  there  was  nt)thing  strange, 
so  long  as  their  subjects  held  faith  in  miracles,  w^itch- 
craft,  a|»paritions,  and  monsters.  It  is  true  that 
priests,  by  surrounding  an  appearance  of  learning  with 
the  paraphernalia  of  imposing  forms,  may  by  |)ersua- 
sions,  and  threatenlngs  of  supernatural  visitations, 
long  hold  the  unthinking  mind  under  bondage  of  fear; 
l)ut  this  can  never  be  unless  the  people  fir  t  bestow 
the  power.     The  religion  of  a  people,  like  their  gov- 


so 


compahative  civilizations  and  savagisms. 


eminent,  is  of  their  own  makinf?  or  of  tlicir  own  en- 
during. It  is  never  much  uhove  or  below  tlie  nionil 
i<k'al  of  the  niasst's.  ]^ut  for  the  peoph*  h>  faV'^i'  tor 
tlieuiselves  fetters,  tlirust  tlieir  willing  hands  into 
them,  and  then  cry  that  thiy  are  held,  is  childish;  nnd 
it  is  scarcely  less  so  for  writers  of  history  to  inveigh 
against  one  of  a  nation,  or  one  class,  for  i)erforining 
the  functions  of  an  office  in  which  they  are  sustnincd 
hy  the  people.  When  we  hear  rattle  the  chains  of 
the  struggling  mind,  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  how 
they  came  there,  to  forget  that  bondage  is  an  inheri- 
tance, and  to  blame  hu'uan  liolders  of  power  for  not 
behaving  more  than  godlike,  and  hasten  to  lay  it  down 
and  free  the  race.     These  teachers  are  not  the  craftv 

ft/ 

serpents  their  bi<)gra[ihers  make  them;  they  are 
worms  like  their  fellows;  not  possessed  of  any  super- 
human knowledge  more  than  are  our  teachers  <.>f  to- 
day. There  is  no  Serbonian  bog  of  more  lutpeless 
depth  than  the  teachings  of  ignorance. 

Nevertheless,  as  we  shall  see,  the  Spanish  ministers 
of  Christ  were  not  wholly  consistent  in  their  practice 
with  the  teachings  of  tlu;ir  divine  master.  Their 
practice  was  not  wholly  consistent  with  their  profes- 
sion; they  taught  charity,  mercy,  peace;  and  for  the 
enforcement  of  these  mild  j)recepts  they  brought  car- 
mige,  in(iuisit<)rial  tortures,  and  all  the  demoniacal 
passions  the  nature  human  is  heir  to.  It  will  not 
ik)  to  survey  ecclesiastical  morality  by  the  light  of 
ecclesiastical  history.  The  pathway  of  Christ's  fol- 
lowers is  red  not  alone  with  the  blood  of  the  saints; 
the  history  of  persecution  is  the  history  of  the  church ; 
for  every  martyr  to  Christ's  love  ten  have  been  mar- 
tyred for  the  love  of  Christ.  Not  that  the  Christians 
of  the  fifteenth  century  y;vvd  more  cruel  or  less  sincere 
than  the  Christians  of  the  first  century.  Both  were 
eaten  up  of  zeal ;  but  in  the  authoritative  elaboration 
of  its  dogmas  latter-day  faith  grew  ferocious,  and  sub- 
tle disputations  over  forms  of  infinitesimal  importance 
were  followed  by  copious  blood-lettings.     The  schisms 


CHRISTIANITY. 


and  slaufjliterings  of  the  si^veral  brandies  of  the 
cliurcli  clurin«^  the  second  and  third  five  ccnturit'S  of 
its  existence  were  more  foolish  than  the  quarrelhiiLT 
for  tlie  shadow  of  an  ass.  With  the  Binjfendians  of 
I^illiput  it  was  a  matter  of  no  sniidl  ('onsc<|Ucnfe,  and 
a  point  of  orthodoxy,  that  all  ei,^;^s  should  he  cracked 
at  the  higend,  wherefore  the  Sniallendians  denounced 
tliein  as  vile  and  lu-retical,  because  any  one  but  the 
most  l)igoted  and  abandoned  of  God  could  see  that 
('<jf!^s  should  be  broken  at  the  small  end.  Profitless 
disputation  has  not  wholly  ceased  even  in  our  own 
(lay. 

The  moral  ideal  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  was 
jtatriotism;  that  of  the  early  (*hristians,  fraternity; 
that  of  the  mediieval  Christians,  asceticism  and  self- 
torture.  When  pagan  civilization  lapsed  into  the 
(lark  age,  political  unity  was  destroyed,  and  reli- 
gious unity  usurped  its  place;  just  as  in  the  national 
unfolding  from  savagism,  superstition  follows,  if  in- 
deed it  does  not  acconj})any,  despotism.  Creeping, 
trembling  humanity  nmst  have  something  to  ding 
to;  if  not  substance,  then  it  seeks  to  embrace  sliadows. 
No  .^ooner,  however,  than  the  mind,  eidightened  by 
experience,  is  able  to  distinguish  between  idle  fancies 
or  personalities  placed  by  the  imagination  behind 
appearances,  and  the  concrete  fact  that  this  deadly 
lear,  mother  of  the  twin  cubs  superstition  and  igno- 
rance, begins  to  lose  its  power,  and  gradually  fetich 
worship,  dead-hero  worship,  king  worship,  image  W(,»r- 
ship,  and  tlie  like  disappear. 

Christianity  was  taught  in  Spain  as  early  as  the 
second  century — some  say  earlier — entering  the  coun- 
t;y  probably  from  Africa.  By  the  end  of  the  third 
century  diurches  were  established.  The  anival  of 
tliG  Visigoths  made  no  change  in  religion,  tliey,  too, 
having  already  embraced  Christianity. 

S[)ain  was  early  noted  for  an  extreme  religious  zeal. 
Nowhere  in  Europe  did  the  clergy  acquire  sucli  un- 
bounded   influence    over    the    minds    of   the    people. 


32 


COMPARATIVE  CIVTLIZATIONS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 


Slsmondi,  it  is  true,  asserts  that  not  until  tlio  time  of 
Cliarles  V.  did  tlio  Spaniards  become  in  any  special 
deiiTee  biiioted  or  slavishly  reliijious ;  but  maintained 
in  a  great  degree  their  independence  against  that 
church  of  Rome  of  which  they  subsequently  became 
tlie  most  timid  vassals.  This  view,  however,  is 
hardly  that  of  his  brother  historians.  Buckle,  for 
one,  not  only  affirms  the  early  superstition  of  Spain, 
but  sees  pliysical,  a  j^i^i'^'^i  reasons  why  it  should 
have  been  so.  Famines,  epidemics,  earthquakes,  and 
general  unhealthiness  of  climate,  he  says,  are  among 
the  most  important  physical  causes  of  ultra-religiosity; 
both  by  their  effect  in  inflaming  superstition  and  ovi'r- 
awing  inquiry,  and  in  their  shortening  their  average 
duration  of  life,  thus  increasing  the  frequency  and 
earn<>stness  with  which  su})ernatural  aid  is  invoked. 
In  these  unfavorable  natural  features,  no  Euro[)ean 
country  has  been  so  unfortunately  situated  as  Spain. 

In  this  theory,  Mr  Froude  thinks  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  truth;  though  at  the  same  time  he  instances, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  question,  "Japan,  the  spot  in 
all  the  world  where  earth(juakes  ai'e  most  frecjuent, 
and  wIk'J'c,  at  the  same  time,  there  is  tlie  most  serene 
disl)(>li(!f  in  any  supernatural  agency  whatever."  It 
seeuis,  on  the  whole,  a  mere  question  of  the  compara- 
tive iniluence  of  certain  admitted  powers,  none  of 
which  were  likely  to  be  at  all  favoral)le  to  cool,  fear- 
less reasoning.  Look,  for  example,  at  the  titful,  j)re- 
carious  life  t>f  the  Spaniard  himself,  through  so  many 
generations  of  his  early  national  existence,  while  the 
Toledo  kept  as  best  it  could  against  the  cimeter  the 
western  gates  of  Europe.  In  such  times  "thought 
and  iiKpiiry  were  impossible;  doubt  was  unknown;  and 
the  way  was  prepared  for  tiiose  super-stitious  habits, 
and  for  that  deep-rooted  and  tenacious  belief,  which 
have  always  formed  a  ])rincipal  figure  in  the  history 
of  the  Sjumish  nation." 

So  much  for  Buckle;  it  must  be  reco«Tfnized,  how- 
ever,  with  regard  to  the  effects  of  this  latter  cause, 


RELIGION  IN  SPAIN. 


33 


that  before  the  Saracens  had  at  all  set  foot  In  the 
})eninsula,  "no  khigdom  was  so  thonnighly  under  the 
bondage  of  the  hierarcliy  as  Spain."  This  is  what 
Halhiin  thinks  of  it;  while  Lafuente,  treating  of  tlie 
(Jrotho-Si)anisli  kingdom  as  early  as  the  seventh  cen- 
tury, speaks  of  "the  influence  and  preponderance  of 
the  clerjj^y,  not  then  only  in  ecclesiastical  matters,  but 
also  in  the  policy  of  the  state."  In  fact,  of  the  national 
councils  held  at  that  time,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine 
whether  they  are  to  be  considered  as  ecclesiastical  or 
temporal  assemblies.  Milman  affirms  them  to  have 
beiMi  both.  To  such  an  extent  had  the  clergy  insinu- 
ated tliemselves  in  the  affairs  of  state. 

Tuin  again  to  the  results  of  the  Mohammedan 
invasion  as  set  forth  by  the  historian  of  English  civili- 
zation: "  There  were  three  ways  in  which  the  ^foham- 
niedan  invasion  strengthened  the  devotional  feeling  of 
the  Spanish  people.  The  first  was  by  })rom()ting  a 
lonuj  and  obstinate  reli<;ious  war:  the  seconil  was  bv 
the  presence  of  constant  and  imminent  dangers;  and 
the  third  was  l)y  the  poverty,  and  therefore  the  igno- 
rance, which  it  produced  among  the  Christians." 

The  war  which  drove  the  infidels  from  S[)ain  was  a 
war  for  the  i'aith,  a  crusade  no  less  than  a  concjuest. 
The  interests  of  the  church,  as  well  as  the  interests  of 
the  nation,  were  at  stake;  hence  in  martial  matters 
the  clergy  took  active  interest,  and  played  thci'ein  no 
mean  part.  Not  only  did  they  aniniate  the  soldiers 
by  their  enthusiasm,  and  coml'oi-t  tliem  with  promises 
of  divine  approbation,  but  a1  l>ots  and  bishops  joined 
in  councils  of  war,  and  led  it;niies  to  battle.  While 
the  king  fought  for  the  i  hurch,  the  church  could  do 
no  less  than  to  inculcate  such  maxims  as  should  tend 
most  to  the  service  of  the  kmg.  Likewise  the  king 
stood  by  the  church  and  dearly  regarded  its  inteiests. 
And  now  these  two  great  powirs,  which  had  marched 
hand  in  hand  for  ten  centuiies  and  more,  wen-  aj»- 
l>roaehijur  ..  ^  meridian  of  their  uflorv.  The  courts  of 
Isahellii,  Ferdinand,  Charles,  and  Philip,  with  all  th.eir 

Cau  fxsT.,  Vou  I.    3 


m 


COMPARATTVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


i  'I 


forms  and  augnst  pageantries,  might  well  have  passed 
for  models  of  celestial  mansions;  as  if  the  gods  had 
come  down  and  taken  up  their  abode  with  men.  And 
so,  indeed,  many  regarded  it.  "Whatever  the  king 
Ccime  in  contact  with,"  sa3'8  Buckle,  "was  in  some  de- 
gree hallowed  by  his  touch.  No  one  might  mount  a 
liorse  which  he  had  ridden;  no  one  might  marry  a 
mistress  whom  he  had  deserted.  Horse  and  mistress 
alike  were  sacred,  and  it  would  have  been  impious  for 
any  subject  to  meddle  with  what  had  been  honored  by 
the  Lord's  anointed." 

The  despotic  power  embodied  in  a  united  church  and 
state  brought  the  Spanish  people  into  a  state  of  servile 
homage  to  king  and  clergy,  and  imprinted  on  their 
character  its  dee[)cst  color.  Fired  by  earthly  hopes 
on  the  one  side,  and  heavenly  hopes  on  the  other,  the 
mind  became  greatly  inflamed.  It  became  part  of 
tlieir  religion  to  be  loyal,  and  part  of  their  loyalty  to 
be  religious.  Upon  the  eve  of  battle  the  priest,  to 
stimulate  their  zeal,  wrought  miracles,  declared  omens, 
and  conjured  to  their  aid  the  potent  elements  of 
heaven.  The  most  trivial  circumstances  were  seized 
as  tokens  of  success  or  failure. 

As  the  learning  of  past  ages  lay  hidden  in  the  lan- 
guagtis  understood  only  by  the  clergy.  rucIi  expositions 
and  interpretations  could  be  placed  upon  it  as  best 
suited  their  purpose.  Thereby,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
ignorant,  they  were  clothed  in  mysterious  powers; 
they  were  special  confidants  of  the  deity,  and  held 
the  disposal  of  earthly  and  heaveidy  blessings  at 
their  command.  Hence  all  united  to  do  them  rever- 
ence. A  large  share  of  the  spoils  of  battle  fell  to 
them.  In  every  province  wrested  from  the  Moors, 
extensive  grants  were  made  for  ecclesiastical  institu- 
tions, and  any  attempt  to  curb  their  avarice,  or  dis- 
pute their  authority,  was  denounced  as  impious  and 
h-  retical.  Priests  were  kings,  ministers,  lawyers,  or 
soldiers  as  the  interests  of  the  church  demanded. 
The^'  engaged   in  trade,  and  owned    manufactories. 


Hi     -! 


POWER  OP  THE  CLERGY. 


35 


lassed 
s  had 
And 
5  king 
ne  de- 
ount  a 
larry  a 
listress 
m8  for 
irc^d  by 

•ch  and 
servile 
1  their 
J  hopes 
ler,  the 
part  ol 
yalty  to 
riest,  to 
omens, 
ents  of 
seized 

\\Q  lan- 
•sitions 

las  best 
of  the 

[)()wers; 

id  held 

[njjs  at 
rcver- 
fell  to 

floors, 

linstitu- 
lor  dis- 
cus and 
I'crs,  or 
[landed. 
Ljtcries. 


A  monk  could  travel  from  one  end  of  Spain  to  the 
other  without  money,  his  blessin*^  beintj^  more  tlian 
compensation  for  his  entertainment.  The  proudest 
j^randees  servilely  attended  the  cler^jy  on  occasions  of 
great  display,  such  as  the  burning  of  a  heretic,  or  in 
celebrating  mass,  gladly  embracing  every  opportunity 
of  manifesting  their  zeal  for  the  church  by  hund)liiig 
themselves  before  its  meanest  functionaries.  The 
abbess  of  Huelgas  ranked  above  all  the  ladies  of 
Spain  save  the  queen.  Few  throughout  Christendom 
were  higher  in  ecclesiastical  dignity  than  the  arch- 
bishop of  Toledo,  ex  o|//c/o  primate  of  Spain  and  grantl 
cliancellor  of  Castile.  His  was  the  metropolitan 
church   whose  canons  dwelt  in  stately   palaces,  and 

':A  whose  revenues  were  j)rincely  rather  than  priestly. 

-  In  1549  a  convent  was  founded  by  Ramon  Beren- 

ii'iier  in  Catalonia,  on  the  spot  where  the  body  of 
l^)lJlet,  a  holy  heiinit,  had  been  revealed  by  mystic 
lights.  The  shrine  became  famous.  Alonarchs  en- 
riched it  with  their  wealth  and  honored  it  with  their 
remains.  If  we  may  credit  Hare,  "five  humlred 
monks  of  St  Bernard  occupied  but  did  not  fill  the 
ma«n»ificent  buildiny;s.  Their  domains  became  almost 
boundless,  their  jewelled  chalices  and  gorgeous  dmrch 
furniture  could  not  be  reckoned.  The  library  of 
Poblet  became  the  most  famous  in  Spain,  so  that  it 
w  ts  said  tiuit  a  set  of  wagons  employed  for  a  whole 
ytjar  could  not  carry  away  the  books.  Poblet  grew  to 
!e  t]tc  \¥- IK  , minster  abbey  of  Spain,  and  its  occupants 
iK'uiu  «i'(>"e  exclusive.  Their  number  was  reduced 
to  sixry-hiX,  b^t  into  that  sacred  circle  no  novice  was 
introduced  ia  whose  vein^i  ran  other  than  the  ])ur(  st 
blood  of  a  Spanish  grandee.  He  who  became  a  monk 
ot'  Poblet  had  to  prove  his  pedigree,  and  the  chap- 
ter sate  in  solenm  deliberation  upon  his  quarterings." 
Every  monk  had  two  servants  to  attend  him,  and 
wlien  he  went  out  he  rode  upon  a  snow-white  mule. 
The  vhole  peninsula  was  searched  for  these  mules, 
an!  t\i'v  commanded  an  enormous  price. 


;  i;  I 


II 


m  COMPARAnVE  Cn'ILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 

Nowhere  in  Christendom  did  rehgit>n  enter  into 
the  daily  Hfe  of  the  |)eople  as  in  Spain.  Every  house 
was  a  school  of  superstition.  Every  guild  had  its 
patron  saint.  Thousands  of  vulgar  conceits,  omens, 
prt)gnostics,  tales  of  witchcraft,  magic,  and  diabolic 
holiness  were  current  among  tlic  masses.  Piety  was 
made  practical.  "God  and  St  Budget  bless  you!" 
cries  the  milkmaid  to  the  cow,  and  there  were  no 
ujore  kickings.  She  who  would  know  the  Christian 
name  of  her  lover  had  but  to  stretch  a  thread  across 
the  doorway,  and  the  name  of  the  first  man  who 
stepped  over  it  was  the  name  of  him  whom  she 
should  marry  The  distaff  nmst  not  remain  loaded 
over   Sunday,  ■■  .c   linen    of  the    following    week 

would  be  of  bat..  ality,  and  thousands  of  like  ab- 
sunhties.  In  French  falconry,  if  we  may  believe 
Paul  Lacroix,  before  hunting,  the  birds  w'cre  sprinkled 
with  holv  water,  as  on  St  Hubert's  dav  hounds  and 
accoutrements  of  the  chase  were  blessed  by  the 
priests.  The  enemies  of  the  falcon  wet^e  then  sol- 
emnly a^ldressed  in  the  manner  following:  'I  adjure 
you,  ()  eagles!  I>y  tiie  true  God,  by  the  holy  God,  by 
the  most  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  by  the  nine  orders  oi 
angels,  by  the  holy  prophets,  by  the  twelve  upostles, 
to  leave  the  field  clear  to  (»ur  birds,  and  not  to  molest 
them  :  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  Oi  the  Sou,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Emblematic  of  all  industries  and  interests  was  the 
cross.  The  bodv  is  fashioned  like  a  cross;  churches 
wer(!  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross;  seas  could  not  be 
safely  traversed  exce})t  in  cross-masted  vessels,  nor 
the  earth  niade  fertile  by  any  other  than  a  cruciform 
spade. 

To  impress  the  popular  mind,  mystery-plays  or  pas- 
sion-plays were  introduced,  in  which  scrij)ture  inci- 
dents were  arrayed  in  the  gaudy  parapiiernalia  of  tlio 
drama.  In  these  repulsive  exhibitions,  ecclesiastics 
ap[)eared  upon  the  stage  in  the  characters  of  the 
patriarchs  and  apostles,  and  even  of  the  deity.     Adam 


INSANE  SUPERSTITION. 


3t 


r  into 
house 

lad  its 

:)Uiens, 

Ivaholic 

ty  was 
you; 

ere  no 

iristiau 
across 

m  who 

)ni   she 
loaded 

f   week 

ike  alt- 
believe 

arinkled 

lids  and 

by    the 

lien   sol- 
adjure 

Glod,  by 
ders  of 
M)stles, 
molest 
on,  and 

was  the 
hurehes 
not  be 
iels,  nor 
•uciforni 

or  pas- 
re   inci- 
of  the 
?siastics 
of  the 
Adam 


;=5 


and  Eve  paraded  l)efore  tlie  chaste  audience  naked, 
a. id  Lucifer  .stalked  the  boards  with  horns  and  cloven 
jioof  and  forked  tail.  There  the  Christ  was  crucified, 
the  creator  sat  in  judi^nicnt,  and  the  fires  of  hell  weio 
brifhtiv  hurnin*;.  Later,  when  taste  became  refined 
by  art,  these  .spL'ctaeles  were  modified  or  abandoned 
for  the  more  impressive  grandeur  of  architectural 
jiiles,  vaulti'd  aisles  and  pictured  windows;  pointed 
spires  and  deep-toned  bells;  with  statues,  ineense, 
tapers,  and  the  iujposuig  cereuK^nials  of  the  mass. 
In  Spain  more  than  elsewhere  art  was  subordinated 
to  religion;  image  woi'ship  was  the  most  fertile  fielil 
«»f  the  scu]i>tor  and  painter.  Science,  if  used  at  all, 
was  employed  only  *^'>  elucidate  some  doctrine  of 
tJie  church.  In  every  way,  l)y  interpolation  of  scrip- 
tine,  by  exalting  l)lind  faith,  by  nursing  Ixisotted 
ii-iiorance  and  trendjling  credulitv,  science  was  smoth- 
ercd  and  rationalistic  thought  crushed.  Innovation, 
deviation  from  time-honored  tenets,  was  heresy.  To 
tliiidv  was  a  crime;  to  study  nature,  magic;  to  attem])t 
to  iiiteipret  nature  by  a  natural,  or  any  other  than  a 
bihjical,  standard  was  sorcery. 

in  every  village  was  a  sorcerer,  wise  man,  or  magi- 
<-ian,  a  most  useful  member  of  society,  who,  l)eiiig  in 
<'orrespondence  with  agencies  infernal,  wrought  mira- 
<l(>s,  cured  the  sick,  a. id  brouu^ht  to  lii»ht  that  which 
Avas  i(»st.  Days  luckv  and  unlucky  in  w  hich  to  buv  and 
to  Sell  were  duly  noted  in  the  almanac.  Joan  d'Are 
not  fMilv  hear]  voices  in  the  air,  and  beheld  strauiic 
visions,  hut  she  made  the  French  and  English  soldiery 
see  them.  Columbus,  on  first  .-ijjlitiniif  San  Salvador, 
saw  the  Mestern  coast  of  Asia,  and  he  command*  d 
every  one  «)f  his  men  to  see  in  that  island  Asia,  and 
to  believe  and  know  that  it  was  the  veritable  Cijtango, 
the  Japan  of  India,  that  they  saw  under  penalty  of 
having  tiie  tongue  of  every  doubter  cut  out  What 
had  men  to  do  with  their  senses,  with  reason?  The 
sum  of  duty,  ill  those  days  was  very  simple  H)nly  l)e- 
lieve.     Whatevt.T  could  not  be  understood  miiiht  be 


COMPARATIVE  CIVIUZATIOKS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


attributed,  with  Don  Quixote,  to  encliantinent,  or  the 
work  of  some  wicked  magician.  And  so  Jol)n  Faust, 
the  printer,  was  a  witch;  and  storms  and  deaths  and 
all  evils  were  attributed  to  witches;  and  witches  were 
burned  by  thousands. 

Sorcery  and  witchcraft  were  for  centuries  defended 
by  the  ablest  scholastics.  Thomas  Aquinas,  St  Au- 
gustine, Gerson,  and  Bodin  fought  as  hard  against 
scepticism  in  witchcraft  as  in  worsliip,  Neither  abil- 
ity, purity  of  intention,  nor  a  self-sacrificing  search 
for  truth  were  proof  against  error;  instance  ^Martin 
Lutlier  blackening  the  wall  with  his  inkstand  hurled 
against  an  imaginary  dovil,  and  the  puritan  fathers 
who  iled  persecution,  only  for  Christ's  sake  to  perse- 
cute each  other.  Whoever  attempted  to  question 
the  truth  of  witchcraft  was  hushed  by  passages  from 
scripture,  by  which  or  from  which  anything  or  nothing 
can  be  proved.  The  logic  of  su|X)rstition  was  a  meas- 
uring of  error  b\  error,  by  which  method  the  truth 
lias  never  yet  been  meted  out. 

ToLxlo  was  famous  for  its  witches.  At  Calahorra 
in  1507  tiiirty  women  were  burned  for  witchcraft. 
Hundreds  of  instances  might  be  cited  where  women 
and  men  were  tlms  tortured  to  death  by  these  pro- 
foundly blind  and  uious  men.  The  unfortunates  who 
thus  suffered  were  deemed  criminally  depraved,  ac- 
cursed of  God,  children  of  Satan,  whom  to  stnid  by 
an  excruciating  death  to  eternal  torment  were  a 
ri'jfhteous  dutv.  So  clergymen  dealt  with  tiie  tainted 
of  their  Hock,  so  magistrates  dealt  with  the  accused, 
so  dealt  friend  with  friend,  and  mothers  with  children. 

Any  man  having  aught  against  another  had  but  to 
twist  his  body  into  a  knot,  call  the  semblance  of  agony 
to  his  face,  cry  witch,  and  charge  the  evil  on  his  enemy 
to  be  forever  rid  of  him.  As  late  as  1484  Innocent 
VIII,  complains  by  papal  bull  "  that  numbers  of  both 
sexes  do  not  avt)id  to  have  intercourse  with  the  infer- 
nal fiends,  and  that  by  their  sorceries  they  affiict  both 
man  and  beast.     They  blight  the  marriage  bed,  de- 


I 


r AI RISTIC  ABSU Rl )ITIES. 


stroy  the  births  of  women  and  the  increase  of  cattle; 
thov  blast  the  corn  on  the  ground,  the  grapes  in  the 
vineyard,  the  fruits  of  the  trees,  and  the  grass  and 
lierbsof  the  field."  Strange  that  the  creator  and  pre- 
server <^f  all  thino;s  should  stand  still  and  see  the 
innocent  suffer  for  what  he  has  done,  and  open  not  his 
mouth! 

Patristic  writings  are  full  of  their  jugglery.  Among 
the  long  catalogue  of  miracles  deemed  authentic  by 
St  Augustine  were  five  cases  of  bringing  the  dead  to 
life.  l)urini;  life  birds  brought  fruit  to  the  anchorite, 
and  at  death  lions  dug  his  grave  and  howled  his  requiem. 
( )i ten  the  virgin  descended,  and  lifting  the  pious  sup- 
plicant from  his  knees,  comforted  him.  Images  every- 
where cured  the  sick  and  winked  and  blinlvod  upon 
the  worsliippers  at  their  .shrine.  Under  tlirection  of 
tlie  A'irufin  of  tlie  Pillar  at  Sara<ro,ssa  chronic  diseases 
were  cured  and  amputated  limbs  restored.  Every  vil- 
hi;4e  Jiad  its  shrine;  every  tem[)le  its  niiracle-working 
relic.  So  rapidly  grew  the  hair  of  a  Burgos  crucifix 
tliat  it  re(piired  cutting  once  a  month.  Even  fi -lies 
left  their  element  and  thronged  about  St  Anthony 
to  hear  him  preach.  By  the  angelic  ho.st  were  scat- 
tered the  armies  of  princes  opposed  to  tlie  church, 
^lissionaries,  led  by  duty  into  the  wilderness,  were 
tlu'ie  either  supernaturally  protected  or  granted 
glorious  martyrdom.  All  this  smacks  somewhat  of 
pious  fraud,  but  yet  more  of  mental  aberration. 

To-day  Hare  affirms  that  fifty  thousand  pilgrims 
llock  Ui  Saragossa  on  the  ll2th  of  October,  that  day 
bein<4  the  festival  of  the  Viroin  of  the  Pillar.  "  (iod 
alone,  says  Pope  Innocent  111.,  "can  count  the  miia- 
cles  which  are  there  performed,"  and  Cardinal  Kit/, 
who  was  at  the  place  in  1G41),  solemnly  declares  that 
"he  saw  with  his  own  eyes  a  leg  which  had  been  cut 
off  grow  again  upon  being  rubbed  with  oil  from  one  of 
the  virgin's  lamps."  St  Vincent  Ferrer  of  Valencia 
made  those  who  were  born  blind  to  see;  he  made  the 
lame  to  walk,  raised  the  dead,  converted  thirtv-five 


1 


'!'  "i" 


4b  COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 

tliousajul  Jews,  and  [)crforined  many  other  n\inor 
feats.  Ponderous  volumes  are  tilled  with  the  mirae- 
ulous  doiui^s  of  holy  men,  witli  the  visions  they  liad 
seen,  and  the  visitations  made  to  them.  Thus  were 
chilih'en  tauj^ht  hy  their  parents,  pupils  by  their 
teachers,  soldiers  hy  their  king;  thus  were  men  as- 
sured t>f  the  truth  by  those  whom  they  regarded  as 
the  ministers  and  representatives  of  Gtxl's  will  and 
powrr  on  earth.  Sucli  was  the  atmosphere  in  which 
the  belief  of  our  New  World  adventurers  was  formed. 

The  clergy  easily  obtained  permission  to  establish 
courts  for  the  decision  of  all  questions  relative  to 
their  creeds  arid  to  their  property.  By  exU'uding 
untKr  various  artifices  the  jurisdiction  of  these  spirit- 
ual courts,  they  were  made  to  include  the  greatir  part 
of  all  cases  arisinjj:  for  litiuation  Codes  of  laws  were 
formed,  and  rules  estal)lislied  whereby  uniform  and 
consistent  decisions  were  made.  The  fulmination  of 
ecclesiastical  edicts  became  conunon,  and  were  more 
drea<led  than  IxKlily  punislnnent.  Their  sj'stem  of  juris- 
prudence gradually  superseded  arl^itration  by  combat, 
and  tlieir  courts  were  regarded  as  more  strictiv  tern- 
pies  of  justice  than  those  of  the  feudal  magistrates. 
Finally  a  system  of  canon  law  was  franied  in  accord- 
ance with  tlu'ir  pretensions,  and  thereafter  the  church 
refused  to  submit  her  affairs  to  the  decision  of  tem- 
poral tribunals. 

Joining  the  king  against  the  nobles,  the  clergy 
plungetl  deep  into  political  intrigue,  tlirectiiig  the 
affairs  of  government,  and  entering  largely  into  juris- 
prudence. Priestcraft,  an  essential  constituent  of  chiv- 
alry and  the  crusades,  became  the  dominant  power  of 
civilized  societies,  and  jjfave  colorint>:  to  all  reli<xious 
wars.  Wealth  followed  as  a  natural  sequence.  One 
half  the  property  of  Spain  was  at  one  time  under  con- 
trol of  the  church,  and  all  of  it  exempt  from  taxation. 

The  court  of  Rome,  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
fifteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  sixteentli  centuries, 
was  at  the  height  of  its  power,  and  the  depth  of  its 


IRONY  OF  HUMILITY. 


41 


Cdrriiption.  The  popes,  after  the  council  of  Constance, 
addeil  to  their  spiritual  and  (juasi-teniporal  sovereii^nty 
over  cliristemloni  a  complete  civil  and  secular  author- 
ity in  tlie  paj>al  states.  The  primacy  of  St  IVter,  at 
first  a  state  of  simple  <j^uardianship,  became  powerful 
through  the  power  of  the  Romans.  The  jiuthority 
over  provincial  churches  which  the  city  of  ]\ome,  as 
niisti'ess  of  the  woild,  ^ave  to  the  early  pastors  of 
Kome,  upon  the  advent  of  ^fohamnu'd  and  the  I'all  of 
the  sees  of  Aiitioch,  Alexandria,  and  Constantinople, 
was  left  su])reine.  The  superiority,  at  first  coneeded 
hy  viitue  of  parental  i)roti'ction,  was  tluMi  claimed  as 
a  riL,*'ht.  As  the  em]>ire  of  Home  declined,  tlie  emj)iro 
of  St  IV'ter  maintained  the  su})reniacy,  and  in  the 
eleventh  century  Hildeltrand,  under  title  of  Orej^ory 
\'1I.,  pi'onmly,ated  the  l)old  conceit  that  the  successor 
of  St  I'eter  as  viceijercnt  of  the  creator  is  soverei<;n 
of  the  world.  Tlius  the  patriarch  of  ]ionie  lu'came 
tlie  ])ope  of  Rome.  Although  suhserihini^  himself 
Semis  Sen'orvm  Dei,  servant  of  the  servants  of  (Jod, 
he  was  content  to  he  nothini>"  less  than  mastei'  of  the 
masters  of  nuMi.  Twelve  hundred  vears  after  Christ, 
the  vii-ar  of  Clirist  assumes  tliat  tempoial  autliority 
which  Christ  himself  declai'ed  to  he  no  })art  of  liis 
mission.  The  exit  of  Colonna,  as  Martin  i\.,  from 
Constance,  was  uiore  <(lorious  than  Christ's  entry  into 
Jerusalem.  Arrayed  in  gorgeous  rohes,  and  mounte<l 
on  a  richly  caparisoned  mule,  forty  thousand  horse- 
men, among  whom  were  kings,  princes,  and  jirelates, 
knights,  ami  learned  doctors,  escorted  him  heyoml  the 
city  walls.  On  one  side  rode  the  emj)eror,  and  on  the 
other  the  elector  of  Rranch'nhurg,  each  holding  a  rein. 
His  housings  were  sup[)orted  hy  princes,  and  he  rodo 
beneath  a  caiutpy  borne  by  four  counts. 

Tlie  mighty  and  noi)le  being  thus  brought  under 
the  yoke,  such  fatherly  precepts  were  iiistilled  into 
their  minds  as  should  keep  them  zealous  and  trac- 
table.    A  system  of  rewards  and  punishments  was 


invented. 


Pet  names  were  given  in  return  for  emi- 


1 


42 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGI.SMS. 


JiLiit  SL'ivicos.  Ferdinand  of  Spain  for  expelling  the 
!Moors  was  permitted  to  call  himself  Most  Catholic 
Majesty;  the  king  of  Portugal  was  dubbed  ^lost 
Faithful;  Louis  XI.,  Most  Christian;  while  Henry 
A'^III.,  for  opposing  Luther,  was  styled  Defender  of 
the  Faith,  and  for  opposing  the  pope  was  anathema- 
tized. Christian  monarchs,  faithful  to  the  church, 
were  confirmed  and  strengthened  in  their  jLjovernment, 
and  tlieir  dominions  enlarged;  while  maledictions 
were  hurled  at  those  who  dared  to  disobey;  crusades 
were  preached,  not  against  infidels  alone,  but  against 
Christian  nations  whose  rulers  refused  to  bow  before 
the  pai>al  power.  Multitudes  from  every  land  flocked 
to  Kome,  as  formerly  pilgrims  flocked  to  the  holy 
sepulchre. 

It  is  inconsistent  with  earthly  affairs  for  greatness 
like  this  to  last.  Tlie  fruit  of  it  rii)ened  and  decayed. 
The  poi>e  wlio  made  himself  higher  than  man  lived 
lower  than  tlie  brute.  Sixtus  IV.  who  reigned  from 
1471  to  1484  was  led  by  his  nepotism  into  base  in- 
trigues and  treacherous  conspiracies.  Innocent  YIII., 
1484  loi)2,  is  accredited  by  his  mildest  historians 
with  seven  illegitimate  children,  oflfspring  of  varitms 
women.  Tlie  very  name  of  Alexander  VI.,  1492- 
150.},  the  father  of  Ca3sar  and  Lucretia  Borgia,  is 
synonymous  with  cruelty  and  licentiousness.  "  The 
impure  groves  of  antiquity,"  says  Merle  D'Aubigne, 
"  probably  never  saw  the  like  of  the  wickedness  per- 
petrated under  his  roof"  He  secured  his  election 
by  buying  every  cardinal  at  a  fixed  price;  and  on  the 
day  of  his  coronation  he  made  his  son  CiBsar  arch- 
bishop of  Valencia  and  bishop  of  Pampeluna.  This 
3'outh,  worthy  of  his  illustrious  father,  first  nmrdered 
his  brother  and  threw  the  body  into  the  Tiber,  then 
strangled  his  brother-in-law,  and  finally  becoming 
jealous  of  his  father's  favorite,  stabbed  him  to  the 
heart  in  the  very  presence  of  the  pontiff*.  He  kept 
a  band  of  hired  assassins  constantlv  at  hand  to  do  his 

a/ 

bidding.     Lucretia  Borgia,  twice  married,  lived  in- 


k 


BIMORAL  PONTIFFS, 


43 


cestuously  at  the  same  time  with  her  father  and  two 
brotliers.  The  Borglas,  fatlier  and  children,  turned 
the  imperial  city  into  a  harem.  Falling  at  length  a 
victim  to  his  own  diabolical  cunning,  the  pope  died  of 
poison  which  he  had  prepared  for  others.  Yet  in 
justice  to  Alexander  VI.,  it  may  be  said  that  notwith- 
standing his  incestuous  debaucheries  he  was  one  of 
the  most  able  princes  of  his  age.  He  successfully 
quelled  the  refractory  spirit  of  his  barons,  althougli 
he  did  not  scruple  to  use  poison  and  poniard  in  eftect- 
ing  his  purpose.  He  was  devoted  to  the  welfare  of 
the  people,  and  kind  to  the  poor,  Julius  II,,  1503- 
151.S,  notwithstanding  his  love  of  war  and  his  en- 
counigenient  of  art — became  prematurely  old  from 
intemperance  and  sensual  excesses.  With  such  pas- 
tors, wliat  may  be  expected  of  the  people? 

The  wickedness  of  the  pontiffs  did  not  die  with 
them,  but  spread  like  a  pestilence  through  all  ranks 
of  the  priesthood,  and  infected  every  grade  of  society. 
Simony  and  licentiousness  were  of  the  most  common 
occurrence.  While  the  church  was  burning  heretics 
for  simple  differences  of  opinion,  one  half  of  her  priest- 
hood purchased  their  preferments,  and  lived  in  open 


concubmaiic. 


Yet  civilization  owes  Roman  Catholicism  some- 
thing; for  exami)le,  the  unification  of  societv  durini; 
the  tlai'k  age;  restraining  the  passion  for  war  con- 
sequent on  the  subordination  of  political  power  to 
divinely  deputed  papal  power;  the  unification  of  the 
Cliristiiui  church,  growing  out  of  the  doctrine  of  i)apal 
infalliitilitv;  the  abolition  of  slaver}';  tiie  softening  and 
refining  of  manners,  and  multitudinous  social  cour- 
tesies and  benefits. 


Thus  we  have  seen  how  the  jicople  of  Spain  were 
educated  into  ignorance  and  fanaticism;  how  truth  was 
hidden  away,  and  falsehood  and  superstition  clothed 
in  the  semblance  of  truth;  how  devotion  to  the  king 
and  to  the  church  was  rewarded,  and   devotion   to 


u 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


country  and  conKcicnco  piinislied.  Now  Jot  us  see 
how  proselytes  were  niade  in  Spain  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  as  I  liave  elsewhere  in  this  series  fully  <li>- 
scribed  the  en^^ines  of  conversion  in  Anieriea.  And 
I  ask  the  reader  to  compare  the  human  sacriHces  of 
Europe  with  the  human  sacrifices  of  America;  com- 
])are  the  hloody  butcheries  of  tlie  Christians  with 
those  of  the  Aztecs;  compare  the  diabolical  savagism 
of  Spain  and  Enjjfland  and  France,  about  the  time  of 
the  coiKjuest,  with  the  worst  that  was  found  in  tiie 
New  World. 

So  dear  was  the  purity  of  the  faith  to  both  spiritur.l 
and  temporal  rulers,  that  in  the  twelfth  century  in- 
quiiers,  or  intjuisitors,  were  ajipointed  throu_«;hoi'.t 
]^urope  to  examine  ])ersons  suspected  of  heresy.  If 
spiritual  chastisement  failed  to  make  plain  the  niys- 
tcaies  of  reliiLjion,  the  unbeliever  was  turned  over  to 
the  secular  aim.  AFade  fertile  by  the  copious  elu- 
sions of  AEohammedan  blood,  no  soil  in  jMuope  was 
better  prepared  for  o'rowin;^  these  rank  weeds  of  coi-r- 
cion,  none  more  prolific,  than  that  of  Spain. 

Followinj^  Lafuente  in  his  notice  of  this  institution, 
it  appears  that  as  early  as  1232  (iret^ory  IX.  directed 
the  arclibisho[)  of  Tarra»j;ona,  as  to  the  establishment 
of  its  courts,  in  Catalonia,  Arai^on,  Castile,  and  N.i- 
varre.  The  inquisitors  were  Dominicans  as  usual. 
The  king  of  Castile,  St  Ferdinand,  proved  his  re- 
ligious zeal  by  helping  with  his  own  shoulders  to 
cairv  the  wood  for  the  burning  of  heretics.  The  kinuf 
])on  ])iego  of  Aragon  attended  with  his  sons  at  the 
torture  of  Pedro  iJurango  de  Baldach,  burned  by  sen- 
tence of  the  Inijuisitor-general  Burguete. 

In  Castile,  at  least,  this  tribunal  presently  fell  to 
pieces:  so  that  in  14(54  in  that  kingdom  no  intpiisition 
was  to  be  found,  but  many  desired  its  rcestablishment. 
No  steps,  however,  were  taken  in  that  reign.  In 
1478,  at  the  request  of  Isabella,  who  was  acted  upon 
by  her  sj)iritual  advisers,  Sixtus  IV.  empowered  the 
catholic  kings  to  elect  three  prelates,  and  other  eccle- 


,18. 


IXQUTSITIOV. 


US  see 
ixiceiith 
ully  (1(>- 
i.  And 
tlHccs  <>t 
a;  ('(iiii- 
ns  with 
avagisMi 
■  tiiiK'  of 
I  in  the 

spiritui.l 
turv  iii- 
ouglioi'.t 
tsv.  If 
\\o  mvw- 
over  to 

HIS  ciru- 

()|te  was 
of  eoer- 

itution, 

irc'cted 

islmu'iit 

d  Xa- 

usual. 
his  le- 
ers   to 

.!  kin!^ 
at  tlio 

fell  to 

lisition 

inicnt. 

11.      Ill 

upon 

td  the 

ecclo- 


Sia>;tiral  doctors  and  lietntiatos,  (if  jj^ood  llf(\  to  iiKjuIro 
after  and  jiroeeed  aL;,'{iinst  tlie  heretics  and  apostat'js 
of  tlie  realm,  accordinj^^  to  law  and  custom. 

Tli(-'  motlern  iiKjuisition  was  estahhslied  in  tlie  cf)n- 
vrnt  of  San  J*al)lo  do  Sevilla,  whence  it  moved  in 
]  iS|  into  the  fortress  of  'JViana.  In  apjti'aranee,  ilii:.j 
(nhous  institution  liarnionized  witli  the  ortliodox  fr.ith; 
in  reality,  the  Spanish  iiuiuisition  was  less  an  eeeh^si- 
a^ieal  than  a  i)olitical  trihunal.  It  ])laced  in  the  hand 
of  tilt;  st)vereii^ns  a  jiowerful  instrument  for  suppress- 
ing- faction  and  strenLjthenin_!jf  royal  d»>spotisni.  The 
nieclianism  of  the  modern  iiuiuisition  was  pre  pared 
more  esjiecially  lor  the  conversion  of  Jews  and  ?!(»- 
liaiiiinedans.  As  the  order-lo\i'i<jf  citizen  looks  conijila- 
ceiitly  upon  the  t'-ihhet  erected  for  the  punishment  of 
crime,  so  oi'thodox  S[)aniar(ls  at  first  rei^-arded  this 
ominous  instrument,  which  M'as  to  })uiiish  usurious 
unhelievers  and  turhaiied  infid(^ls,  with  ia^■or  'ither 
than  with  fear;  hut  in  the  end  they  found,  to  tJH'ir 
cost,  that  hi(ld(Mi  iiower  should  be  wielded  only  hv  the 
hand  of  omniscience. 

Forty-five  iiKpiisitors-nfciuTal,  with  the  Dominican 
Toi(|Uematla  at  their  head,  were  ap})ointed  by  iheir 
catlmhc  ^Fajesties  and  the  pope  conjointly.  Thirteen 
courts  were  orgaiiiz(;d,  and  edicts  issued  calling  upf>n 
j;!l  jxrsons  to  give  information  against  any  su.spected 
of  heresy.  Every  now  and  then  some  member  of  a 
societv  mvsterit)uslv  disapiteared  from  his  accustomed 
liaunts,  never  again  to  be  seen.  When  an"este«l,  the 
j)risoner  was  conducted  to  the  secret  dungeon  of  t'le 
inquisition,  and  all  intercourse  with  the  world  forbid- 
den liim.  Evidence  was  given  in  writing,  but  the 
name  of  the  witness  was  known  only  to  the  judges. 
The  accus(T  and  the  accused  were  never  brought  face 
to  face.  Often  the  piisoner  knew  not  for  what  crime 
he  was  accused.  Secret  and  presumptive  testimony 
was  allowed,  and  the  most  absurd  proof  admitted,  "^i'o 
convict  of  Judaism,  it  was  only  necessary  to  eat  with 
a  Jew,  to  wear  better  clothes  than  usual  on  the  Jewi^di 


.T'    ! 


46 


COMPAP.ATIVi:  CIAHLIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


sabbath,  to  drink  Jewish  wino,  or  keep  a  Jewisli  mis- 
tress. After  undt  rjjfoinjjf  a  mock  trial,  those  who  re- 
fused  to  confess  tho  crime  charged  upon  them,  whether 
•(uilty  or  not,  were  put  to  the  torture. 

Tliree  ordeals  were  practised  in  Spain  for  determin- 
ing the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  prisoner:  the  cord, 
water,  and  fire.  Trial  by  the  cord  was  performed  by 
fastening  the  hands  of  the  victim  behind  lils  back  with 
a  strong  cord,  one  end  of  which  was  passed  through  a 
pulley  attached  to  the  roof  of  the  chamber.  The  exe- 
cutioner then  raised  the  victim  to  the  ceiling,  and 
after  holding  him  suspended  for  a  time,  suddenly  loos- 
ened the  cord,  permitting  him  to  drop  within  a  foot  of 
the  floor,  when  his  fall  was  suddenly  checked.  By 
tliis  terri1)le  shock,  the  cord  was  made  to  cut  into  the 
flesh,  and  the  joints  were  dislocated.  The  shocks 
w^ere  repeated  until  confession  was  made  or  life  endan- 
gered. The  ordeal  by  water  was  performed  by  bend- 
ing the  body  over  a  wooden  horse,  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  feet  were  higher  than  the  head,  and  respira- 
tion extremely  painful.  A  lever  and  cortls  were  then 
employed  to  distort  the  l)odv  Jind  cut  the  ilesh.  While 
undergoing  the  most  excessive  agony  in  this  i)osition, 
in  order  to  render  torture  vet  more  active,  the  mouth 
and  nostrils  were  covered  with  a  piece  of  fine  hnen, 
wetted,  through  which  the  victim  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  respired.  Water  was  then  poured  uj)on  the 
face,  a  small  quantity  of  which  slowly  filtered  through 
the  linen.  In  the  frantic  efforts  of  the  suflcrer  to 
swallow  and  to  breathe,  blood-vessels  were  ruptured, 
the  linen  was  saturated  with  blood,  and  the  body 
broken  and  lacerated  by  the  cords  in  a  horrible  man- 
ner. In  the  ordeal  by  fire,  the  feet  of  the  victim  were 
I)laced,  firmly  bound,  near  the  fire.  Oil  or  lard  was 
then  rubbed  over  them,  until  the  flesh  was  literally 
cooked,  and  the  bones  protruded.  Such  are  the  sick- 
ening details  by  which  alone  we  may  show  how  Chris- 
tians labored  for  the  salvation  of  souls  oidy  four 
hundred  years  agol 


AUT0-DE-F6. 


47 


tim  were 


The  demoniacal  solemnities  of  the  inquisition  cul- 
minated in  that  grandest  and  most  imposing  ceremonial 
(if  the  church,  tho  anto-de-fc,  or  act  of  faith,  upon 
wliich  occasion  punishment  was  inflicted  upon  the  con- 
demned. Once  more  I  would  ask  how  to  distinguisli 
the  radical  difference  between  the  ])uman  sacrifices  of 
the  Mexicans  and  Peruvians  and  the  malignant  enor- 
mities of  tlie  iiKjuisitorial  trihunal,  except  tliat  tlie 
former  Mas  attended  by  far  less  ])assion  and  cruelty 
than  the  latt(  r.  Punishments  of  persons  convicted 
hy  tiie  comt  of  tlie  inquisition  were  of  various  gratU-s. 
Propiity  in  every  instance  was  confiscated;  and  as  a 
grtjit  part  of  the  wealth  of  tlie  kingdom  was  in  the 
liands  of  jitretical  Jews  and  floors,  convictions  were 
rai)id  and  easy.  Some  were  condemned  to  l)e  burned, 
otliers  wlio  could  not  be  found  were  Imrned  in  effigy. 
►Some  Were  condemned  to  be  reconcih'd — bv  which 
term  is  meant  fines,  imprisonment,  or  disenfranchise- 
ment. 

K^w  the  morning  of  the  day  appointed  for  tlio  dismal 
spectacle,  the  populace  were  awakened  l»y  the  muf'.Ud 
sound  of  tlie  cathedral  bell,  and  soon  a  crowd  of  (\iger 
spectators  thronged  the  streets  and  public  s(piare. 
The  dungeon  doors  of  the  tribunal  were  then  thrown 
open  and  the  unfortunate  victiuis  were  brought  forth. 
First  in  the  procession  were  placed  the  penitents,  or 
those  condenmed  to  do  penance  and  l)e  roco!:;iled. 
Xext,  barefooted,  clothed  in  ,s«»  hmifos,  or  long  yt-l- 
low  frocks,  decorated  with  searlet  cross,  and  jiictures 
of  imps  and  fires  of  hell  to  which  the  W(  aiTi's  sr»ul  h 
doomed,  with  a  high  pointed-crowned  hat  u|ion  the 
head,  and  a  large  crucifix  borne  before  them,  were 
those  condemned  to  death.  Then  followed  diigies  of 
uncaught  heretics;  and  in  black  coffins  garnished  with 
infernal  symbols,  the  bones  of  thoi-e  who  had  ili<<i 
under  torture  or  during  confinement.  The  Dominicans 
of  the  holy  office,  arrayed  in  sable  robes,  with  the 
baimer  of  the  inquisition  borne  aloft,  led  the  proces- 
sion, while   long  files  of  monks   in   sacerdotal  livery 


4S 


(OMrARAlIVK  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAGISMS. 


biouj^lit  Up  the  roar.  Nobles  ami  graiulecs  JDiiiod  In 
the  cfrt'inony,  zealous  to  set  the  sral  of  their  ajjjtroval 
U})on  this  santruiiiary  saerifiee  to  their  faith. 

The  dismal  cortege  then  marched  through  the  prin- 
cipal streets  of  the  city  to  the  church.  Tluii  a  ser- 
mon was  preached,  and  the  sentences  pronounced;  at 
the  close  of  which  an  ofticer  of  the  holy  (.)fHce  sti'uck 
each  victim  ui)on  the  breast  with  his  hand,  signifying 
tiiat  the  iiKpiisition  thereby  abandoned  the  condemned 
to  the  civil  authorities,  chains  were  then  placed  uj)on 
the  ])iisoners,  and  they  were  led  forth  to  execution. 
Those  wlio  recanted  at  the  last  moment  were  kindly 
strangled  bi'fore  being  cast  into  the  lire;  otherwise, 
thev  were  di'nied  that  favor,  and  burned  alive.  Thus 
were  punisluul  between  l-bSl  and  I  SOS  ;U(),()()0  ju'r- 
sons,  of  wliom  ;>"J,000  were  burni'il.  Such  wen'  the 
njeasui't's  adopted  tt)  turn  the  luarts  of  men  to  the 
miUl  teaching's  of  Mini  whose  name  an<l  mission  was 
love.  Such  wei-e  the  arguments  used  to  impress 
ri'ason  with  the  truths  of  religion.  Who  can  wonder 
tliat  cruelty  aitd  fanatic  zeal  characterized  the  S[)anisli 
adven;urers  to  the  New  World,  when  at  home  such 
foul  acts  tor  the  stiHing  of  human  thought  weiv  ]»om- 
]>(»us]v  ])(>rfornK>d  bv  mi<>Jitv  soverei'Mis  and  holv  cede- 
siastirs? 

]n  Ifxll  Ferdinand  was  succeeded  by  Charles,  a 
sincen',  houi'st,  and  by  no  nu>ans  itaibheai'ti-d  man. 
Yet  tlie  I'eligious  current  into  which  he  was  cast 
swi'pt  lum  into  the  nn)st  barbarous  and  bigoted  i-x- 
tremes.  A  terribjv  fervent  li''ht,  and  hid  under  no 
bushel,  was  his  to  the  heretic.  'I\>  buy  a  heterodox 
book  was  death.  To  bi-  a  heretic  was  (lames  anil  lire, 
both  in  this  world  and  that  which  was  io  conu'.  In 
the  low  countries  the  deatlis  for  this  cause  were  esti- 
mated at  oiu'  hun(h'ed  thousand.  Almost  the  last 
tleed  of  the  old  emperor  was  to  a<ld  a  codicil  to  his 
will,  abjuring  his  son  to  show  no  mercy  to  the  accursed 
plant  o\'  JiUtheranism. 

Jvight  well    did    I'hilip  keep    his  father's  precept. 


;ms. 


RKVIVAL  OF  LETTERS. 


m 


joinoil  In 
ai>[>r()val 

tlie  prin- 
v\\  a  scr- 
iiK'cd ;  at 
CO  struck 

(luUMunod 
oi'd  upon 
'Xecution. 
re  kindly 
)thorNvise, 
•c,  Tims 
),000  IKT- 
wcro  the 
Ml  l<»  the 
issioii  WHS 

)     ilUltlH'SS 

.11  wdudcr 
e  Siuuiish 
oiiu'  such 

■i'lV  polll- 

oly  ceele- 

I'liai'les,  a 

lied    mail. 

was   rast 

(ttt'd   t'\- 

luudt  r  IK) 

ctcrtxloX 

and  i'lie, 
)iiu'.  In 
WW  estl- 
the  last 
il  t(i  Ills 
accursed 


M 


Hi-;  motto  was,  "  Better  not  to  reijj^n  than  reiL^n  over 
hrreti(  ■;."  A  life  gultled  hv  this  loadstar  K-I't  .such  a 
hlood  ti-ack  as  may  he  ima!L,niied;  and  so  thoroii<rlily 
did  he  Jiis  work  that  lieresy,  which  convulsed  all 
J"]ui'o]H\  was  ill  Spain  practically  dead  hy  the  year 
l.)7(t.  I'rom  the  IVreiiees  to  CJihraltar  all  were 
lo\al,  ;'ll  wcif  orthodox.  I'heii  further  aimed  the  he- 
niu,iiaiit  Pliilip,  even  at  thi>  empiic  of  i^urope,  that  he 
iiii'^ht  u'ltcily  away  from  the  earth  with  those  rude 
doctiiacs  that  still  ott'ended  his  iK)strils  from  many  a 
<|uai't(i'.  Thus  the  spirit  of  intolerance,  kindled  hy 
the  ]\Inha.iiinudan  wars,  and  fanned  into  a  tierce  Hame 
hy  til'  r>  rormation,  was  kept  alive  hy  the  mighty 
j)oW(  r  of  (hc-^c  royal  higi)ts. 


uh 


T!;r  It  \iva]  of  letters,  which  acted  as  a  powerful  stim- 


uit  in  mental  (K'velopment,  prtK 


luccd 


a  corres[)()ndini^ 


adxaiicc  ill  morals.  As  laymen  were  cnahled  to  read 
i'or  tluinselves,  they  were  no  longer  (lepeiidcnt  ujion 
tlie  <  1  'f^;y  for  an  interi)retation  of  sacred  and  secular 
wiitiii  ;s.  Men  he'j;an  to  think  and  to  judLie  for  theni- 
.selves.      The  clouds  of   su[)erstiti<»ll  Wore  dispelled   hy 


th 


V( 


i.l^ 


ions  ot  science. 


:ri 


le  Jloo'liias  of  the  cU 


lurch 


and  t!n'  li\(S  of  tlu*  clerLTV  were  comnarcd  with  the 
teachings  of  the  apostles.  The  t'oui  (hseascs  hrcd  hv 
ecclesiastical  excesses  threatened  I'uiii  to  the  church. 
The  j(  ftrmation  which  hroke  out  al»out  l.VJO  under 
l^utlici-  in  (lermanvand  Zwin-'li  in  Switzerland  di- 
vidcd  I'lirojie  anew.  The  unity  of  the  diurch  was 
forever  hi'oken.  A  power  minjlitier  than  that  of 
arinie;  and  rituals  jiad  arisen  -tlie  jtower  of  tli<niv;]it, 
the    li  ;lit   to  Judgi",  mtiial   and    intelle«'tual    fret'dom. 


he    iiiipu 


lls,>   t! 


lus  ''iveii   to  thoU'.'ht   can   seaicelv  h 


imderstood    hv   us.      W 


can 


I'oha 


hh 


lie\cr 


full 


y 


leali-..',  lirst,  how  thoroui^dily  the  hlaek  jiail  wa 
thiii'j;'  over  learniiiiif  and  reason  hy  the  medijeval 
cliurcli;  and  .secondiv,  how  vidiemeiitlv  it  was  torn 
asunder  with  the  rise'  of  s[)eculati\('  discussion.  J^ut 
in  Spaiii  protestantism  was  destined  to  a  short  career. 

C.vi..  I'.isT.,  Vol.  I.    4 


io 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND   SAVAGISMS. 


That  implacable  hatred  for  heretics  which  for  so  many 
centuries  had  nerved  the  arm  of  the  nation,  and  kept 
in  a  fervent  ^low  the  spirit  of  fanaticism  and  persecu- 
tion, had  not  yet  time  to  cool.  Luther's  doctrines 
were  fiercely  met  hy  the  incpiisitors;  his  books  were 
seized  and  burned  as  fast  as  they  appeared,  and  tliose 
who  read  them  were  exeonununicated.  Soon  after 
the  Index  ExpurgaforivS:  or  list  of  hooks  condemned 
l)y  the  inquisition  as  dangerous  to  Spain,  was  pul)- 
lished,  and  any  pepson  in  whose  possession  a  copy  of 
(me  of  those  hooks  should  be  found  was  condenmed 
to  deatli.  Thus  the  rising  spirit  of  iniiuiry.  di'stined 
to  regenerate  all  Europe,  Avas  crushed,  and  bigotry 
and  fanaticism  still  held  rule  in  Spain. 

The  effects  of  the  reformation  were  nevertheless 
keenly  felt  upon  the  peninsula,  and  the  church  herself 
set  alxiut  correcting  those  abuses  whicli  heretical 
reformers  were  not  alloweil  to  touch.  Arms  and 
n'issi(»naries  were  liberallv  bestowetl  upon  the  New 
W(nl(l,  and  the  colonists  char<_ied  to  exert  their  utmost 
powers  to  extend  the  faith  to  the  benighted  natives. 
While  Luther  was  nailing  his  theses  to  the  church 
door  at  Wiirtenber<x,  Cortes  was  thunderinnf  at  the 
portals  of  Mexico.  "  God  clearly  ?ho.se  this  bold 
captain,  Don  Fernando  Cortes,"  says  the  pious  Mcn- 
dieta,  "and  adopted  him  as  an  instrument  to  open 
through  him  the  gate,  and  j)repare  the  way  for  the 
preachers  of  his  gospel  in  this  New  World,  where  tlx^ 
catholic  church  might  be  restored  and  recom[>ensed 
in  the  conversion  of  njany  souls,  for  the  great  loss  and 
injury  which  the  accursed  Luther  was  to  cause,  at  the 
same  epoch  in  the  old  Christianity." 

Yet  another  reaction.  The  zealot  to  phvase  God 
first  j)lunges  into  the  depths  of  p<»verty  and  woe ;  tlien 
basks  in  sunny  sloth  and  fatness;  then  growing  amln- 
tious,  soars  to  eminence  in  statecraft,  war,  and  wealth, 
only  to  be  tlirust  down  by  the  jealous  aim  of  royalty. 
Before  coriuption  had  retiched  its  height,  or  a  refor- 
mation had  been  thought  of,  papal  sovereignty  began  to 


POPULAR  UEPRESEXTATIOX. 


Iwinir  ainl)V- 


tloclinc.  It  was  tlio  wealth  of  the  clerc^y,  however, 
that  was  taken  iVoni  them,  ratlier  than  their  religion. 
Fertlinand  and  Isjiliella  were  no  less  vigilant  in  sup- 
pivssing  ecclesiastical  power  tlian  in  curbing  the  pre- 
tensions of  the  nobles.  They  claimed  as  a  right  the 
nomination  to  episcopal  seis;  the  utmost  care  was 
taken  by  the  crown  to  obtain  and  hold  the  sovereign 
juriscliction  in  churc-h  affairs.  Although  the  reverence 
of  Ferdinand  for  the  church  was  unbounded,  his  crafty 
y.cal  pnlVrred  himself  as  spiritual  overseer,  and  he 
took  care  to  have  all  ecclesiastical  dignities  and  emol- 
uments tliroughout  liis  entire  dominions  at  his  own 
disposal. 

(^)uetn  Isabella  watched  with  solicitous  care  eccle- 
siastical morals,  and  endcav<tred  by  every  means  in  her 
vowcr  to  elevate  and  pui'ify  the  chun'h.  Ik'sides  a 
system  of  vigorous  purgations,  and  introducing  the 
most  wholisome  reforms,  new  zi'al  was  imparted  to 
tlic  clmrch  bv  new  ecclesiastical  orders.  In  la.'U 
f^natius  of  Jjoyola  founded  the  society  of  Jesuits, 
denouncing  luxury  antl  self-indulgence,  holding  in 
abeyance  the  senses,  and  renewing  the  ancient  obliy;a- 
tions  of  chastitv  and  i>overtv. 

*-  I  t' 

Thus  I  have  sketched  lightly,  but  I  trust  not  with 
undue  proportion,  the  salient  points  of  church  inilu- 
en<e  in  S[»ain;  more  lightly  still  the  reformation 
w  Iiich  was  .strangh  d  in  its  swaddling-chtthes.  Wliat 
had  Spain  to  do  with  such  things!'  She  could  see  no 
sheej)  not  of  this  f(»ld.  She  had  ordy  ft  a-  such  sheep 
nameless  torture  and  execration.  She  worshipped 
blindly,  fervec.tly,  wholly;  no  Laodicean  ilrop  in  all 
her  bottomless  devotion.  Father  Juan  Francisco  de 
San  Antonio  spake  with  the  voice  of  Sj)ain  when  lu; 
said:  "The  pol)e,  then,  is  our  visible  monarch  and 
emperor,  in  things  spiritual,  hi  things  tt  niporal ;  the 
living  (jod  of  the  earth,  or  vicar  of  (jod;  the  two 
constituting  on  earth  a  single  tribunal. 

"I*a})a  stupor  mundi,  (|ui  maxima  rerum. 

"Xec  JJeus  est,  nee  homo,  quasi  neuter  inter  utrura- 
que. 


i  ■III! 


i 


|J,  ^  I    , 


52 


COMl'AUATlVi:  CIVILIZATIONS   AXD   SAVAfilSMS. 


As  1  \nivo  said,  tlic  world  is  not  without  ol)lij;;itiou 
to  tlio  oliurcli  for  tlit;  ]);irt  she  played  in  the  darkist 
a<jjt!S,  even  thou<^h  lu-r  inlluciict.'  did  hrinj^  that  dark- 
ness down  on  the  noon  of  (Jreek  and  llonian  culture; 
and  that  ohligation  still  exists  for  manifold  reasons  to 
this  day.  And  while  we  renienil)er  with  horror  the 
|>ast  erinjes  of  civilization,  let  us  heware  for  the  future 
of  those  delusions  which  swallow  as  in  a  black  gulf  all 
the  nobler  attributes  of  soul  and  sense. 

Popular  representation  existed  in  the  several  klnir. 
donis  of  Spain  at  an  early  period.  According  to  Fer- 
reras  the  first  cortes  or  coiiLjress  of  ("astile  was  held 
at  liurgos  in  I  JOS).  It  was  conipo-cd  of  three  estates, 
the  cler<]fv,  nohilitv,  and  coninionalty.  In  Catalonia 
the  third  estate  was  the  rei)resentatives  of  cities, 
and  tin;  presence  of  the  deri^^y  was  not  indispensable. 
The  king  summoned  and  })resided  over  the  cortes  in 
person.  Spain  before  the  coalescence  of  Aragon  and 
Castile  was  sepaiatetl  into  minor  provinces  and  petty 
kingdt)ms,  whose  rulers  possessed  authority  but  little 
superior  to  some  of  their  most  powerful  subjects.  The 
coiles  of  Aragon  was  com[)osed  of  four  estates:  nco.s- 
h(unhrcs,ov  nobility  of  the  first  class;  ////«;/2:o»cs,  knights 
or  nobility  of  the  second  class;  de[)utiea  of  towns  and 
repres(?ntatives  of  the  clergy.  In  ancient  times  the 
poW(!i'of  this  body  was  supreme.  Twelve  members  con 
stituted  a  (juorum,  and  no  measure  ci)uld  be  adopted 
without  a  unanimous  vote;  kings  were  created  and 
deposed  by  this  body  at  will,  ami  every  branch  of  [)ub- 
lic  artairs  was  under  its  control.  Ui>on  the  coronation 
of  a  king  the  monarch  was  conducted  before  the  as- 
sembly, the  (Jran  .fusticia  being  seated  on  a  thi'oni' 
and  surroumled  by  the  grandees  and  prelate  s  of  Uie 
realm;  the  coronation  oath  was  admir.isteri-d,  '.^  here- 
upon each  of  the  nobles  drew  his  sword,  and  placiii'j; 
its  point  np<»n  the  king's  heart,  exclaimed:  "X<»  ,  qu  ' 
valemos  tal  que  vos  y  juntos  podemos  mas  que  v<»^, 
vus  faceuios  rev  para  (^ue  guardeis    la  ley  e  (si  uon, 


SMS. 

ol)H«i;atlon 
le  darkest 
hat  (laik- 
n  culture; 
reasons  to 
lorror  tlie^ 
the  future 
,ck  gulf  all 


vcral  king- 
ing t»)  Fei'- 
c  was  lu'ld 
ree  estates, 
1  Catalonia 
s  of  cities, 
lispensahle. 
lio  cortes  in 
\raii;on  and 
^  and  petty 
y  but  little 
jects.      The 
tates:  rivoft 
/(cs,kni<]fhts 
towns  and 
times  the 
liMubers  con- 
he  odol'tetl 
•reatetl  ami 
,nch  of  puh- 
coronation 
ore  the  as- 
in  a  thron<' 
lates  of  tiie 
fred,  "vhere- 
find  phicini 
"No  ,  qu' 
as  que  vo^. 
y  e  !si  uou, 


-§ 


1 
I 
I 

An 
M 

1 

■1^ 


SANTA  UERMANDAD. 


» 


t 


non."  We,  eacli  one  of  us  your  equal,  and  together 
mightier  than  you,  we  make  you  king,  that  you  may 
keep  the  law,  and  if  not,  not. 

Upon  the  union  of  the  several  kingdoms  of  the  pcn- 
in-;u1a  under  one  monarch}'',  the  local  legislative  bodies 
were  merged  into  one  national  cortes  composed  of  two 
bodies,  a  senate,  and  a  chamber  of  deputies,  whose 
ddiherations  must  be  apart  from  each  other,  and  apart 
from  the  presence  of  the  king.  An  act  of  the  cortes 
must  be  sanctioned  and  pronmlgated  by  the  sovereign 
hcfore  it  becomes  a  law;  but  in  the  absence  or  inca- 
pacity of  a  monarch  their  authority  of  the  cortes  is 
ahsolute.  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  brouijht  forward 
several  engines  to  weaken  the  power  of  the  cortes. 
Tlie  inijuisition — by  silently  removing  objectionable 
persons ;  balancing  one  element  of  the  assembly  against 
another  so  that  the  whole  cimld  be  easily  wheedled ; 
hv  the  establishment  of  the  militarv  orders  of  Santi- 
ago,  Calatrava,  and  Alcantara,  and  the  formation  of  a 
military  i)olice,  called  the  sanfa  hermandad,  or  holv 
l»i(»therhood.  This  fraternity  w;is  a  sort  of  feudal 
vigilance  committing,  a  legally  organized  conipany  of 
knights-errant,  formed  bv  the  villaLjes  for  the  imr- 
j»ose  of  preventmg  enormities  which  were  prevalent 
Iteyond  the  settled  portions  of  the  country.  Each 
|iU('l)lo,  or  town,  elected  two  alcaldes,  or  justices  of  the 
peace  —one  noble,  the  other  plelK'ian,  undiT  whom  were 
pi  leed  inferior  officers  having  at  connnand  acuadrilla, 
or  eonq)any.  The  cuadrilleros  or  mi'nd)ers  «)f  this 
association,  sometimes  attended  by  the  alcaldes,  at 
other  times  in(lej)endently,  scoured  the  country  for  evil- 
doers who  when  cuught  were  tried  and  executed  on 
tlie  spot,  or  taken  to  the  village  and  there  confmed. 
This  frat(;rnal  en<nn<'  wielded  by  the  kinu:  aijainst  the 
umighteous  seigniorial  justices,  and  the  unjust  oppres- 
sions of  the  nobles,  «»;reatly  assisted  to  increase  the 
j»nwer  of  the  throne,  which  had  hitherto  bien  unable 
tn  i)revent  the  intestine  disorders  which  captious  sub- 
j 'its  constantly  occasioned.     In  time  the  santa  her- 


iOi 


'I  li; 


M  COMPxUlATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AM)  SAVAiilSMS. 

inaiidad  deteriorated,  and  the  association  was  abolished. 
Tliat  justice  wiiich  works  in  secret  is  never  permanent; 
its  intluenco  becomes  pestilential,  and  if  cr)ntinufd, 
oftentimes  turns  and  wreaks  a  deadly  venj^eance  upDU 
its  author. 

I  have  here  dwelt  upon  Euroj)e's  savagisms  and 
civilizations,  from  the  twelfth  t<>  tlie  sixteentli  cen- 
turies, more  fully  than  America's,  from  the  fact  that 
the  latter,  so  far  at  least  as  the  Pacific  States  are  con- 
cerned, has  been  fully  presented  in  my  Nat  ire  Iiacc!i,U* 
which  the  leader  is  referred  for  further  comparisons; 
suffice  it  to  say  in  conclusi(»n  that  in  all  the  phasrs 
and  stages  of  human  proujress  in  all  jiarts  of  tlie  WNrl.l, 
and  in  all  aj^es  of  mankind,  there  are  present  inm;- 
merable  parallelisms,  the  lowest  savaj^jism  having  in  it 
appparently  the  germ  of  the  highest  civilization.  We 
see  in  savage  tril)es  the  same  necessities  mi-t  by  similar 
means,  tlu^  same  progressional  phenomena  piesent  in 
uniform  sequence  in  all  human  societies,  rude  or  cul- 
tured. 

As  regards  n^ligions,  superstitions,  witclicraft,  and 
priestcraft,  the  Americans  were  no  whit  W-hind  the 
EuroiM'ans;  they  could  not  surpass  them  in  absurdity. 
Evi  ly  nation  had  its  theory  of  creation  and  a  futuie 
state.  The  l*imas  had  their  deluge  as  w«  11  as  the 
Hebrews;  the  Pueblos  their  siicred  fire;  the  Califiir- 
nians  their  sanctuaries  of  n'fuge;  the  ^[iztccs  tlnir 
straight  and  narrow  way  to  jiaradise  ;  and  the  juoplc  of 
Yucatan  tlieir  phallic  worship.  I  can  understand  the 
Yakima  word  for  soul  as  readily  as  I  can  that  ot 
the  Buddhists,  or  Clnistians,  or  ]\lohammedans.  The 
Eskimos  enjoyed  witchcraft  long  before  the  Salem 
puritans,  and  the  Thlinkeets  gave  to  certain  animals  a 
humanity  i>efore  ])arwin  was  born. 

Every  American  nation  had  its  order  of  priesthood  ; 
one  of  the  [>rinci})al  cities  of  the  Zapotecs,  Tojiaa,  was 
ruled  liki;  Rome  by  a  sovereign  pontiff*.  The  people 
«»f  the  ^fos(|uito  Coast  had  their  pantheon  as  well  as 
the  Greeks.     The  ^lexicans  had  their  ceremonial  cal- 


ia 


llillil 


[SMS. 

abollslietl. 
LTin.ineiit; 
contiiuud, 
ance  ii\Hni 

^isius  and 

iontli  I'on- 

fact  that 

.'S  are  <-<>n- 

C  lilUCi,  U> 
ujiarisoiis; 
he  j)lia.siri 
the  WMlhl, 
sent  inmi- 
avin<f  in  it 
tion.  V.  e 
hy  similar 
piL'sent  in 
liUe  or  «ul- 

icraft,  and 

►chind   the 

ihsunllty. 

I  a  future 

II  as  the 
e  Calirnr- 
teis  thrir 

JH'Ojdc  of 

Stand  the 
n  that  ot 
ans.  The 
le  Saleui 
animals  a 

'icsthood ; 
L>[)aa,  was 
Ihe  peo|)le 
IS  well  as 
gonial  cal- 


AMERICAN   CIVILIZATIONS. 


ondar,  and  jtrayers  and  offerinj^s  were  everywhere 


anc 


i 


tl 


le 


The  Chinese  liad  their  Confucius,  the  Christians 
Mohannnedans  their  respective  originator 
Aztcts  their  C^uttzideoatl  as  well  as  their  Nameless 
One,  tln'ir  Sujtrenie  Creator,  their  only  livini^and  true 
God.  They  had  their  monasteries  and  religious  festi- 
vals. 

It  is  a  slander  upon  savagism  to  talk  of  its  extraor- 
diiiaiv  tiiarhiiies  and  cruelties  in  view  of  the  la<'ts 
ot'  J\iui<)]Hau  civilization.  Conij)are  the  barharities  of 
the  chivalrous  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  not  to  mention 
Francisco  I'izairo,  and  the  tortures  inHicted  on  Span- 
iards hy  the  Frenchman  L'Olonnois  in  the  West 
liiditvs,  with  those  of  anv  wild  men  the  world  has  ever 
sei'U.  Yet  more:  com|)are  the  most  horrihle  sav- 
agisms  of  any  .  ge  or  land  with  the  barharities  t»f 
Englishmen  in  India  within  the  present  century. 

^\s  regards  irovernment  and  society,  it  is  liardly 
neeessaiy  to  refer  again  to  the  absolute  monarchies  of 
the  Xahuas  and  ^layas,  with  their  scores  of  subonli- 
nate  limited  monarchies.  Outside  of  them  all  was 
1'lascala,  with  its  aristocratic  rej)ublican  system,  and 
jiailiament,  or  senate;  and  tiie  confedeiation  of  states 
in  Mexico,  Tezcuco,  and  'I'lacopan,  capable  of  acting  m 
some  respects  oidv  as  a  whole,  while  the  authoritv  of 
each  at  ]u)nie  Nvas  su[>reme.  Where  among  tive  hun- 
ched otiiersdid  the  Aztecs  mt  their  idea  of  the  cere- 
mony  <if  anointment  and  coronation,  to  say  nothing 
of  znoli)|;i(;d  gariK-ns,  reveime  system,  orders  of 
nobility,  women  consecrated  to  i-hastity,  natioi;al 
games,  dancing,  and  gynmastics,  social  system  of  aris- 
tocracy. })lel»eians  and  slavt'S,  tenures  of  lantl  and  taxa- 
tion, and  knightly  order  of  tecuhtli  i 

I  cannot  si)eak  here  of  the  maniiscrii>ts,  alphabets, 


cal'iidars,  and  system  of  the  Mayas;  the  crtination 
rites,  ehronological  records,  eloth  and  paper  manufac- 
toiirs,  eode  of  law's,  courts  of  j»rocedure,  and  gladia- 
torial cond)ats  of  the  Xahuas;  or  of  the  currency, 
government,  religit}n,   slaverv,  ornamentation,  court- 


COMPARATIVE  CIVILIZATIONS  AND  SAVAOISMS. 


sliip  and  raarria<ife,  war- weapons,  feasts,  houses,  and 
dress  of  the  Cliinooks,  the  Nootkas,  and  all  the  rest 
of  tliem. 

Glancint^  at  the  prmiitivc  liistory  of  tlie  Anu'rican 
peoples  we  discover  in  more  nations  than  one  triiec  s  of 
a  bright  age  and  a  dark  age,  with  ninnherless  tuin- 
ings  and  overturiiings,  until,  as  in  the  Old  W'oild, 
feudalism  and  chivalry  arc  passed,  and  standing 
armies,  learning,  and  persecution  for  opinion's  sake 
are  reached. 

I  would  not  be  understood  for  a  moment  as  one 
attempting  to  place  the  aboriginals  of  Ameiica  on  an 
ecjuality  with  Europeans  four  hundred  or  eight  hun- 
dred years  ago.  The  Indians,  savage  or  civili/:t'd, 
were  far  behind  the  Europeans;  yet  not  so  I'ar  as 
many  affirm.  1  say  only  that  it  is  striking,  the  (simi- 
larity of  humanity,  of  nature,  and  progress  everywhere 
on  this  planet.  It  shows  that  if  God  made  man  in 
Europe,  he  made  the  men  of  America,  and  that  the 
(jrod  of  the  crusader,  the  God  of  the  pirate,  oi'  the 
intjuisitor,  of  the  modern  college  professor,  the  modern 
counterfeiter,  the  modern  monopolist,  and  (oiiuj)- 
tionist,  the  God  of  the  Mohammedan,  the  Chi  I  1  an, 
the  Jew,  and  the  Aztec,  is  one  and  the  same  I  (  ng. 
Or,  if  it  be  nature,  and  man  is  indigenous,  his  mm  Id- 
ing  is  but  ]>art  of  the  general  evolvings  oi"  the  iii;i\  <  rse 
which  makes  one  all  worlds  and  systems  of  worl  I  . 


i 


I 


LMS. 

iscs.  and 
the  rcbt 


Vintrican 
tiiM-ts  of 

less  tuni- 

lI  Wo.M, 
s^taiKl'mg 

oil's  s.ikc 


lit  as  one 
ica  on  an 
i;^lit  li un- 
civil i/it'tl, 
so   I'ar  as 
the  .sinii- 
•crvwhere 
lie  innn  in 

tiiat  tlie 
te,  ol'  the 
le  luoilern 
I    (oiruj)- 

liii.  I  an, 
no  1  ( '11,2^. 
is  uiin  kl- 
>  ui:'i\«  rse 

IVOfl  i>. 


m 


CHAPTER  II. 

COLONIAJ.  POLICY   OF  SPAIN. 

I  do  not  know  .mytliiug  niorj  liiduTous  amony  the  solf-doceiitiona  of  woll- 

nuMiiiii.,'  [ [ill'  tliuii  tlu'ir  notion  nf  patriotism,  as  nijuirin^'  tlu'ni  to  limit 

tlitir  ctl'oits  to  tliu  good  of  their  own  country;  tlie  notion  that  charity  is  a 
j;i'ogra|>liii'.d  virtue;  and  tluit  what  is  holy  and  righteous  to  do  fur  jK'oplo  on 
(iiiu  hank  ot  a  river,  it  is  quite  imi)roi)t;r  and  unnatural  to  do  fi>r  ^leoplo  uu 
tiiL'  other. — Ji((din. 

Poi.iTU.s  jis  a  science  is  too  young  yet  to  toll  alto- 
gotlur  iVoiM  what  has  been  what  shall  he.  And  yet, 
ll'W  philosophers  are  found  with  sufficient  assurance 
to  s[>cculate  upon  the  progressional  vagaries  which 
lliree  or  five  centuries  jience  shall  .stand  out  against 
the  t'eudalisnis,  the  knight-errantries,  trials  hy  coinhat, 
lack  and  tliuinh-screw  conversions,  and  rehgiou-re\(> 
hitions  ofTive  or  three  hundred  years  ago.  J^ut  unless 
human  nature  he  horn  anew,  then*  is  little  I'ear  that  our 
siiccessois  will  iK)t  find  their  full  quota  of  foirK.\s  to  tilt 
for  withal.  We  are  not  quite  ready  to  place  cf)lony- 
plantin<'-  in  the  cate«>f»rv  t)f  infatuations  such  as  holv- 
.sej)ulchrc  crusading,  yi't  those  who  shall  come  after 
us  may  he.  Nevertheless,  the  twenty-sixth  century 
may  derive  henefits  fi'oni  the  experiences  of  tlie  six- 
teenth. 

The  two  hundred  years  fo.iowinu'  the  discoveries  by 
('oluml)us,  the  Cabots,  and  Vasco  da  (j!ama  were  the 
world's  great  age  of  colonization.  Before  the  six- 
teenth c(>ntury,  and  after  the  .seventeenth,  there  were 
distant  .settlements  established  by  ])arent  states,  but 
none  such  as  then  appeared.  And  none  .'^uch  will  ap- 
[)ear  again  until  for  cisilization  time  bridges  another 

(67) 


ih  y 


ii'jiii!'!' 


M  niLONlAL  POLICY   OF  SPAIN. 

Sea  of  Darkness,  and  some  new  eliristiunity  finds  fer- 
tile heathen  fields  to  j)lough. 

riaiifat/oii,  corrt'spondhig  to  the  Dutcli  volk-pUuitiiuj, 
stands  as  the  (ally  English  euuivalent  for  the  word 
colony,  from  cdlo,  to  till  the  soil  and  dwell  in  a  place, 
jis  originally  applied  to  the  grants  hy  Roman  generals 
of  conquered  countries,  snndar  to  the  settk'ments 
niade  later  l>v  tlie  Kussians  in  Central  Asia,  which 
wiie  at  first  niiiitary  centres  and  afterward  towns, 
^'et  the  former  terms  referred  rather  to  countries 
than  to  cities.  Long  before  this,  however,  we  recog- 
nize tlic  colonization  idi'a  with  different  motives — for 
pur[)oses  hoth  of  trade  and  agriculture,  as  among  the 
I'luenicians  and  Greeks;  for  puqioses  of  migration, 
con(|uest,  })lunder,  and  occupation,  as  among  the  north- 
ern barbarians;  fr«)m  excess  of  population,  from  a  love 
of  gold,  for  purposes  of  j)roselyting,  and  in  order  to 
I'scape  servitude,  religious  j)ersecution,  or  other  kin- 
dred infiictions.  Those  who  go,  dream  of  actjuisition 
in  one  or  more  directions;  tho-^e  who  send,  expect  ad- 
"\antage.  Carthage,  herself  a  colony  anf'  the  r.iother 
of  colonies,  defined  a  policy  by  which  she  established  a 
great  navy,  and  controlled  Mediti-rraman  commerce. 
The  (h'eeic  colonies  Were  nominally  free,  but  some- 
tinu'S  tributary  to  the  pariiit  state.  The  causes  actu- 
ating or  undirlvinii'  colonial  mi^'rations  have  not  arisen 
as  a  rule  from  any  noble  impulse  or  jirinciplc.  The 
]*uritans,  laiuling  on  the  wild  shoi-e  of  New  l^ngland, 
]>resent  the  sul)limest  picture  in  ctjjonial  history,  and 
almost  the  only  one  at  all  sublime.  Xeithev  for  greed 
nor  glory  did  they  leave  comfoi'tabUi  homes;  neitlier 
to  defraud  the  natives,  nor  fasten  on  them  a  strange 
religion,  did  they  brave  the  wildi'rness.  It  was  intel- 
lectual freedom  they  Would  have,  the  higliest,  holiest 
aspiration  humanity  is  heir  to.  It  is  somewhat  signifi- 
cant in  this  connection  that  the  descendants  of  these 
])eople  did  not  long  n-main  colonists.  Yet  even  here, 
if  the  truth  nnist  be  told,  was  conduct  incompatible 
with  justice  and   strict  moral  j)rincij)le,  by  a  people 


EARLY   COLOXIZATIONS. 


69 


will)  claimicl  to  liave  siicrificetl  all  for  thoso  same  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  morality. 

Tills  Uusiiioss  of  colonizing  in  its  c  uTicr  staj^'cH  was 
sclilom  i)lua.sant  or  profitable,  either  to  [larent  or  oft'- 
s;!ring.  The  first  atten^jts  were  almost  always  fail- 
ures so  far  as  the  ha[)i)iness  of  the  latter  w.  s  concerned. 
There  was  usually  too  nuich  of  the  fij^htinii,^  and  gov- 
eriiin""  elements  amonjx  the  emigrants,  and  too  few 
haiiils  accustomed  to  the  axe,  and  spade,  and  like 
i;!";  ]i  inents  for  the  building  of  substantial  connnoii- 
wialths,  Xeitlu'r  hav»>  the  s.)VC:reigns  of  Europe 
jilayed  any  noble  ])art  in  this  [)eople-]>lanting.  llow 
til  Genoese  was  obliged  to  importune  them  for  the  use 
ot'  three  or  four  small  v  'ssels!  Ferdinand  s[)ent  some 
money  on  succeeding  "loyages,  and  then  like  IK-niy 
of  En'dand  irraciouslv  i)ermitted  his  subjects  to  dis- 
cover  and  colonize  new  lands  at  their  own  cost;  ami 
after  receiving  a  royal  share  of  whatever  was  pur 
cliased  or  plundered  from  the  natives,  lie  held  all  as 
crown  i)rop(;rty  and  crown  v  ssals. 

\\u  •  the  Latin  races  of  Europe  had  wrested  from 
sa\i.:\;  or  hal. -civilized  nations  three  fourths  of  the 
world,  tilt;  larger  pai't  of  the  territory  so  sinzed  was 
taken  by  the  Teutonic  races  and  divided  into  common- 
wealths, which  wei'e  in  some  instances  united  i.i  leder- 
ations  more  free  and  forward  than  their  originals.  It 
strains  our  credulity  somewhat  to  bi'lieve  it,  but  j»i'ob- 
ably  l*ope  Alexander,  Ferdinand,  John  of  Portugal, 
Klizabi'th,  and  Chai'les  II.  were  serious  when  thev  is- 
sued  maxims  un<ler  which  the  world  miglit  bi'  light- 
t'ou  ly  partitioned  and  possessed,  ordering  all  heathen 
lands  to  be  seized  and  their  inhabitants  if  neid  ))e  slain. 
^Ve  sh()uld  call  such  doings  to  day  piratical,  abomiiia- 
bh',  t)nly  some  captious  critic  might  choose  to  place 
in  tlie  same  category  such  transactions  as  the  seizuio 
and  amiexation  to  the  United  States  of  Texas,  Cali- 
fornia, and  the  lands  intermediate,  the  Ihitish  c<.n- 
tpie^t  of  Scinde  and  the  Punyaub,  and  the  French 
occupation  of  Algiers  and  Tahiti. 


m 


COLONIAL  POLICY   OF  SPAIN. 


|5  K 


ii 


The  European  occupation  of  America  was  by  means 
of  colonit'S.  Tlie  whole  territory  from  I'atagonia  to 
Labrador  was  early  cut  into  uiu'cjual  parts  claimed  by 
diil'erent  ]']uropcan  ]>owers.  During  the  seventeenth 
and  ei^hteentli  centuries,  America  was  popularly 
designated  'The  Colonies.'  Then  from  five  America- 
holding  nations  prior  to  IG74,  the  mnnber  was  reduced 
to  four,  and  after  17(>^),  for  th<.'  most  j)art  to  three; 
between  1775  and  IS'Ja  European  domination  in 
America  became  almost  extinct;  meanwhile  in  the 
United  States  arose  the  political  j)rinciplo  called  the 
Monroe  doctrine,  which  declared  that  any  attempt  on 
the  part  of  European  nations  to  extend  their  system  or 
contn  1  over  any  part  of  this  continent  not  already 
occupied  by  them,  would  by  the  ITnitod  States  be 
regarded  as  d;in;;vrous  to  their  peace  and  safety. 

Jud;;ing  from  our]>ri'sent  stand-])oint,<,n'eater results, 
ethical,  intellectual,  and  material,  ha\"e  arisen  from  the 
colonijrations  of  (Jreat  l^ritain  than  fi'oni  those  of  any 
other  nation.  I  refer  to  voluntary  offshoots  rather 
than  to  colonizations  at  the  cannon's  mouth.  Though 
the  first  centarv  of  Sitanish-American  history  was 
mediicval  ratluT  than  n>.odern,  Sjjain's  colonists  in 
America  were  not  persons  impelled  to  escaju)  the 
tradi'-guilds,  or  conunercial,  political,  or  religious  dom- 
ination of  imperial  cities  that  ground  them  tmder 
imposts  and  intellectual  tyrannies.  Spaniards  did  not 
wish  to  fri'o  themsidves  from  anything.  They  wi're 
satisfied  ^\iih  their  country  and  all  its  despotisms  and 
fanaticism.s.  Even  before  thinking  of  themselves,  tiiey 
coiujiiered  and  colonized  for  their  king.  Ai'il  th(Mr 
establishments  wluii  founded  were  like  neither  the 
IMuenician  factories  nor  the  Roman  garrisons;  take 
from  them  their  gold  mines  and  repartimientos,  and 
there  was  little  of  thetn  one  would  acce|)t  as  a  gift. 
Imnu'diate  gain  with  glory,  spiritual  gain  and  juate- 
rial  gain  with  the  glory  »f  concpiest  and  lordly  domi- 
nation, was  the  pU!i.,.M'  of  the  Spanish  colonist,  liike 
a  child  or  a  t^iivage  to  gratify  a  passion  or  achieve  a 


ENOLANI/S  METHOD 


SI 


proximate  result  lie  would  uiKler^o  any  liardsliij);  hut 
III  tiiut  tlioroutjfh  and  jH-rsisti-iit  application  lor  remote 
;iilvaiita;4c'S  Mliieh  t'liaraeterizi'S  the  hijjjher  onK  r  of 
iiitclii'jfenee  he  uas  founc  wanting.  His  passionate 
ciicr'jv  (liili'rt'd  widely  from  that  persistent  nidustry 
wlilcli  K.ut'd  tlie  political  fahric  of  the  Anglo-Saxons 
ill  Xiiith  America. 

The  i^liiglish  colonist  thought  of  the  future.  Whether 
lie  rciiiiuiu'd  at  home,  or  wlierever  he  walked  upon  tlie 
eaitli,  lie  could  not  heguilt   himself  of  the  idea  that  he 
Mas  a  i'lee  man.      Ife  had   no  thought  of  murdiT  and 
japliie  as  means  of  suh-iistence,  but  Ix'took  himself  to 
a'Ticuitui'e,  lahorinix  with  his  hands,  and  instructing; 
his  children  in  those  natural  riglits  of  which  ni^.i  must 
alwiiys  stand  ready  voluntarily  to  reliiHpii.-h  iome  for 
tlie  hetter  Securing  of  oth(>rs,  yet  not  with  sutHcient 
ri'Liard  tor  the  riiJ'hts  of  others,  I  i-ejiret  to  sjtv.     So  far 
as  their  own  peo})le  were  «-oncerned,  tlu^    \iiglo-Saxon 
Wire  ready  c)  ough  to  till  their  breasts  .vith  a  love  of 
Hl)"rty  in  all   its  highest  and  purest  forms.      In  these 
sentiments,   winch   were   alroa<Iy   necessities,   lay  tlie 
security  which  b«>U]id  them  first  in  states,  and  later  in 
federations.     Thus  while  the  southern  American  col(»- 
nies  Were  kept  wi'ak  and  puerile  by  the  exci.-ssive  legis- 
lation of  tlie  parent  government,  as  we  shall  j)resently 
see,  ihe  New  J'higland  colonies,  content  with  nothing 
h  ss  than  a  p(»lit'cal  libei'ty  which  shoidd  enable  them 
ti»  make  their  own  laws  and  rear  their  own  institutions, 
gr(>w  sti'ong  in  the  exercise  of  natural  an<l  inln>rited 
rights.    Sub.se(pientiy,  when  the  yoke  of  SiKiin  drojiped 
otl'  l)y  rea.son  of  its  own  rottenr.ess,  all  Spanish  .Vmerica 
lapsed  into  a  state  of  revolution,  which  IxH'.ame  the 
primary  c(»ndition  of  their  proi^-n^ss,  whih"   r<  v,»lutiou 
to  the  Anglo- American  is  u[>on  instinct  abonunation. 
The  diflerenco  then  between  Teutonic  America  and 
Latin  America  is  not  circumstantial  but  an  inlnrited 
(hli'erence.     From  their  mother  one  received  theg*  ini 
of  strength  which  unfolded  in  magnificent  civility;  tlio 
other    weakness,   with    its   attendant  stagnation   and 


62 


COLONIAL  POLICY  OF  SPAIN. 


(leatli.  One  souj^ht  the  conquest  of  savages,  the 
other  the  conquest  of  self  Tlic  colonization  of  the 
one  was  a  hirtli ;  that  of  the  other  a  i)urial.  It  can- 
not he  changed  to  climate.  We  all  know  what  a 
Ufarden  of  wealth  hlossonied  in  the  West  India 
Islands  after  they  were  wrested  from  the  Spaniards 
hy  the  French,  English,  and  Dutch,  little  enough  hav- 
iM<r  been  made  of  them  l)efore  tliat  time. 


In  all  which,  there  is  not  so  verv  much  after  all  for 
England  to  he  proud  of     Yet  she  is  ])roud;  and  slu; 
would  UA\  you  it  is  because  these   foufiders  of  new 
nations   were    Enii'llshnien,    whose    descndants  huxe 
c<»ntinued  the  work  and  ui)held  the  great  principhs  ot 
freedom    underlyinuf   Enjjlish   institutions.     She    will 
tell  you  had  rulers  and   not  the  English  peo[)le   at- 
ten)[)ted  to  deprive  the  colonists  of  their  rights;  but 
is  it  bad  rulers,  or  is  it  Englishmen,  who  even  while 
I  write  are  still   practising  their  old-time  atrocitii's !" 
As  to  English  colonies,  liritish  America  and  Australia 
are  less  English  colonies  than  sovereign  states.      Her 
treatint^nt  of  the  American  plantations  and  the  p«'o- 
ple  of  India  add   nothing  to   her  glory.     It  is  the 
irony  of  honesty  and  humanity  to  hear  1'Jiglisji  states- 
men tu^k  of  the  honor  of  it — tin?  honor  of  the  parent- 
age of  nations   not   one  of  which   was  brouL^ht   forth 
save  in  cruelty  and  injustice.     I  shall  have  nmch  to 
say   of  the    narrow   and    suicidal    colonial    ])olicy    (»f 
Sjmin,  yet  I  find  little  in  that  of  other  nations  at  that 
time  better  or  more  liberal.      I  find  nothing  .so  impoli- 
tic as  the  peremptory  measuri'S  by  which  theattemj>ts 
of  the    Americai     colonists   to    manufacture    certain 
articles  i'or  themselves  were  nu-t  by  the  British  iiarlia- 


'y 


1' 


ment,  not  to  mention  innH)sts  and  other  tyrannii>s.  cl 
Read  the  declaration  of  independence  if  you  would 
know  the  rest.  Besides  her  colonies,  England's  pride 
has  been  her  maritime  strcngtii,  emj»loyed  sometimes 
in  carrying  bibles,  sometimes  in  forcing  on  unwilling 
nations    negro   slaves,  tobacco,  opium,  and   in    other 


,,,-  I 


TOMPARATIVE  COLOXIZATION. 


63 


v'asxps,  the 
ion  of  the 
1.  It  can- 
•w  wliat  a 
ost  India 
Spaniards 
lougli  hav- 


iftor  all  for 
I;  and  slu! 
ors  of  new 
iliints  hiivt' 
•rincipli'S  ot 
She    will 
pcoi)h'   at- 
iT^hts;  hut 
oven  while 
I  atrocities  :* 
d  Australia 
utes.      Her 
id  the  ])eo- 
It    is'thr 
:lish  .statt's- 
lie  parent- 
|u;j;lit   forth 
e  much  to 
policy    <»f 
Ions  at  that 
1^  so  inipoli- 
u  attenijtts 
re    certain 
ish  parlia- 
tyrannii's. 
()U  Would 
find's  pride 
sometimes 
unwillin;^' 
in    other 


like  detestable  traffics  injurious  to  men  and  morals. 
Though  we  have  less  of  Asia  in  America  than  yet 
clings  to  Europe,  we  may  still  find  here,  up  to  a  recent 
p(  riod,   slavery  apart  from   savajjism,  and  polygamy 
without  Mohannnedanism.     ]'2nglish  policy  shows  no 
systematic  attempt  to  raise  savages  from  their  low 
estate,  or  otherwise  t(»  improve  them  solely  for  their 
own  good,  such  as  we  find  anumg  the  Si>aniards.     The 
English    <j:(Mierally    found     it    to    their    intiTests    to 
maiiitaiii     fritMidiy    relations,    and    some    fi-w    feeble 
iH'orts  were  made  to  christianize  after  a  fashion;  but 
Spaniards    established    for  the    natives   thousands  of 
churches,  colleges,  and  schools.     The  horrors  of  con- 
(|uest  over,  the  policy  of  the  Spanish   government 
toward  the  natives  became  exceedingly  lienign.     On 
niaiiv  occasions  it  encouraufe<l  colonial   industries  with 
exceedlnj;  disinterestedness  and  liheralitv.     Even  while 
(fcorge  111.  was  crowtling  his  colonists  into  open  op- 
positii»n,  Ctlrlos  III.  was  pacifying  his  Xew  World  sub- 
jects by  every  means  in  his  power.      It  is  ass(>rted  of 
the  latter,  Spain's  best  and  most  liberal-minded  mon- 
arch, and  of  his  niinister,  the  cimde  de  Aranda,  that 
they  soberly  had  under  consideration  at  oiv  time  the 
i)oliev  of  giving  the  American  kiuLidoms  autonomv,  or 
iixh  jiendence,  and  that  such   policy  was  not  carried 
out  through  fear  lest  the  small  white  population  shoidd 
l>e  overwhelmed  by  the  natives.     The  aim  of  the  gov- 
ernment (Mjrtainly  was  that  communities  in  its  Ameii- 
«'an  kingdoms  should  be  as  hiixhly  cultiired  as  auv  in 
i]ui()p(>.      It   is    but    fair  to  add,   however,    that  the 
Spaniards  in  these  efforts  had  to  deal  with  clvilizeil 
nations;  in   their  intercourse  with  the   Apaches,  Co- 
luanches,  and  other  fierce  tribes  they  wert;  as  unsuc- 
cessful as  the  English. 

Notwitiistanding  her  man\'  ben«>volert  motives  and 
acts,  Spain,  like  England,  imposed  many  evils  in  fit- 
terliig  political  and  intellectual  liberty,  in  n-stricting 
commerce,  manufactures,  and  tlie  like.  How  then 
came  British  rule  to  be  of  so  much  shorter  duration 


64 


COLDXIAL  rOIJCY  OF  RPAIV. 


■1: 


in  New  KuglanU  than  Spiiin'ti  rule  in  Mexico?  Bo- 
cause,  as  [  have  said,  New  Enghmd  was  settled  by 
men  who  left  tlieir  country  throujj^h  a  love  of  hherty, 
and  tliis  they  were  determined  to  have  in  its  broadest 
sonse.  The  Si)aniards,  on  the  other  hand,  left  homo 
to  rule  nei^Toes  and  Indians;  they  soon  saw  tlieir  ml  - 
take  in  kiliinLf  so  many  of  the  natives;  and  alter  that 
thev  treated  ihem  better  than  tlic  En-'lish,  who  ibund 
them  uni)r()ritjd)le  laborers,  partieularly  if  forced.  Tiio 
S[ianiards  were  satisfied  with  luxury  and  laziness; 
tluy  desired  rather  to  enslave  others  than  to  be  fne 
themselves;  and  so  lont^-  as  their  grim  sujieriors  but 
smilingl}'  iVowned  on  their  irregularities  and  shared 
the  {)roceeds,  all  was  serene  enough. 

The  fact  is,  the  svsteni  of  holding  foreiijfn  comniuni- 
tics  permanently  subordinate  and  contributory  to  the 
mother  conimunitv,  as  we  shall  all  in  time  conclude. 
is  unnatural  and  unjust.  Colonies  are  ephemeral;  they 
will  not  last. 


but  tl 


I' 


lay 


itly 


le  mature  ollspring  is  as  indejiendent  as  himself. 


So  states  ma^-  ju  tly  protect,  and  while  protectin; 
govi'rn  tlu'ir  colonies  until  they  can  stand  alone;  after 
whicli  it  is  o[)tional  with  the  latter  to  be  ruled  w  not. 
Further  tlian  tliis,  it  is  unjust  to  the  members  of  the 
home  govermn<nt  to  untlergo  taxation  for  the  benelit 
of  any  connnunity  other  than  its  own.  All  men,  all 
nations,  all  communities,  young  and  old,  liave  e(jual 
rights;  in  natural  justice  the  colony  has  as  nuich  right 
to  share  in  ruling  the  mother  country  as  has  the 
mother  country  to  interfere  in  the  coloiiy.  And  be- 
ing unnatural  and  unjust,  permanent  subjection  of 
colonists  will  disaj)pear  as  have  feudalism  and  the 
crusades.  England  t(»-<lay  in  India  is  trying  to  pour 
the  new  wine  (»f  western  civilization  into  thi^  old  bot- 
tles of  eastern  civilization.  Erom  Hrst  to  last,  that  is, 
so  long  as  anything  like  rule  continues,  discontent  has 
reigned  among  the  British  colonii-s.  Coni[)aratively 
seldom  have  thi!  Si)anish  colonies  manifi'sted  irritation, 
or  displayed  ^y•ml)tonls  of  rebellion :  not  that  they  had 


LESSON'S   FOR  OOVEUNMEXTS. 


s.>Ulcd  by 
of  liberty, 
ts  broadest 

,  U'l't    ll'HUO 

V  their  uii  - 
1  after  that 
,  who  fouiul 
mecl.  Tiic 
id  la/Zmess ; 
to  he  free 
jieriors  but 
and  shared 

^n  coniinuin- 
atory  to  the 
le  eonelude, 
mend;  they 
k-erii  a  clidd, 
t  as  himself. 
!   protecti!i;j; 
alone;  alter 
■uled  or  not. 
libers  of  the 
the  beiielit 
\ll  men,  all 
liave  e«iual 
nuu'h  rij;ht 
us  has  the 
.      And  be- 
libjeetlon    of 


sm   an( 


I   tl 


le 


li'.i'jj  to  pour 
lh(^  old  bot- 
[last,  that  is. 
iitent  has 


Beo 


[miiaratively 
•d  irritation. 
Lit  they  had 


lv.^.4  pause,  but  by  reason  of  their  loyalty  and  content. 
It  is  true  that  three  or  four  viceroys  were  depo.sed  by 
the  })e(»j)le,  Spaniards  and  natives  acting  tt)gether,  but 
dislovaltv  or  discontent  with  tlie  home  j'overnment 
liad  little  to  do  with  tlnse  acts,  (jrovernnients  are 
]n  riiianeiit  only  as  they  faiily  represent  the  national 
cluu'acter.  ]'\)r  centuries  iii  ^lexico  and  clsi-where, 
thert:  existed  this  essential  conu^ruity  betwei'U  })olitical 
forms  and  the  peo[>le.  The  trouble  in  the  end  was 
that,  fast  as  the  colonists  had  degenerate  tl,  the  parent 
m)V(  rnnuMit  had  den^enerated  faster;  weak  as  was 
^It  \ieo,  S[)ain  was  weaker. 

It  lias  taken  <'overnnients  a  lon<'  time  to  learn,  and 
tiiere  are  some  statesnnn  who  seem  yet  unaware^  <»f  it, 
t!iat  liberty  and  e<]uity  alone  are  conducive  to  j^ain. 
'I'lade  has  been  the  never-failinjjf  excuse;  but  experi- 
ence sliow.s  that  self  ujovernin^  Kiii^disli-speakim^  states 
huy  I'ar  niore  in  Kiii;land  than  do  her  huyi'  colonial 
infants.  And  it  is  now  quite  well  uiulerstood  by  the 
phiiusophurs  of  Enj^land,  if  by  no  one  else,  that  loss 
entails  on  the  accpiiiing  and  ridiuLj  of  distant  territory ; 
that  bare  acres  politically  adt led  to  national  domain  are 
a  minus  (juantity,  benefieial  to  individuals,  perhaps, 
hut  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  connnunity  at 
larL;('.  Undoubtedly,  benefits  accrue  to  s(jnie  by  reliev- 
ini(  overcrowded  ci\  ilizi'tl  populations;  but  let  this  be 
a  privati^  and  business  atl'air.  (Jovernments  should 
iiraetirallv  stav  at  home.  Ft»r  the  benefit  o|"  both, 
those  wiio  remain  may  help  some  to  ^o;  but  ht  not 
such  helj)  be  j^iven  with  a  \  itw  to  subse(juent  imposi- 
tion. Leave  colonization  and  trade,  wheTO  relii^ion 
and  all  ethics  are  oi*  slioukl  be,  to  natural  chamiels,  if 
We  would  see  the  most  made  of  thtin.  Tln^  i^o»»d  old 
riuht  to  steal  lands,  and  to  kill  and  i'nsla\e  ad  libitum 
uiiotlindini;  men,  formed  the  main  fiatures  of  eolony- 
plantiny-,  followed  by  (»ther8  no  less  onerous  to  thq 
colonists;  hence  its  later  history  is  a  record  of  decline. 
W  e  mav  rule  servants,  but  not  sons. 


may 


Cau  Pamt.,  Vol.  I.    5 


!  i'! 


ill  i' 


66 


COLONIAL  POLICY  OF  SPAIN. 


There  wore  three  prime  factors  in  tlie  Spanisli  colo- 
nial f'ahric,  the  govenimeiit,  the  euiij^raiits,  aiul  the 
pacitii'd  peoples.  All  colonial  jK)wer  and  pn>perty 
were  vested  in  the  crown;  America  had  heen  a  tree 
fr'ii't  to  Isabella  and  Ferdinand  by  the  pojie,  who  de- 
rived title  from  St  Peter,  and  he  from  the  cicator. 
From  the  sovereigns  flowed  all  grants,  and  to  them 
reverted  all  lands.  All  governors,  magistrates,  and 
officials,  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  were  creatid  and  de- 
posed at  pleasure.  To  the  settler  belonged  no  rights* 
or  ])rivileges  apart  from  the  crown.  To  nmnieipalities 
was  given  the  liberty  of  electing  their  otticials,  but 
from  the  people  sprang  no  political  power.  It  is  a 
significant  fact  that  the  king  of  Spain  likewise  called 
himself  king  of  the  Indies;  mdicating  thereby  tliat  his 
transatlanti<'  possessions  were  provinces,  and  integral 
parts  of  the  crown  domain,  rather  than  colonies  in  the 
ordinary  sense.  The  cedillas  rcalcs,  by  wliich  tin- 
royal  j)leasure  was  expressed,  fornud  in  reality  the 
Hist  kgislative  code  of  the  kingdom  of  th«>  Indies, 
embodied  in  the  Recojiilacinv  dc  las  fitdias,  back  ot 
which  was  that  of  Castile,  and  /.(/.'*  Sicfc  ParfaUix,  or 
tlie  common  law  of  Spain.  After  the  establishment 
of  the  council  of  the  Indies,  legislative  j)ower  veste«l 
in  that  body,  under  the  king;  executive  j>o\ver,  in  the 
captains-general  and  vicercys,  unuer  the  king. 

I  havt'  fully  narrated  in  tlu^  first  volume  of  my 
history  of  Central  America  how  govermncnt  was  es- 
tiiblished  in  the  Indies,  first  umliT  the  Admiral  of  the 
Ocean  Sea,  and  continued  by  his  successors,  and  se<'- 
ondly  under  the  au<liencia  of  Santo  Domingo.  Fol- 
lowing the  continental  conquests.  New  World  affairs 
were  divided  into  two  great  governments,  with  the 
viceri>y  of  New  Spain  at  the  head  of  one,  and  the 
viceroy  of  Peru  at  the  head  of  the  other.  Subse- 
quently this  division  becoming  inconvenient,  a  thinl 
viceroy alty  was  established  at  Santa  Fe  de  Pogota, 
whose  jurisdiction  extende<l  over  the  kingdom  ol 
Tierra  Firme  and  the  jjrovince  of  Quito,  and  later  that 


T)ELF/:ATEn  POWER.  •> 

of  "Rio  (le  la  Plata.  In  fi)nus  and  paraplicnmria,  gov- 
(•n.Drs  of  tho  siudllcr  tolonits  imitated  the  vieeroys, 
us  tlu'  viceroys  in  tuni  imitated  royalty.  Witliiii  tluir 
icsjiecti-  e  territories  tiie  viceroys  exercised  sovereiou 
.-iiilliority,  r<|)r('.sentiin;  the  person  of  the  king  and 
jiivr-fcd  with  his  functions.  They  were  supreme  over 
(•v(  IV  department  of  govtirnment,  civil  and  milit^iry, 
ami  wrie  tlie  emlxxliment  of  the  two  gnat  powers, 
ii'4isl;itive  and  executive.  They  apj)ointe<l  to  all  va- 
cant otlici's  ad  interim,  and  nominated  to  many  high 
p().st.s.  that  is  to  say,  wlien  the  king's  jealousy  permitted 
him  to  Kavi'  so  inuch  power  at  tlie  di.sposai  of  any 
servant.  The  \  ie(  lov's  eouit  was  modellid  on  the 
eouit  ^<\'  Spain,  having  a  I'egularly  estaMished  Jionse- 
liold  with  guards  of  horse  and  foot,  parasite-s  and 
eouitic  IS,  and  ruimerous  officers  and  attendants.  Jic 
might  eiiiplt)y  the  royal  'we'  in  speaking  of  himself, 
hut  this  was  not  common;  ho  was  legally  addressed 
as  '  exeelentisimo.* 

Next  in  author  it  v  wnv  the  audiencias,  or  sovd'eiiiii 
trihunals,  elsewhere  explained.  With  tlieso  tlu;  vice- 
I'ov  mi'j:]it  n<it  intermeddle :  indeed,  tliouixh  not  suhieet 
to  tliem  Jiis  acts  wer'e  sometimes  hrouglit  under  their 
review  hv  wav  of  Ic'al  restraint  inteii)ose<l  hetween  tho 
soverei'Mi  and  the  suhi(.>ct„  The  vieerov  exercised  no 
Judii'ial  or  ecclesiastical  power-s.  Yet  after  all  tlm 
audieiicia  might  onlv  advise;  in  case  of  collision,  the 
will  of  the  viceroy  generally  pr-exailed.  Irr  theahsencc 
or-  death  of  the  viceroy,  supreme  powei-  vested  in  the 
audieiicia. 

And  notwithstanding  all  this  viceregal  pomp  an<l 
power,  such  of  the  laws  of  Spain,  however  just  aird 
desirahle,  as  were  ohimxious  to  the  settlers,  icceived 
little  attention  in  the  colonies.  There  were  many 
honest  viceroys  and  other  otKcials,  l>ut  often  the  vice- 
roy was  as  ready  as  any  one  t«)  wink  at  popular  irreg- 
ularities— for  a  consideration.  At  one  time  it  was 
dirticult  to  find  either  irr  Spain  or  in  the  Indies  a 
revenue  otticer  who  would    not   take  a  bribe.     The 


G8 


COLOXLVL  POLICY  OF  SPAIN. 


ih[  M'l 


;i'1 


i    I 


roiitrabaud  traiU'  was  in  volume  CMjual  to  one  third  of 
all  the  colonial  traftic,  Justito  and  injustice  couUl  l>e 
Imu'^lit  and  sold,  and  tlie  natives  w«'ie  abtuninaltlv 
misused  in  the  face  of  what  were  intendcil  as  the 
most  righteous  laws  in  their  favor.  And  so  nt»torious 
was  national  dt'linqueney  at  one  time  that  'Spanish 
lioncstv'  heeame  svnonvnums  with  'Punie  faith.'  The 
fact  is,  the  jj^overnnicnt  was  so  jxjndcrous  and  unwicltly 
as  to  be  in  some  directions  inoperative,  and  justice 
was  overwhelmed  l>y  the  endless  forms  and  *lis[»lay  by 
which  it  was  surrounded.  The  innumtiable  offices, 
b.ianls,  and  tribunals  incident  to  this  com[»l«x  and  usc- 
l^ss  machinery,  occupied  an  army  of  officials,  few  of 
whom  were  endowe<l  with  political  or  conniiercial 
morals  higher  than  the  filling  of  their  poi'kets  without 
incurring  punishmi'nt.  It  was  no  disgract;  to  steal 
from  the  government;  there  was  no  disgrace  in  being 
caught  at  it,  provided  the  metluul  «»f  it  had  not  been 
bungling,  and  some  certain  things,  such  as  the  king's 
firth,  had  not  been  profjined. 

TImisc  were  the  <lays  of  nnch  governing.  Isiibi  lla 
anil  Ferdinand  had  earlv  determined  that  their  ihitv 
in  this  respect  should  not  be  neglected  in  the  Indi*  s. 
I'pon  neither  the  l*ortugese,  French,  nor  English  in 
America  was  inflicted  the  jirotection  of  the  jwireiit 
state  to  anv  such  extent  as  in  the  Si>anish  col(»nies. 
Lands  lacking  silver  and  gold  })os8essed  little  in  the 
ev<s  of  r<»valtv  Worth  i)rotectin«':  and  so  their  sub- 
du«'rs  were  for  a  while  left  to  struggle  and  grow  strong 
unmolested,  Ac(juainting  themselves  with  the  soil 
and  climate  of  their  new  possessions,  and  the  chara*'- 
ter  of  the  natives,  the  S[)anish  st>vereigns  s«  t  them- 
.selves  about  to  regulate  everything.  The  fruits. 
vegetal>les,  and  domestic  animals  of  the  Old  World 
were  transplanted  to  the  new.  Fmigration  was  en- 
couraged; free  pas.sage  offered;  grants  of  lanil  witli 
Indian  laborers  wi>rc  freelv  made,  as  (Jod  had  ijivi  ii 
them  much  in  this  direction,  and  at  little  c<»st;  colo- 
nists were  exempt  for  a  time  from  taxation.      Five 


REV^ENUE. 


69 


o  thirtl  of 
J  couUl  l>e 
j«)ininul>ly 
I'd  as  tin* 
nil  »t«  )!'»<>  w^ 
;  'Spanish 

aith.'  Tho 
lI  unw  kUIv 
11  id  justuH- 
aisi»l:iy  hy 
A,k'  (.flit»s, 
rxaiulusi- 

ials,  few  oi 
comuuTcial 
Ltts  without 
ico  to  stt-ai 
ace  in  iH-int^ 
lul  n»»t  h»«  a 
IS  the  Vwv;^^ 

yr.        Is>llhtlla 

tlicir  duty 
_  tht'  In'li"  s. 
ir  Eu'^lish  in 
tho  i>iuyiit 
sh  (olonir-- 
UttU'  in  th»' 
.  th«ir  suh- 
.^n»\v  i>trou;j, 
ith  tho    soil 
the  rhurai - 
s  g.  t  thrm- 
The     fruits. 
()M  WorM 
tioii  was  v\\- 
>f  laud  with 
\  had  t^iv<u 
o  c<»st;  folo- 
itiou.      Five 


hundred  artisans,  scientists,  and  agriculturists  wire 
stwit  to  Espaiiola;  and  to  any  one  i)r«»niising  to  culti- 
vate land  I'or  four  years,  besides  a  repartimiento,  were 
yiven  seed  and  stock.  Towns  were  endowed  witli 
jiiivileges  equal  to  any  in  Spain.  Marri«'d  men  were 
jartieidarly  favored. 

Thus  we  see  if  their  catholic  Majesties  ooverned 
liuieh  and  demanded  much,  they  gave  with  a  liberality 
ill  uuirked  contrast,  not  only  with  that  of  other  nations, 
I  '.it  with  their  own  suhsi^quent  policy.  Presently  they 
tlitd  of  sowing,  and  determined  to  reap.  An  ava- 
J  .iK'he  of  edicts  was  hurled  at  the  heatls  of  the  de- 
f  net  less  colonists.  A  heavy  tux.  was  put  n\Mi\  goKl, 
hist  two  thirds,  and  subsequently  one  fifth,  and  all 
mini'rals,  precious  stones,  and  dye-woods  were  reserved 
t.>  tho  crown.  Then  for  a  time  enterprise  languislu-d, 
l")r  this  was  prior  to  the  epoch  of  systematic  pecula- 
tions. Under  the  s^'^stem  of  licenses  to  private  p^r- 
j oils  for  purposes  of  discovery  and  trade,  colonization 
iivived,  lor  here  was  opportunity.  The  natives  were 
naked  and  possessed  much  gold,  anJ  there  was  no 
king's  army  i)resent  to  protect  them.  Erelong  it  be- 
«  unie  necessary  to  establish  the  Casa  de  Contratacion, 
or  House  of  Trade,  and  the  Cons*  jo  de  las  Indias,  «)r 
Council  of  tlie  Indies,  for  the  more  perfect  mana'.;e- 
nient  of  coloni.d  commerce  and  colonial  oovernnient. 
-Vn<l  so  protection  became  oppression;  and  the  Sivm- 
i>li  sovereigns  woidd  have  smiled  had  any  one  toM 
them  that,  in  order  to  insure  greater  and  permanent 
good,  tho  more  widely  extentled  tlie  commonwea];]i 
l!ie  simpler  should  be  its  laws  and  forms  of  govern- 
ment. 

At  first  Spain's  i .  venue  from  her  American  king- 
<lonjs  was  not  lar-'o.  The  Xetherlands  jrave  Charles 
A  .  four  million  to  one  million  from  the  Indies.  Then 
iuilustiics  were  established  in  the  colonies,  and  the 
yi<  Id  increased,  until  Carlos  III.  was  able  to  l)oast, 
alter  paying   one   hundred  thousand  well-disciplined 


70 


COLONIAL  POUCY  OF  SPAiy. 


ii!i  ti 


'  .ill!  < 


soldiers,  tho  cost  of  one  hundred  sliijjs  of  the  lino,  and 
all  otlior  expenses  of  jj^overnnuMit,  one  hundred  millions 
of  dollars  in  the  treasury,  and  all  froni  America.  Tlien 
came  mismanagement.  And  later,  thou<^h  the  ri-ve- 
nues  from  the  cohtnies  were  large,  government  ex- 
|Miis(S  there  and  everywhere  gri'W  large  also;  so  that 
neither  the  parent  state  nor  the  colonies  were  benefited 
l»y  this  excessive  governing,  l^esides  the  king,  only 
{\io  ra|)acious  official,  who,  himself  imj)res8ed  by  iMtl- 
l(t\v  show,  sought  by  the  same  means  to  im[)ri'ss 
others,  and  the  clergy,  who  came  in  for  a  large  share 
of  the  spoils,  sucking  substance  fr(»m  every  industry, 
derived  nmch  bent'fit  from  the  svstem.  As  ainoii'' 
our  legislatois  to-day,  more  ingenuity  and  brain-powt  i 
were  einploytnl  by  the  officials  to  keep  their  places,  and 
iiicreasi!  their  already  enormous  iH-njuisit/JS,  than  in 
the  entire  administration  of  public  affairs.  The  vice- 
roy's salary,  rejxching  to  thiity  thousand  dollars  pt  i- 
annum,  was  but  a  small  part  of*  his  in<'onu;.  J'y 
tlu^  sale  of  lucrative  offices,  the  monopoly  of  certain 
branches  of  ct>mnierce,  and  by  innumerable  frauds  and 
abuses  of  power,  the  viceroy  might  accumulate  such 
sujns  as  would  enable  him  after  a  few  years  of  service 
t«>  return  to  Spain  with  a  ])rincely  fortune.  It  is  said 
that  a  viceroy  received  fifty  thousand  dollars  on  one 
iK-easion  in  birthday  presents.  On  the  otlur  hand, 
several  vicerovs  entered  office  rich  and  abandoned  it 
in  debt,  and  some  refused  all  presents. 

Finance,  as  well  as  evervthin-';  else,  was  founded  on 
the  tln'oiy  that  the  king  was  proj>rietor  of  the  land. 
(V'l'tain  of  the  natives  [)aid  a  capitation  tax;  some  a 
j>riiiiivias,  or  first-lVuits  tax;  othei-s  gave  eighteen 
months'  service  in  the  mines,  not  all  at  one  time,  be- 
tween the  a-'cs  of  eighteen  and  fiftv.  A  tenth  of  tho 
proeee<ls  frt)m  cultivated  lands  went  to  the  chur«h  in 
the  form  of  tithes,  which,  adiled  to  the  many  subse- 
<pu'nt  re<|uircments  of  the  crown,  imposed  ui>(in  the 
plantt>r  taxation  at  every  turn.  After  the  raw  mate- 
rial paid  a  tenth,  the  prepared  article,  such  as  indigo, 


CIUVEliNMEXT. 


71 


10  lino,  and 
rod  millions 
rioa.  Then 
I  tlio  rovo- 
rnniont  ox- 
so;  so  tliat 
re  bonefitod 
kinj,',  only 
sod  bv  Iku- 
to  ini[>ii'ss 
large  share 
:y  industry, 
As  aiiu>!i;j; 
brain-powoi 
•  pla<'os,  and 
t-is,  than  in 

The  vicc- 
dollars  jx  v 
loonio.  I'V 
;  of  c'ci-tain 
!  i'niutls  and 
iiulate  suoli 
■s  of  sor\  ice 

It  is  said 
lars  on  one 
>tlu'r  liaiid, 
|)andoni'd   it 

f«)inulod  oil 
|»t'  the  In  I  id. 

LX ;  some  a 
[e  eiyfhti^en 
le  time,  be- 
knith  of  the 
p  chunh  in 
liany  subse- 
|l  upon  the 
raw  mate- 
as  indigo, 


m 


roohindd,  and  sutjar,  paid  aL,^ain.  Then  tlierc  wore 
tlic  oiist.oins  duties,  tho  alcdhiild,  of  vendor's  duty  on 
urlicKs  of  coiiiiiicroe,  and  the  ijuinto,  or  fifth,  of  the 
jiroci't'ds  from  tiie  miius.  The  sale  of  tobaoro,  salt, 
aiitl  canls  was  nionopojl/cd  by  tiie  king's  oUhjers;  tlie 
jMistal  revenue  belonged  to  the  crown.  For  keojiing 
a  t'eiiy,  fir  hei  ping  game-cocks,  and  for  selling  ]i<iuors, 
special  duties  were  paid  in  some  of  the  provinces. 
Detwceii  l.'»J-2  and  l()4o,  certain  offices  were  made 
salalilc!  by  law;  such  as  those  of  high  sheriffs,  notaries 
of  all  classes,  clerks  of  audicncias  and  inferior  cou its, 
receivers  and  pi-oett)rs,  councilmcn  and  clerks  of  coun- 
cils, inspectors  of  Weights  and  measures,  collectors  of 
judicial  penalties,  all  officers  and  servants  of  tin;  mint, 
the  postmaster-general  of  New  Spain,  assessors,  audi- 
tiiis  of  royal  accounts,  otli<-ial  sellers  of  stamped  paper, 
and  many  others.  These  offices,  whenever  vai-ant, 
Were  put  u])  and  s(il(l  l»y  auction  to  the  higlu'st  bidder; 
they  Were  licritaMe,  descending  from  father  to  son, 
and  wrie  so  held  tluring  goo<l  behavior,  and  also  pro- 
vided the  (inala,  or  yearly  tax,  was  j)aid  t(»  the  crown. 
The  owner  <lying  leaving  no  ju-ir,  the  office  reverted 
to  the  king  and  Mas  sold  again.  "The  king  of  Sj).iino," 
growls  J^ojx'z  Va/,  "because  bee  hath  many  other 
countries  under  hini,  bee  doth  little  estecme  of  this 
countit  y,  but  doth  take  out  of  it  all  things  that  are 
for  liis  jiroHt,  having  used  those  pi-oph;  with  great 
crueltie,  and  taking  of  them  nmch  tribute." 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  king  to  keep  tho  colonies 
111  a  state  of  iterpetiial  i)uerilitv,  and  ln'  succeeded.  It 
IS  inipossihle  lor  live  pro'^rossivo  institutions  to  irer- 
rninate  among  a  |)oople  having  no  desire  for  llbt-rty  or 
knowledgi!.  OtHces  and  exactions  wore  the  <loniinant 
idea  c.f  Spaniards  in  taking  possession  of  the  New 
^\  orld.  JOvery  one  of  them  must  have  something 
to  rule — if  not  Spaniards,  th(>n  Indians  or  negroes. 
The  highest  ambition  of  the  colonist  was  to  imitate 
Si»aiii  and  Spanish  institutions,  not  to  throw  them  off 


72 


COLONIAL  POIJCY  OP  SPAIN. 


or  improve  upon  tlu'iii.  As  their  parent  government 
had  ti'ttereil  and  Ho^jrcd  tlieni,  ho  would  tliey  letter 
and  Hog  ()th(!rs;  meanwhile  thanking  G(hI  for  a  fresh 
ptM>|»le  so  to  ehristianize  and  eivilizc.  And  yet  the 
time  eanie  whtai  umon<;  thost;  who  made  ^lexieo  in- 
dep«Mident  were  Spaniards  tlicmsclves,  t  >  be  bufteted 
and  ul»used  for  tln^r  pains  a  Httle  later. 

We  have  notijcd  in  Ferdinand's  instructions  to 
Ovando  in  1501,  li<»w  first  he  was  to  \>or8hip  his  (jlod, 
and  miik(?  the  natives  WMjrship  the  same  deity;  to  good 
men  only  should  he  given  office,  and  th<'re  must  be 
exercised  kindness  and  humanity  in  practising  the  im- 
position of  repartimientos.  He  nmst  be  moderate  in 
his  household  expenses,  and  niake  otheivi  so;  he  siiould 
leave  judgment  to  judges,  l»e  kind  to  all  brotherhoods, 
pay  no  heed  to  tale-bearers;  he  should  be  considerate 
in  council,  ciiret'ul  in  exami)le,  discouraging  idleness, 
att^'iitive  to  business,  displaying  courage  and  brevity 
in  all  things,  yet  not  hasty  or  jxissionate;  but  when 
puiiisliment  was  necessary  he  must  send  it  swiftly  and 
suri'ly. 

The  Spanish  sovereigns  were  exceedingly  jealous  of 
their  prerogatives,  not  only  as  against  foreigners,  but 
as  against  their  own  subjects;  and  this  sj)irit  incn^ased 
with  the  increase  of  their  knowledy:e  of  the  extent 
and  value  of  their  American  posstjssions.  Conunerce, 
njining,  agriculture,  and  every  art  and  industry  were 
pUiceil  under  a  system  of  severe  restrictions.  No  for- 
eign vessel  might  trade  with  the  colonies;  no  foreigner 
might  visit  them  under  penalty  of  death  and  confisca- 
tion of  pro|K'rty.  All  merchandise  to  and  from  the 
Indies  must  be  carried  in  Spanish  bottoms.  For  a 
time  even  intercolonial  commeice  was  forbidden,  lie- 
tween  ACexico  and  l*eru,  between  Guatemala  and 
Chile,  there  must  be  no  civilizing  intercourse.  But 
this  highly  imiH»litic  restrictiou  was  formally  removed 
by  Carlos  III.  in  1774. 

Many  manufactures  were  prohibited,  and  even  the 


COMMERCE. 


78 


niltlvatlon  of  tlic  olive  and  tlio  vino.  Whatever  it 
Mas  best  I'T  tlioni  to  hav«',  tl»o  niotlu>r  would  kindly 
f^;,],plv — tiuir  fiinri^uro,  their  clothes,  and  no  small 
jKtrtion  even  of  their  food,  ller  own  welfare  tirst, 
th(;  Mrliareof  the  colonios  second,  was  Spain's  hiaxini. 
And  Irst  tlie  sovereii^n's  suhordinates  in  America 
.sliduld  learn  to  love  themselves  more  than  him, 
ami  the  new  homes  hi'tter  than  the  old  ones,  it  was 
liiiallv  ordained  that  natives  of  Spain  should  fill  the 
higher  and  larL(er  proportion  of  otKees  in  Spain's 
enloiiies;  and  these  must  he  of  the  purest  rank,  vliiipf- 
tniit'K,  ,)f  old  Christian  fannli«'S  untainted  hv  Jewish 
or  Moluinunedan  hlood,  uncensured  hyany  incpiisition. 
J'idni  first  to  last,  however,  many  natives  of  America 
lia\e  als(»  held  hii^h  oftice  there,  political,  judicial,  and 
ecclesiastical,  under  royal  a[>pointment.  And  then  it 
nuist  he  reniemhii'ed  that  in  Spain  even,  h'yj:}i  ofHce 
could  n(»t  he  held  in  the  occu[>ant's  awn  jtrovince. 
What  folly  to  tiy  to  make  communities  at  once  self- 
opeiative  and  dependent  I 

lU  exclusiveness  was  the  most  hateful  feature  of 
Si)aiiish  colonial  commerce.  Monopoly  is  toconnnerce* 
what  coercion  is  in  religion,  the  most  outraixeous  of 
tyramiies;  and  the  day  will  come  when  a  free  people 
will  no  more  suhmit  to  monopolies,  or  iiiicjuitous  com- 
hinations  in  railway,  wheat,  or  other  traffics,  than 
they  W(tuld  how  hefore  the  unjust  mandate  of  a  royal 
<l<'spot.  Monopoly  is  hut  a  form  of  rohbery,  in  which, 
under  i^uise  of  fair  dealin'j;,  the  stron*:'  extort  from 
the  weak  without  due  com[>ensation. 

The  old-time  delusion  was  still  entertained  that 
money  was  not  oidy  wealth,  but  the  most  valuable 
and  imperishable  of  propt'rty;  hence  that  commercial 
jiolicy  was  best  which  brought  into  Spain  and  kei)t 
there  the  largest  amount  of  gold  and  silver.  The 
resources  of  the  country  were  strained  to  produce  this 
result.  Every  article  of  foreign  growth  or  manufac- 
ture must  be  furnished  the  colonies  by  Spain  alone, 
and  to  Spain  must  be  sent  all  products  from  the  soil 


74 


COLONIAL   I'OLK  V   OF  .Sl'ALN*. 


or  niiiK'S  of  Iut  ilci'viidciicii's.  Tin-  (|u;iiititv,  ((iiiillty, 
l<iinl,  and  prin:  uf  all  iiirrcliJiiMlisi!  sent  t<»  tlu;  cdldiius 
Avert;  (Itttiiniiird  1)V  tlio  tviiisiilnati'  niotlur.  And  it 
\vas  tli(!  aim  otlxttli  jj;(>vt'nimciit  nliicials  uiid  iiioiiopn- 
li/iii;^^  iiicrrliaiits  t*»  inako  the  supply  always  I'all  sln»it 
of  lli«'  dtinaiid,  so  that  hiiycrs  would  In;  fayci'  and 
prices  hiioyaiit.  That  oijuit}^  atteiidiiijjf  all  healthy 
Iraiisaetions,  whleh  bciicilts  the  huyir  as  much  as  the 
seller,  was  waiitiiii^if. 

FiM  a  tiini!  all  JOiirope  was  ohlimd  to  •^•(j  tt»  Lishoii 
fer  Indian  ]»i'oducts,  as  pi-e\i<tMsly  Alexandria  had 
l)een  the  depot.  So  in  S[>ai!i  all  American  coniiMeice 
was  restrict«'d  to  one  port,  SevilK'  at  tiist,  and  al'fer- 
W'ard  (Vidiz;  and  in  America  to  JVirtolu'llo  and  Wra 
Cruz.  JJi'tWeen  these  poits  j»assetl  the  aiuiual  fleet, 
('(in\oyed  l»y  vessels  of  war.  An<l  on  the  other  side 
of  the  continent  lor  two  centuries  and  more  the  Span- 
ish nalleons  wei'e  carj'ied  hy  the  trade-winds  stiaiinht 
aci'oss  iVom  Aca|»ulco  to  AFanila,  iiiturnimj^  hy  a 
northern  <-ircuit.  'i'lie  (  u-noese  had  sailed  at  Spain's 
cost  in  search  ot'  the  Indies,  and  tin*  amhitious  Span- 
*iai'd  was  not  satisfied  until  they  were  found,  nor  until 
the  papal  partition  hull  had  heen  construed  to  fit 
Spain's  pretensions  at  the  JMiilippine  Isles,  nor  until 
this  rich  tr.dlic  was  cstahlished  hetweeii  Asia  and 
America  with  a  S[ianish  i-ntrepot  ut  either  oml  (»f  the 
line. 

It  was  til  the  siji^le  jiort  of  ( 'ii.diz  that  all  merchan- 
dise wa- sent  from  Fiance,  Eui^land.  I  lnlland,  and  el.>,e- 
wliei'e  after  Spain  had,  with  the  expulsion  of  In  i- 
artisan,  driven  manufacturiMs  from  her  shores.  All 
these  ^oods  must  then  pay  a  heavy  duty  on  iiiter- 
ini(  Spain,  and  another  on  leaviuij^  S[)ain.  and  another 
on  enterinijf  Mexico,  anti  anothei"  hy  the  sellej-  -  one 
liundred  per  cent  in  duties,  and  two  hundred  p«'r  cent 
inon;  taxes  and  piufits  must  thus  he  added  to  the  co-^t 
hefore  Spain's  <'o|(»nist  could  call  his  own  any  Muro- 
[>ean  article.  Thus  it  was  not  loujj,'  aftei'  the  plautinjj; 
of  the  Spanish  colonies  before  S[iain's  neighbors  were 


i;i 


CLIMATE. 


75 


i(y,  i|iiallty, 

Liu;  ('t)|((iii(  s 

r.      Ami  it 

IkI  llioiiolxi- 

's  I'till  sliuit 

ranci"   aixl 

all    lualthy 

iiucii  as  the 

It  t»»  Lislion 
andi'la    had 

I    COllllllflCC 

,  and  jirtti- 
)  uiid  Wia 
niiual  til  t  t, 
j  other  side 
o  tho  Spaii- 
uls  stiai<jht 
uiiiLf    l>y    a 

at  Spuiii'.s 
ti(»us  IS|»aM- 

1,  nor  until 

urd  to  Ht 
nor  until 
A>ia  and 

end  of  tin 

nirii'han- 
il,  an<l  cl.x'- 
m  ol*  lit  r 
lores.      All 

on  eiitcr- 
\u\  another 
ler—  one 

•d  pe!-  eent 
o  t  he  ci^t 
any  Imiio- 
plantiii^ 
dtoia  wero 


dt-rivinu"  nion>  honcfit  IVoui  them  tliau  Spain  lierself, 
whieli  had  so jt  alously  o;iuii(hd  theiu, andyetdid  i,'uar<l 
tlieni,  not  diHaniin^'  that  they  were  n«»t  a  soui'eo  <tf 
tin'  hii^hest  profit  t«»  lier.  And  it  was  not  until  1778 
tiiat  S|)ain's  eyes  were  faiily  ojtened  upon  t!ie  suhjeet, 
anil  Me.xiro  iiiid  J*eru  were  in  soiuo  dej^reo  delivered 
tVoiii  this  thnldoni. 

The  ]iro(t'..>s  of  peopliiiiL;'  the  Xow  W«)rld  froui  Spain 
was  not  a  rapid  one.  The  estimate  iseflveii  that  sixty 
\.  ais  al'ti  r  the  diseoverv  l>y  Columltus  theio  w  re  not 
Miore  than  fil'leen  thousand  8j»auiards  in  the  iiidi«s. 
N"(  t  o|"  these  tlierr  Were  inauy  ot'the  fii'st  «'lass;  while 
tVoi.i  the  other  states  of  Europe  there  went  to  Auier- 
i.  a  liw  hesides  the  seeond,  or  third,  or  tenth  elass. 
It  was  ordered  hy  the  eatlutlie  .«.overeii^Mia  in  l."»()8 
that.dl  eonvirts  and  infamous  jicisons  .should  he  .><iit 
to  tlu'  Indies;  hutin  I  ."•  IS  this  was  rhanj^cd,  ami  none 
I. lit  '^-ood  (•.'itholies,  no  suspected  persons  even,  were 
allow  td  t<i  ;4o. 

\astly  dillerent  was  life  and  society  at  home  and  in 
the  CI  I. .nits  Nature  jd'escuttd  to  luu'ojM'ans  the' 
New  \\  oi'ld  on  a  scale  «;raiider  thaiuu.y  ttt  which  they 
had  heeii  accustome*!.  Mountains  w<  re  hiirhi  r  and 
jilauis  hroadti-,  lakes  Were  deeper  and  livci-s  laiucr; 
ve;^i  tation  was  nioi'e  ledimdant;  the  air  was  cl  .ij-cr, 
heat  and  cold  intensi-i-,  and  colors  hri^^htei-.  Ahiio^t 
all  the  territi.iy  at  first  occuj»i>  I  hy  the  SpaniartU  lay 
within  the  tropics,  with  hK-'h  iiit«'rior  plateaux;  and 
it  was  on  these  tahle  lands,  raised  fioni  miasmatic 
junules  into  cold  ethereal  iiel'^hts,  that  aliori;4inal  ci\  il- 
i/atlon  aw<>k(.'  to  consciousness.  There,  t.io,  th-* 
colonist  was  suddenly  freed  from  twent\-  c.  ntinies  »tf 
coi,venti(tnalisms,  many  of  them  so  holI..w  an<l  sisper- 
stitious  as  should  make  mankind  hhish  fir  e\  er  I.a\  ia-r 
practised  them,  and  some  of  which  are  unfortunati  !v 
'ontinued  to  this  day  ui  l!uropi',  and  foolishly  c«  |  ied 
m  America;  hut  now  tlie  colonist  was  free  in  so  far 
as  he  Would  he  free   of  wldch  priceless  privilege  sonio 


i     iil 


!  ii  :i 


76 


COLONIAL  rOUCY   OF  SPAIN. 


advanta;jf('  was  taken,  though  not  nearly  cnou<;li.  Now 
the  c'Dliesions  < if  societies  niijjfht  Ix;  estahlislied  on  new 
hases.  The  Spaniard  niiglit  hve  in  lordly  ease  and 
independence  anii<lst  the  si-rt's  and  cattle  of  his  vast 
estate,  and  the  Kn;j;lishinaii  njiijht  sin<;  ])sahMs.  hurn 
witches,  and  indulge  in  eni[>ire-l)uildin<jf  after  his 
liishion. 

It  was  a  ])aradise  of  lici'jjsc^  and  sensual  enjoyment 
the  Spaniards  sought,  and  hei'e  tlu-y  found  all  that 
their  wildest  iancy  had  picture«l.  (iold  was  the  first 
and  more  inun«'diate  aj^eiicy  t<>  this  acconijdishnient ; 
and  so  having  sUiinnied  the  placi-rs  they  sat  down  to 
centuries  (»f  day-di'eanis.  The  slowrr,  surer  road  to 
()j)ulence  was  disdained  at  the  heginning,  hut  with  a 
little  gold  wherewith  to  sto<k  nuith  land  and  huy 
many  vassals,  the  aim  of  life  was  accomplished.  Tin 
first  coni|Uerors  were  dissatisfied  when  all  was  gi\«  u 
tluin,  grants  of  land,  and  lahorers,  and  sto«-k;  tin  n 
th«y  cried  alone  for  gt>ld.  The  Spanish  system  of  le- 
jtarlimientos  which  in\ol\rd  a  di\ision  of  tlu"  natives 
with  a  dl\  ision  of  the  land,  and  was  so  highly  estrcnnd 
in  after  yeajs,  appeared  at  first  to  many  as  a  traji  to 
catch  th«!  simple.  Some  accejited  tlu"  oiler  (»f  the  hr- 
nign  nionnr<h,  anil  with  their  natives  they  gatlu  red 
the  <;old  from  their  lands,  or  cut  the  dye-woods,  aftei- 
wjiicli  they  planted  sugai'cane  brought  from  tlie 
( 'anaries,  or  al)andone<l  their  plantation  and  went  haek 
tt»  Spain. 

Jt  would  se«'m  that  thi^  shouM  he  the  last  place  on 
earth,  and  these  the  conditions  least  favorahle,  tor  en- 
gtiidering  class  ditferences;  and  yet,  seldom  has  this 
ilummeiv  heeii  cai'ried  to  a  greater  extent  than  ln're, 
where  were  litteiH'd  <lroves  of  mongrels,  half  and 
(juarter  hi'ceils,  eightlis  and  sixteenths,  the  hlue  hhrnd 
of  Spain  mingle<l  with  the  tawny  hlood  of  .Vmerii.i 
and  the  hiaek  hlood  of  AlVica,  until  almost  all  trat'eot 
it  was  lost,  and  the  stream  was  made  turgid  hy  thesf 
int<  rmixtures,  to  the  ultimate  decadence  (tf  all  cot  ■ 
cevned.      Jt  is  said  that  in  South  ( 'ai'olina,  Jamaica, 


SOCIETY. 


77 


nufjh.  Nov: 
<lu'(l  oil  now 
Iv  oJisi'  and 
t)f  liis  vast 
)saliMS,  Ituiii 
i:f    al'ttT    liis 

I  cnjoynniit 
Hid  all  tliat 
A' as  tlu'  Hist 
in]>lis1ini(-nt; 
Silt  down  to 
iror  I'oail  to 
,  ))ut  with  ti 
nd  and  Imv 
lishi-d.     TIh 

II  was  j^'iviii 
stork;  tli«ii 

^vstcni  of  i«'- 
i'  tho  nativt  > 

dv  ('StcollK'd 

as  a  tia|»  to 
<.r  111.'  Ik- 
s' yatlu  red 
woods,  al'ti  r 
IVolM     tlif 
I  WiMlt  liark 

last  jtlarc  on 
Mr,  tor  iii- 
>ni  lias  thi'^ 

tlian  lion  , 
,    hair   and 

hlut;  blood 
»f  Anu'i'ii'i 

all  tract;  ot 

id  l»y  tlu'sf 

of  all   <'oi.- 

a,  Janiaiiu, 


and  Java,  thr  mulatto  cannot  lonij  reproduce  itself, 
whih-'  in  Florida,  Mc\i<'o,  and  Central  America  there 
is  no  ditliculty  in  so  doiii;;.  lint  it  is  not  iieces.sary 
to  d'sccnd  to  tln'so  lowest  depths  for  class  divis- 
\i>\\>.  The  creolis,  as  tin-  otl'sprinj;  of  Europeans  born 
ill  America  were  called,  thouij^h  descendants  of  tho 
(■iiiii|iiir<»js.  and  jireser\  iii'^  in  their  veins  the  best 
hloud  of  .SjKiin  iiiitaiiited,  were  in  many  instances  by 
],(W  d«  Lfi'iided,  and  made  inferior  to  those  shiftless 
(•li,i|iit.iiics  who  had  li\ed  in  idleness  at  home.  \\'hat 
j(n|i(\  i-oiiid  be  more  suicidal  than  this,  which  in  etlect 
drbariid  those  cntitlid  liy  their  enterprise  to  the  most 
)inii<. table  positions  tVoiii  any  but  a  scanty  lot  in  tin.; 
institutions  of  the  c<»uiitry,  and  made  them  by  virtue 
of  iliiir  devotion  wellnii^h  ostra«-i/,ed.  In  the  distri- 
biiliiiii  of  lands  and  natives,  the  coiuiuerors  and  their 
descendants  Were  sUp|ios(d  to  be  t'avore«l  before  all 
"ifheis.  i>ut  men  from  S|iaiii  must  manage  the  oovern- 
iihiit  !  institutions  ot' the  e(tmitry.  Thus  de^^raded 
and  Ii  '  '.  indolence  and  listless  and  luxui'ions  indiil- 
'^eiice,  they  sank  into  the  strange  jiosition  of  wealthy 
J  iiid  respected  liumaii  beings,  ha\iiii^  bonus  but  no 
ciiniitry,  lia\  inn'  ackiinwledi^rcd  rights  but  no  voice  in 
111"  ii"  vindication  ;  thev  were  I.ikIs  nf  laiid-^  ami  vas-als, 
ai.d  yet  the  most  impotent  t»f  mankiml.  Thus  w.is 
engendered  hate  between  classes  which  subsecpieiitly 
la|ist  d  into  chnmic  ci\il  wais. 

Attempts  lia\c  been  ni;ide  to  classify  these  several 

C-astrS,   tiioUoJi    wilhnnl     |tronoUlU'ed   SUece->S.         il.tbelt- 

siiii  places  first  the  chapetones,  or  old  ( "bristian.-,  un- 
tainted by  Jewish  or  Mojiaimnedan  blood;  s<-coiid, 
crcfil.s;  third,  mulattoes  and  inesti/os,  the  former  the 
otlsprinu:  of  an  African  and   Miiropejui.  and   the  latter 


an 


inericaii  and   Kurojieaii ;  ami  la 


llyl 


idians  an* 


11' u roes  unadulterated.  MarriaLTc  with  the  natives 
was  t  iicouniLred  by  the  l;o\  ermiient,  but  few  of  their 
CO  iiiections    Were    ratified    bv    nnv    holier   sentiment 


tlian    lust.     Tl 


leie     \\;i-,    one     oldv     '.^reat     li'Velhr    of 


rank,  the   church.      Tor<piemada   .says   that   on    Sun- 


W  fOI.ONIAL  POUrV  OF  viwiy. 

days  ami  foast  days  the  geiitliiiiaii  cuukl  not  bo  dls- 
liiigulslifd  iVoiii  tlio  ulflioian,  or  tin;  kniy;lit  from  the 
sijuire,  all  di-<-N.siii^  a!ll;e  in  rlt-li  garments.  And  yet 
(idorcs  and  liio'li  <iiL;nilarirs  would  ilL^litoNt  r  iilaccand 
tlie  position  ot"  their  t-liair  at  cliurcli  as  (juidcly  and  us 
licrt-cly  as  over  |»olitit'al  prt'rrn'ncc. 

Where  tlie  altorij^inul  in]ial)itants  Were  essentially 
extir[>ated,  indtpendcnt  nations  of  tluj  deseendants  of 
]'iUropeans  spranLf  uj>:  j»rotrctive  interference  with 
le^ard  to  the  nati\cs,  in  any  eonsidi  lahle  extent,  is 
i'ound  only  wlu-re  the  liair-<-ivili/.»'d  existed'  in  h\u\i 
numbers  as  to  render  it  iiMpraeticalde  to  tea(  h  or  tor- 
ture them  to  death. 

Teutiinie  Anieiie.i  ha>:  Met  !)  sutlieienlly  curbed  by 
its  al>sor|»tion  «.f  the  (ii'e_ns  of  l^ui'ope;  hill,  it  has  ln-ei! 
still  worsi-  with  Latin  Ameriea,  wliose  invadi-rs  thus 
mixed  with  their  l.lood  that  of  the  Indian  and  Afi"ieaii 
to  su<h  an  ixtrnt  us  to  ]>roduce  a  )non!4'rel  ]>oj)uhi- 
lioii  iuferifU'  to  any  (|e<ide|  tyj»e.  A\"ith  the  examii'ie 
of  Clillt^  beiore  them,  however,  tlie  Spanish  and  IN'r- 
tu'^uesc  in  Anieriea  need  n(»t  des)>airof  ai)j>roaehin';' 
the  SJiccess  aehieved  bv  the  Iju'liNli.  \t  all  events, 
tho  hyi'othesis  of  ]  huulioldt  and  ileuil,  in  \,  u;ue  /il'ly 
years  ai^o,  that  ail  the  Spanish  ('ohdiies  in  ^Vnuriea 
Would  he  in  tiitie  overthrown  and  subordinated  bv  the 
^J'eutonie  ia.ee,  antl  that  the  i^nat  republic  ihenc*^  aris- 
in-jf  would  fall  in  piec<'s  by  its  owji  wi'i^drt,  seems  now 
le^s  likely  to  pn»ve  true.  Thinkiisef  Americans  aiv 
satisfied  with  the  extent  of  their  doniain;  it  is  only 
eandthrs  in  mines,  land  speculators,  and  denia]^o^ues 
Avho  Would  now  and  then  creatt  a  st  nsatieu  liv  crvin'' 
U[i  some  injury,  only  tt>  hv.  atomd  by  a  cession  of  to- 
ri tor  v. 

Kven  though  soiut!  of  the  Sj)anish-uVnicrican  states 
are  not  so  lar  adsaaced  in  iidture  and  sti(ii;.^th  as 
their  Kuntp'  an  jirinioi^enitoi-.  tiiey  uro  for  the  mo.-t 
jMirt  intellii^i'nt  and  stron^j  enou'^h  to  have  put  oii 
indi'pendetice,  and  to  manliest  ti  desire  i'^v  pr«iL;it>. 
It  i.s  now  eonc"<.led.  by  those  best  able  to  juuge  tli;>i- 


■I 


not  bo  tlls- 
lit  IVoni  tlio 
i.  And  y<t 
,(  r  iil.u'o  uiul 
ilcklv  uud  !i> 

V.  cssoniially 
sceiuliuits  of 
'crencu  witli 
(Ic  (xieiit,  is 
;trd  in  sn<  li 
i(!a(  !i  or  toi 

Iv  furst'd  iiv 

t  it  lias  \)vr\\ 

iivadors  tlius 

tand  AfVicJUi 

\<fu\    |>(ipill;i- 

tiiti  exaiiilil'' 

Ish  and  I'or- 

apju/oat'liinu' 

.t  all  evoius. 

1 1  v-.u'ur  fiuv 

in  AnuTii:i 

iiati^d  l»y  tl  < 

lliciK'i'  aris- 

scrnis  now 


Ucl'U  JUIS    i 


llv 


it  IS  onlv 


iliUiaj^onuis 

«;i  liv  orvin'4 

|'s.«;ion  of  t<'t'- 


•jican  .stati's 
sti«'M;.!;tli  as 
.!•  tlif   ino>t 


i;"\'(> 


1 


lit  oil 


.|-    |)ru;4ic 


CHURCH   AND  CLKUCJY.  79 

l!ic  dirurcnfo  in  tlie  results  of  Latin  and  Toulonic 
c.ildiiial  attciiijtts  in  America  is  as  niudi  «lu».'  to  a  dif- 
f.  I't'iKT'  of  national  lirnt  and  honif  inllufncc  as  of  lai-o. 
Tin'  Sjtanisli  c(.I(inists  jiad  beou  un<l<r  the  strictest 
ji'dltieal  ccclesiasiieal  restraint  at  home;  and  l>e((iio 
ai  l.iiviii'^  [lolitieal  independenet;  tliey  had  to  enianci- 
jite  their  niinils,  wliile  tlio  I'ni^lish  threw  oil' in  some 
<i  free  their  intellectual  fetters  before  sailiiii;"  lor 
Anu  rica. 

The    Spaniards  in    Mexico  and    Central    .Vnieriea 

w I  re  after  all   not  so  nnu-h  colonists  us  eon«|nei'or-.. 

in   the  ahseiiee  of  auv  ennobliiiij^   idta  or    j>rin<i|i!e, 

Mjrii  as  t-entrali/.ed  and  ai^-dntinated  the  eH'orts  of  the 

i'urltaiis  till   the   shores  of  Xew  Kn^land,  they  \vti-«.> 

!  :t  to  the  full  indul'jencc  of  their  lust,  and  so  iii;;;;n 

(o  den-em-rato  the  moment  tlnv  laid  down  th.  ir  artns. 

To  rule  the  aboriu'inals,   holditi'^    their  sons  as  m  r,"s 

and  their  <ia,n;^htei's  as  concubines  whih;   fa-;ti'nin;^  on 

tli-:n  theii-  laws  and  their  religion,  to  j^aiiier  weahli 

ami   h\e  at  ea^e,  W(  I'e  amon!.=;  the  hi^'hest  asp'rutions 

o|'  the  successors  of  t!i«!  con<jU<'rors;   hence  with   tin; 

Very  bi  ^inuinu'"  of  their  social  strneinie  a  ilryrot  set 

in,  which  mi'iilieil  t!ie  tU'ects  of  the  many  jiro'i-is- 

sjiiiial  stinmlants  by  which  they  wi'i'c  surrounded, 

IJlood  admixturi's  with  the  Aztecs,  a  soft  (Tunatt.'  or 
•  heaniy  atmttsjiheii'.  or  i^xternal  operations,  siieh  as  the 
encroaehments  and  ahscrbiniLj  inlluence  of  ihe  Knitcil 
States,  have  had  but  a  shai'e  in  the  de^'i'iieiacv  of  the 
Spaniards  in  Mexico,  (jiii.vous  blame  falls  (.n  thee>!d 
institutions  of  Spain  tiansplante<l  to  a  rich  and  virgin 
soil,  in  whitli  tiuy  Lcrew  riotous  at  first,  and  then  tMl 
into  deeay,  an«l  in  wluise  manamment  those  mo>.t  inter- 
este«l  Were  not  jiermitted  to  take  jtart;  chri  tianity 
piopa'^ated  at  the  ]...iiit  of  the  sw.nd,  and  Wialth 
amnnulated    by   injustice    and  cruelty;    (»ne    part   of 

»e(y  iuttened    to    ,rr<»ssness    hy  tin;    abasement  of 


.tl 


mother  iia 


lit. 


umI  wii.iermu"  restrictions  upon  all  jno- 


Mris^s— these  are  not  the  methods  fir  the  attainment  ot 


nio'je 


that 


the  hi«,diest  culture.      The  pi-imary  power  in    M.'xic 


o 


WT 


iiii 


ill  ^ 


'8 

, 

W  COLONIAL  POLICY  OF  SPAIN. 

until  Into  luis  been  tlio  s\vor<l;  aftrr  tluit  tlio  cliurcli; 
tlio  jH'opKi  Iwive  Ikm'ii  little  Ix'ttor  than  siri's.  At  one 
time  tlic  clcriLry,  wIumu  wo  will  next  nunc  particularly 
(•<»nsi(lrr,  htsidi'S  their  tithes  hekl  one  half  tlie  landi  d 
})ii»|>tity  id'  Mexico.  But  n<»w  war  and  reliorion  are 
•^iviii'^'  way  in  stune  meaauro  to  the  arts  of  peace  and 
liealthy  deNelopment. 

Thf  cliisivl'.,  I  Hfiy,  ruled  with  a  strf)ni;'  hand  tlu 
infant  eiMonies.  Ecclesiastics  wi'ie  weiconud  to  the 
New  V\  (»rld,  and  by  the  time  tlie  settler  arrived  his 
sj>iiitual  ruler  was  ready  for  him.  Kcclesiustieal  !l,^ov- 
trnniei't  was  estahlished  in  America  under  forms  an<l 
dt'Ljrees  similar  to  those  in  Spain;  archhishojts,  l»islioj;s, 
deans,  and  jninor  cler:Liynien,  amon^'  whom  were  the 
curair,  'An<  doetrinero,  and  the  mi.ssionarv.  Fr(»m  the 
poj)e  the  kin!4'  re«-eived  full  privileges  with  rejjfard  ti* 
the  external  polity  of  the  ehurcli  in  America.  The 
hierarchy  in  the  N^w  W(nld  was  as  iniposinij;  as  in 
Spain;  its  inlhienee  was  as  yreat.  TIk'  revenues  ol 
tiie  ej.  i;^y  were  lar^i',  and  their  estahli.-'hments  e\- 
pensi\e.  Anioni;"  the  e;i.rly  ads  of  |'\rdinand  was  thi' 
huiidinu-.  at  ids  own  cost,  ot"  the  cathedral  eluii«h  at 
Siinto  I  )iimin!4o,  and  eharnin^'  llif  prtlatrs  to  cxt  reiM' 
extra'  'liiiitry  diliu;«'nce,  "that  thi-  devil  miulit  no  more 
i>revad  111  the  Indies."  The  prelates  should  look  w»  11 
Vt  the  >«ul»«»rdinate  clerii'V,  and  chastise  otliiult  is. 
HeretW's,  Jews,  an<l  Moliannnedans,  if  any  crept  in, 
should  !••■  exterminated,  that  the  church  mi^ht  not  he 
seandalizfd  ainon<^  the  natives.  \v)  eltruyman  nd^iit 
j/o  to  tin-  Indies  without  a  litcnse.  i'^riars  were  fur 
nished   with   a  free  paswi^e   imd   provisions,   an<l   on 

arrival  they  were  under   the  s[ieeial    J)l'(»ti'Ction  of  the 

j;<»v«rnor,  who  was  to  see  that  the  clert^y  p<  rlornn  d 
thrir  «luty  m  the  bond  of  peace.  IMate  for  ser\i'i' 
passed  free  ut'  dutv. 

Xotluni^  Mas  to  interfere  with  th*'  huildin;,^  of 
t'hur<-hcs,  th.e  clerLjy  had  y^round  ^iven  th-ni  a}>arl; 
from  the  lait\',  and  it  \\as  forbidden  to  lavanv  impo-i 


EFFECT  OF  IllTUAL. 


ho  cliurcli; 
s.  At  Olio 
particularly 
the  landt  «l 
rolij^iou  nr*- 
t'  peace  uhd 

[f   liand   tilt 
\nvd  t«>  the 

arrivod  his 
iuisticnl  ;4<>v- 
■V  tonus  ami 
(t]»s,  l»ishu|<s, 
)m  %\vro  tilt; 
From  tin- 
til  regard  ti* 
ui'vitii.  'Ill'' 
ij»(»siu;^  as  in 

rrvoiuus  <'l 

.vlillirlltS    C\- 

i;ui<l  was  tlu' 
il  cliurth  at 
s  to  l•^^•rci^<■ 
iojit  ]i<»  nit'i' 
il<|  l(t..k  \vi  11 
e    otU'i»«lt  i>. 
|»iiy  cn-jit   III, 
ui;^lit  n>>t  1" 
viuaii  luiiili'' 
ii'S  wtTc  t'ur 
lotis.   ami   "il 
ctiun  t>r  til'' 
y  jM  ii<>r»i»<  il 
for  Hcrvi'  • 

ImiMln;,!;  "^ 
ih'.iii  iH>art, 
any  iiiil'"'i 


tl<»ns  iii)f)n  tlicm.     They  ini<iht  accuniulato  property, 

jiiid  disjioso  of  it  l>y  will.  When  ii<»  prolate  was 
i..'es.  nt  to  take  eharji^oofa  iieWchiireli  that  was  huilt, 
the  kind's  tnasurer  should  attend  t>  ))ayinents.  In 
til.  ir  resj>eetivo  districts,  pn-lateswcro  t  tact  as  in<|ui.i- 
itors;  and  neither  f^Mvernors  n<ir  secular  jud;j;es  nui^d.t 
int-rl*  re  in  mutters  l)elon;j;Inj^  to  this  sacred  enj^inery. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  was  onhiinetl  tliat  i>relates 
shnul  I  Ji"t  meildlo  in  secular  atlairs;  they  slioidd  visit 
the  Indians  of  their  jurisilietiou  at  hast  once  a  year. 
Tlit'V  slioidil  not  enjpl'iy  ee<  lesiastieal  <'ensur«'s  f*  r 
li'iht.  nlK-nees,  nor  lay  pecuniary  fines  up(»n  the  natives. 
I'l  i'-.«ns  dyinj,'  nuL'ht  chooso  tin  ir  l)Urial-]>laee,  jiru- 
vid.  il  it.  Mas  consei-rated  jjfround.  Friars  n»u>t  not 
j>i'->s  >!Jv  persons  to  leave  thoiu  le^^acies.  Children 
iif  iiiHi'tls  must  he  haptized;  Indiatis  a.nd  ne!Lj;roes 
I'lii^t  attend  church.  Jndians  were  not  to  pay  for 
iiiarria'j,rs  or  fani'Tals. 

Jjy  apostolie  anthority,  and  under  the  text  that  to 
us  are  i^i  Veil  theheatlun  for  an  inlieritaniM-,  tho  clor}.(y 
were  jtfnnitted  to  do  much  as  tla-y  j>lea„sed  with  the 


Indians,  thoU'di   under  strict  l.iW: 


To   tl 


lest,' 


llt>\V 


i\er,  they  tVe«|ueiitly  paid  litthi  attention.  I  have 
seen  it  stated  that  their  s^'stein  of  prescripts  was 
carried  so  far  that  tlav  iv'inindctl  tlieir  converts, 
amoii'L^  t)ther  thinj^s,  of  their  inatrinnmial  thities  at 
niidni-lit,  l)y  means  of  a  hell  I  Filars  wi-it;  allowed 
vtiy  liberty  to  <ui  from  jilace  t<»  jdace  to  preach   the 


t^ospel.  Tlu^y  mi;4;ht  not  he  imnished  l»y  secular 
l»o\vtr,  hut  if  dt,rnii|iient  must  he  turned  <»ver  ti>  their 
superiors.  Franciscan  monast<Ties  must  he  at  least 
fi\e  le.M'jjues  apart. 

When  We  cinisidcr  the  ])ower  of  the  Ivoinaii  rihj.il 
over  tho  imai^ination  even  of  the  most  enlii;hl«ii<d 
Fun))»eui;s,  wt;  may  possihly  etmceive  something.'  tA' 
the  ellect  vipon  tho  Ameiicans.  Ther»5  is  somethirj^ 
ivmark.iblc  in  it«  mohility  ti>  adapt  itself  to  ev»  ly 
•  hatacter  and  cI{v.sh,  to  tvcry  climatt!  ami  condition. 
AiKI  to  thi^  ])ower  of  forms  tho  pt>wer  ttf  proj)erty,  tho 


Cai,.  V.\sr.,  Vol.  I.    6 


COLOXIAL   POUCV   OF  ^V\lS. 


il^ 


^,1 


I  1 


ji  iwi  r  (•!'  cx.iMipl"',  iiiid  tilt'  ]Mi\\(r  ut'  liiV'  and  tloatli. 
aiil  tlitrc  was  iinthiiiu;'  left  t(»  thr  native  but  bliml 
>ulmiissi(iii.  And  it  is  wondci't'ul  li<>\v  stiuni^  is  tlir 
(•.'tlxtiic  t'liuich  t<t-da\  :  with  tin- |»:i|)a(.-y  an  al»-.tra<ti<iii 
ratlit'i-  tlian  a  rcility:   with  tiir  rhiirt'h  itsi  It"  a  society 

•  tt*  in<h\  iduais  and  not  a  ^oNcrninciit,  and  nut  as  it 
lias  ln'cn  hy  sciiisins  and  cfintfnvcrsicg — ii  is  stroii'^-  r 
]M-i-]ia|)S  tlian  Muhannni'd.in'sni  and  J>ud<llii>in,  wliii  h 
l"i>r  the  most  jKiit  ha\rh'Id  thrcNfii  t.  nor  of  tinir 
way,  Shiito  and  Suiniitcs  to  the  ronfi;iry  notwitli- 
standin^.  And  \tt  all  w.is  not  sctcui'  in  rt-jard  t  • 
the  temporal  alliiiis  of  thtsr  holy  m<'U  who  hail  ihl'ow  i 
<  tl'all  woildlimss.  ( )\\{'  wonlil  almost  take  tin*  l»isho|i-; 
for  nii-n  of  1m  li;d  whm  one  saw  tlniii  <li-|'Miin'4  ahour 

•  •ni-aiics  and  eiiiohinirnts.  And  thtsc  fen'-^  wi|-<'  cuv- 
n-nt,  not  only  httwirn  the  secular  cltiiry  and  oj»[»o>iii  ,f 
religious  oi'di -IS,  hnt  anioni,^  Krethnu  of  the  saniu-  ordi  r 
fitr  provincial  or'  ronMntual  oljice-;  of  honor  Tln-s.- 
di-|iutes  lasted  many  years,  |iarticMiiirly  a>  to  tin' 
imldin'^  of  snch  ollices  hy  S|ianiards.  '_;;irl.u|ii!ies,  or 
Creoles.  ;i!l  to  tile  infinite  dis'^ii>t  of  jiope  .ind  kin;.^",  ii 
whom  ap[>(  als  wer<'  constantly  l»einij  made. 

l'!cccntric  a-i  we  nil  know  socic  tv  to  he,  wecan  harliv 
r<  alize   tlu^  coiillictin;j,'  ahsurdities   which   the   hum.i  i 
mind  is  cap;d»le  of  cntertaininLj.      ^^  e  punish   miii'  ; 
misd*  incaiiois  iind   let  ;4o  j^m i  .-it  crimes;  we  jter^^ecii' 
and  kill  in  tin-  name  and  for  the  sake  of  tin*  pea<-e  <  i 
(  hrist;    we   eiif.ipce  the   "gentle   jireeepts  of  a  <ien?! 
faith  at  the   point  of  the  hay(»net ;  then   wc  fpLiii   i 
ainoU'.^  ourseKes.  an<l   straiLrhtway  oivJmi/.e  and  ai:.i. 
«li\  ide  and  ti^ht,  ( 'iiiistiiins  meanwhde  jira\  in;.;,  not  i  r 
their  en<inies,  nor  f  n*  the  rijj^ht,  hut  each  f«»r  th    r 
respective   side.      Hnt    hhssed    be   war;    elst;   Klior''. 
there  should   not  he  standing-room  (»n  this  planet  !  i 
the  wise  men  such  t'nli^htemneiit  woidd  eu'cnderl 

Little  is  to  l)«!  said  of  the  elfeet  of  Spanish  coloni/.i 
tioii   on   tilt;   n.-itives  of  the   New  World,     Swift   \^  «' 
their  departure  upon  llie  ap[Mo;i(h  of  the  Juii-ope;iii-. 


•  aiul  doatli. 
>i'  Wut  bliii'l 
tmii'^  is  til' 
I)  ;il»>trarti«>ii 
it  It*  a  MM-icfy 
ul  r«'Ut  as  it 
it  is  stitin-j;'  1" 
ill,i>ii»,  Nvhi'  li 
I  iii»r  <»f  tii'ir 
•jirv  ii.ttwitli- 
in   rc'jatd   t  • 
()  lijul  lliiow  . 
;c  tlif  l»i>!i"|'' 
-|.iuiii;j:  alx'i'.t 
'Uils  Win-  cur- 

•    ;,|„1   (.J»l»Osill  ,' 

In-  saiiuj  or«l'  r 
iMiior  lli'>'' 
•ly  a-,  to  tli  ■ 
fat  i.u|»ii»«'S.  "V 
!•  and  kinu".  '  ' 

w  .ran  liar  liV 
till'   liuiii;!  1 

j.Ulllr>ll    ini'i'T 

till'  |»<ace  •  t 

of  a  <,m«mt1  ■ 

u   \vf  «|uaii  I 

ni/.f  au«l  ariii. 

ia\  iii;j.  U'lt  !  r 

■a.-h  V'T   til    1 

;    «ls«'   slior'^'' 

iiu't  t-r 


Ur 


;liis  i»li 
tii'.rfiK 
uiish  <'i>l< 
il.     Suiit 


HI   ':i- 


\^   r 


IK' 


»r;i; 


XATIVr   TiAfTS.  tt 

:iii(|  (1. unliable  ilic  Avay  of  it.  The  <iisl.jV(<nion(s,  tlis- 
«  IMS,  and  ivlii;i(»u  <.t'  l'^uro|M'an  civilization  jiastoiiid 
to  <-oiii[>loto  tlif  woik  ltcM;ini  liv  tilt'  s\vt)r(!.  Some  few 
<  t"  thf  wild  triltts  iidiahitliiv^^  uiiwliolf.sttnio  lowlands 
w.  jvKitl  uniiit>K'.stftl.  Tlioct»u(|ut'rorsot'act>iiunuiiity 
t  itiur  ul>sorl»or  are  al)'sorln'd  by  the  roiujucicd.  ^Plif 
<;vi]i/atioii  oCtlio  Xaliuas  aiitl  ^Favas  not  lioiiH' striMiLT 
«-,i(tii^]i,  likt!  tilt!  (Irccian,  to  take  captive  its  oontiuci- 
o;s,  Was  nicrL,^'<l  into  tli<irs,  ti>  tlic  debasement  tf 
Tlio  nati\ts  wii-e  not  in  (lie  eyes  «  t"  tlicir  coii- 
rs  like  Christian  liat-Ucar' rs.oi*  lui-bain-d  inlidcl;, ; 
rt  ol"  raw  matt  rial   I'or  cliristianitv  to 


i«  it  II. 

tjUi  ro 

tat  \    Wfl'tj   a   so 


W(.|  k 


Upon,  witiit»nt  need  t)t  cxcrcisiiiL,^  any  Imnianc 
eitnioiny  in  the  use  of  it.  The  eliect  was  to  cri  ale  in 
t!ie  hreasts  tit'  th(>  weaker  race  wants,  such  us  beliefs, 


■lotl 


les,  and 


braiiil 


Its,  wliert  iiv  eould  i>t!  sown  civiliza 


1  b 


ili 


tioii  s  tiiseasi's,   so 


that 


ci\  ili/atioii  s  (Inr^s  nii; 


fht 


!»<> 


sold,  spiritual  ainl  tenii>oral.  Xot  all  of  these  wants, 
houeser,  w'er(!  pennitted  gratification;  instam-e  the 
reLi'uIatioiis  ibrbitldini^  natisfs  to  ridc^  on  horseback, 
.mil  u  iihholding  the  white  man '^  privile^-e  ot'  keepinLf 
nn>tr(!sscs. 

ThoUsanils  perished  whili>  attcinllii;^  the  Spaniards 


uuniiL;"   tlieir  tontpiests  and  civd   wai 


li 


ow    niaiiv 


ha-:  \'asco  Nuhe/  to  answer  Ibr  ?  how  many  ('lUtes' 
liou  many  I'izai'rti  the  Infanitius?  In  the  iniiies  of 
the  mountains  perished  many,  ini'ler  the  haiil  labor  ti 


lie  CO 


hi. 


wiiicU  tl ley  Were  unaccus'.oiiieii,  and  lieltin 
p'lietratini^  air  that  strmk  with  fatal  chills  their 
enti\a(ed  frames,  so  sudtleiily  foiced  fVom  their  wai'm, 
Miiiny  vales.  Hut  by  I'ar  the  trnviter  part  >iiiiply  dis- 
ap[»eared.  |*'or  in  whatsoevei'  e;aib  t!ie  llurojiean 
stiani;er  appi-oached  them,  whether  as  pilferer,  priest. 


Ol' 


peltry 


man, 


■  IS 


reselice    was    (liutlU 


Ih 


I- 


lliopeail 


plet\  was  little  It  Ns  pestilential  than  European  ;uai-i« 
iJoth  ill  ueeordetl  with  tin;  native,  rei^inie;  both  eii^en- 
deii'd  disi'ase,  struck  down  stalwart  warriors,  swept 
tl  


Iioll 


J^aiids  limn  the  i-arth  with  a  rapiility  and  certainty 
nnattaliiahle  by  steel  and  gunpowder. 


m 


'k  1 


ia 


H  roLoxTAL  roLirv  of  spaix. 

AVlu'ii  the iUir runiinoiit  of  Nortli  Amtrica  lay  rowl- 
liii}^  ill  juimoval  plenty,  U|"»ii  its  wcHtmi  half  al<>in',  il' 
we  iiielude  ull  <»t  Mtfxico  and  Cmtial  America,  dwdt 
inure  than  mix  huiulred  tuitions,  tril«H,  or  |»conl»'8, 
spcakinjjf  more  than  six  hiUKlrrd  lan<;;na^eH  or  dialects 
of  laii<^uan;(s.  Jiefoie  the  JOun»itean  came  with  his 
superior  arms,  his  Kte<l,  saltprtre,  pri.Hts,  and  bh)o<l- 
ln»unilH,  his  stianjjfe  diseases,  hin  stranj^er  lusts,  his  lovc 
ot  j4old  and  (jl<»d  and  ;;lory,  wherein  were  woes  uii- 
nuiiilM'ted  heaped  on  men  whose  only  crime  against  their 
tormentors  was  in  liviiiji;  where  their  creator  had  placed 
them,  and  btrikinj;  now  and  tiieii  a  feehle  blow  in  de- 
fence of  their  homes — before  that  time  the  place  was 
heaven  as  compared  with  wliat  it  has  rvi-r  been  simc 
'I'iiesc  bcintrs  lifte  ifsidiiig  were  not  the  beastly  thiiii^s 
they  liave  lu'cn  painted.  They  w«re  human,  and  nean  r 
ourst'lv<'S  in  their  nature  and  their  thou«jhts  than  maiiv 
lia\r  supjtosed.  In  (hem  were  the  s;iiiie  likes  and  dis- 
likes, the  same  aspirations  and  |iassions,  the  saiiic 
mixture  of  pride,  avarice,  credulity,  ami  sus[»ition,  dl' 
aitlessness,  shrt-wdness,  trustfulness,  and  treachery, 
fouml  in  all  humanity.  With  natural  quickiu'ss  nl" 
perception  they  united  cl»»se  reasiming  powers;  with 
diLjnitied  melancholv,  a  fondness  for  ornament  and  dis- 
play  Under  whatsoever  sun,  within  whatsoever  wnip- 
pinjjfs  of  tlesh  or  environment,  human  nature  is  no  le>s 
individual  than  wondert'ul. 


It 


IS  a  sad 


I    tall 


)r«'se 


nted 


m  any 


of  its  phast 


AVhatever  the  primitive  process  of  obtaining  f<"»d,  it 
was  much  more  easy  and  certain  than  ever  afterward. 
If  the  implements  used  by  tiie  wilder  tribes  in  the 
capture  of  animals  for  fo()d  and  clothiin;  were  less  ef- 
fi'ctual,  animals  were  less  wild  and  more  easily  cap- 
tured. Invention  sprinj^a  from  necessity,  and  wh<  u 
the  necessity  which  call(>d  forth  the  invention  ceast s, 
the  jiro}.(ress  madt!  in  that  direction  is  soon  lost.  (Mm- 
of  the  greatest  hanlships  imposed  upon  tiie  nativ<  s, 
particularly  toward  the  north,  was  despoiling  tin  ir 
country  of  game,  and  leaving  nothing  wherewitii  '<• 


AMERICANS  AND  EUROPEANS. 


ca  luv  rovil- 
lalf  ttl<»ni',  u 
itTica,  dwilt 

or  |)C<)|»1«'8, 
M  or  iliali-'t'ts 
lie  with  his 
,  uiul  bhxMl- 
ustsi,  hish>vr 
ro  WOC8  uu- 
ttgaiiist  their 
)rhacl  placed 
•  blow  in  dv- 
he  place  was 
■r  been  bin*'', 
.eastly  things 
m,  aiul  Heart  r 
,ts  than  nuuiy 
likes  antl  •lis- 
iis,   tlie    wuiii' 

sus[>iei»m,  ol 
tl    treachery . 

(|uiekn»'SH  »>t 
[Kiwern;  witli 
iiu-nt  aiul  dis- 

[soevcrwrap 
Lure  in  «u>  h'>^ 

|f   its  phases 

t"lM»<l.    it. 

«r  afterwai'l. 

tin- 


[.ribes  in 
less 


were 


fi- 


|-o  easily  ('»!'- 
and  wh«  a 
'ijtion  eeasrs, 
Jiu  l<»st.  <>'"' 
|i  till'  iiativ>  H, 


sustain  life.  Wild  un'U  eaiuint  snddcidy  cluintjr  ilieir 
lahits,  and  dt-rive  subsiHteiur  fn»ni  nrw  sources. 
Many  of  the  f'lir-liuntrrs  supplied  tin-  natives  with 
\v<  ajioiis  superior  to  tluir  own  for  the  purpose  of  kiil- 
iuLT  fur-ixarini;  animals,  and  then  as  jranie  became 
Hiucc  left  them  without  amnuinition.  It  lias  l»ceii 
rlaiincd  tor  the  Spaniards  that  the  conquest  stopped 
thr  lionihh'  sacriti<«'  ot'hnman  biinixs  which  was  eliock- 
iii.:  tlic  ^rowtli  of  ])opuh»tion ;  but  how  niui'h  «.M'owth 
of  jtu|iidation  di«l  tiie  Spaniaids  check  witii  their  fiie- 
l.Mk-and  swords^  As  thotii^li  the  j^rowth  of  native 
Aim  rican  populations  was  a  matter  of  su<'h  vast  con- 
4  c  111  to  KuropiansI  And  how  many  human  hves  did 
S|Mi!i  sacrilic*'  in  christiani/iuLj  America' 

Touchiiii;  the  rii^dits  of  <'ivinzation  to  lands  held  by 
hunting'  tribes,  I  would  say  a  word.  WhiK;  n-coy-niz- 
\\\'j^  fully  the  economical  princijtlr,  tiiat,  unlike  personal 
|ii'ijierty  ac<|uired  by  lahor,  the  lands  of  the  eaith 
111  loiiLT  to  the  whole  human  race,  not  to  be  monopo- 
lized hy  a  few  and  their  siu'ees.sors  to  the  exclusion  of 
the  rest,  I  am  yet  unable  to  perceive  any  rii^hts  apper- 
tainiiii;  to  civilization  that  do  not  apply  to  sava^ism. 
If  e\ery  individual  born  upon  this  earth  h.as  a  rii^ht  to 
h.s  .>>liare  of  it,  as  he  has  a  liLflit  to  his  poition  of  the 
water,  the  air,  and  the  sunshine,  and  that  without 
the  distinctions  of  wealth,  inheritance,  or  culture,  then 
the  savai^e  has  a  right  to  his  portion  ecjually  with  the 
eiviJized  man.  Xor  may  agiicultural  nations  .say  with 
reason  to  jiunting  nations,  "Adopt  our  modi*  of  life 
and  take  u|>  less  room,"  so  long  as  the  aeiieiiltural 
nations  peiniit  certain  of  their  niendxis  to  oeeui»y 
l.inds  not  ai'cording  to  their  necessities  hut  limited  only 
hy  tli>ir  means  with  which  tf»  buy.  So  long  as  thc^ 
minds  of  men  are  not  e(|ually  cultivated,  the  soil  ciiii- 
iiot,  be.  'I'he  se\eral  parts  of  the  earth's  surfaee  have 
their  several  population.s,  each  (litfering  from  the  others 
ill  pr<»gress  and   condition.     One  has   Jio  more  riuht 


pctiling   th'ii"    |H   tli.iii  another   to  call   upon   his  neighbor   to  abandon 
therewith  tu    HI  traditional   customs  and  assume   ill-litting  eondifioiis. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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/. 


{./ 


/ 


'/, 


1.0 


I.I 


IM    112.5 


^  IIIIM    1112.2 


1.8 


1-25      1.4       1.6 

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Sciences 
Corporation 


s. 


ip 


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23  WIS  f  MAIN  STREET 
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i.i 


80 


COLONIAL  POLICY  OF  SPAm. 


It  is  neither  just  nor  expedient  that  land  should  be 
held  by  individuals  in  large  parcels,  no  more  by  the 
civilized  man  for  his  Hocks  than  by  the  sava(>e  for  a 
game  preserve.  When  a  landed  piopriotor  fails  to  be 
a  purchaser,  when  he  does  not  improve  his  lands  or 
permits  them  to  deteriorate,  from  an  economical  stand- 
point he  IS  as  much  a  detriment  to  civilized  society  as 
would  be  a  savage  with  his  game  park,  or  a  European 
nobleman  with  his.  "They  do  not  make  a  good  use 
of  tiieir  lands,"  says  civilization  of  savagism.  And  who 
is  to  be  the  judge?  And  is  every  rich  man's  lands 
and  money  to  be  taken  from  him  because  he  gamblis, 
keeps  mistresses,  buys  legislatures,  bribes  judges,  fos- 
ters iniquitous  monopolies,  and  is  a  curse  to  his  kind 
generally  i  Better  a  thousand  times  leave  lands  in  the 
hands  oi'  tiieir  aborisjcinal  holders  than  allow  them  to 
become  the  j)roperty  of  tlie  average  man  of  millions. 

It  is  a  piggish  race,  this  human  race  of  (jurs,  and 
one  that  delights  in  its  piggishness.  The  hrst  comers 
and  their  descendants  attempt  to  monopolize  all  the 
available  land,  and  mankind  forever  after  must  buy  or 
rent  or  steal  from  them.  Who  were  those  first  rob- 
bers w.  may  not  always  know,  nor  does  it  nmch 
matter,  for  we  are  just  as  ready  to  rob  to-day  as  ever 
we  were.  One  thing  is  evident.  The  native  Amer- 
icans, as  a  rule,  held  their  lands  in  common,  as  the 
property  of  the  nation,  which  custom  civilization  to- 
day nught  well  consider.  In  maiked  contrast  to  this 
policy,  landcHl  property  in  America  was  not  cut  by  the 
colonists  into  ])arcels  convenient  to  jx.'rsons  of  moder- 
ate means,  and  made  to  pass  easily  from  one  to  another, 
but  large;  tracts,  sometimes  wliole  provinces,  wei'e 
se'ized  and  held  as  encomiendas,  greatly  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  colonies. 

The  right  of  Europeans  to  seize  and  occu|)y  the 
lands  of  the  Indians  was  never  questiomsd  by  the 
stronger  })arty;  neither  ditl  they  pause  to  inquire  it" 
the  almighty  erred  in  creating  America,  or  if  he  made 
half  a  world  for  the  malevolent  s[)ort  and  donnnation 


INTERNATIONAL  LAW. 


87 


of  tlic  otlior  half,  or  if  his  servant  Alexander  might 
not  [)ossibly  have  exceeded  tlie  bounds  of  his  conuuis- 
sioii.     Ocju[)aucy,   by  which    the   lands  of  a  nation 
were  made  its  captor's,  was  amon;^  the  Komans  a  nat- 
ural law,  and  the  property  of  an  enemy  res  nalli'u;^, 
as  I  have  elsewliore  explained.     Aristotle  taught  that 
Gret;ks  were  called  ujx)!!  to  recognize  no  more  rights 
in  barbarians  than  in  brutes;  and  CfJisar  said  it  was 
the  right  of  war  to  treat  the  conquered  as  the  con- 
querors pleased.      By  the  discoveries  of  the   lifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  this  lionian  principle  of  occu- 
])iney  became   somewhat    confounded,   and    failed    to 
tloterniine  how  much  of  an  island  or  a  continent  the 
sovereign  of  an  adventurer  could  claim  by  reason  of  a 
lucky  discover\^,  or  what  were  the  acts  necessary  to  be 
performed    to  secure    legal    ])ossessi»m  against    other 
nations  of  the   European  world.      These  points  were 
settled,  as  usual,  by  fighting,  the  victor  construing  the 
law.     If  our  teachers  would  sto})  their  cant,  and  I'ully 
recognize  the  absolute  and  inexorable  right  of  might, 
half  the  problems  of  mankind  W(mld  be  solved  at  once, 
it  were  an)using,  if  not  so  })ainfully  absurd,  to  hear 
Montescjuicu  and  the  rest  of  them  talk  abt)ut  "la  loi 
de  la  nature,"  and  "la  loi  de  la  lumiore  naturelle,"  in 
connection  with  the  rights  of  the  conqueror.     Natural 
justice  recognizes  no  right  of  conquest;  and  yet  all 
nations  acquiesce  in,  and  most  of  them  justily,  sucli 
robbcrv.      As  is  ofttn  s(H'n  in  communities  of  men,  so 
m  communitlt'S  of  nations,  wrong  once  become  perma- 
nent is  acknowledged  by  international  law  as  aright, 
and   as  such  it   usually  passes  into  history.     In  the 
present  day  of  enliglitened  and  ])urified  morals,  ag- 
gressoi's  committing  this  species  of   robbery  usually 
Seek  to  shield  themselves  undi'r  some  claim,  real  or 
pretended,  and  so  escape  the  world's  censure,  fi»r  even 
the    sim])lest   of   us  now  I'ecognize    the  piinciple  as 
atrocious;  or  as  in  the  case  ')f  the;  treaty  of  Cuada- 
lupe  llitlalgo  between  the  L'u  ted  States  and  Mexico, 
t!i(^  \  iclor  pays  t!;e  vanipiisln-d  money,  and  so  ratities 
tiie  tlieft  by  forced  bargain  and  sale. 


o9 


COLONIAL  POLICY  OP  SPAIN. 


Montesquieu  is  sadly  in  error  vvhen  he  supposes  it 
the  wish  of  the  Spaniards  to  sweep  the  country  of  it-i 
aboriginals,  so  that  they  might  the  better  occupy. 
Such  a  charge  might  much  more  truthfully  be 
brought  against  any  otlier  European  nation.  Ter- 
ritory was  nothing  to  the  Spaniard  without  sul)jects; 
mountains  of  metal  and  rich  alluvial  plains  were 
valueless  without  laborers.  Never  was  a  conquered 
race  more  tenderly  considered — in  theory.  Other  na- 
tions were  less  scrupulous.  Spain  would  ship  no  slaves 
from  Africa,  but  her  colonies  bought  them  from  the 
French  and  Dutch,  until  England  browbeat  her  into 
buying  all  her  slaves  from  English  ships.  And  always 
the  other  nations  of  Europe  far  exceeded  the  Spaniards 
in  their  cruelty  to  negro  slaves,  the  English  roasting 
them  alive  at  Jamaica  for  desertion,  and  this  within  a 
century.  In  short,  when  the  directors  of  the  East 
India  Company  themselves  admit  that  "the  vast  for- 
tunes acquired  in  the  inland  trade  have  been  obtained 
by  a  scene  of  the  most  tyrannical  and  oppressive  C(jn- 
duct  that  was  ever  known  in  any  age  or  Cf)untry,"  it 
is  idle  to  argue  upon  the  relative  cruelty  of  European 
nations. 

There  was  no  system  of  destruction  practised  by 
the  Spaniards.  In  their  eager  desire  to  seize  the 
present,  and  secure  every  means  for  its  enjoynient, 
only  too  many  of  them  worked  the  natives  to  their 
death.  This  was  all,  except  the  m3'stery  that  the 
simple  presence  of  civilization,  even  when  overHowing 
with  kindness,  is  poisonous  to  savagism.  Still  more 
untrue  is  the  assertion  made  by  many  tliat  the  exter- 
mination of  the  Americans  was  urged  by  the  catholic 
ecclesiastics,  who  claimed  the  slauixhter  of  idolaters 
to  be  pleasing  to  God.  If  ever  tliere  was  piety  or 
purity  in  man,  if  ever  charity  or  heavenly  zeal,  then 
do  these  high  and  holy  qualities  shine  resplendent  in 
those  ministers  of  peace  who  abandoned  country  and 
self,  sank  name  and  identity,  and  laid  down  their 
lives    for    the    salvation    of    souls    in    the    wilds    of 


COST  OF  IT  ALL.  » 

America.  And  as  for  those  general  charge.s  in  cer- 
tain quarters  that  in  some  of  the  later  occupants  of 
holy  office  spirituality  had  turned  to  flesh,  their  zeal 
to  laziness  and  lust,  resulting  in  nothing  more  impor- 
tant than  repeating  prayers  and  breeding  itullins  Jfilii, 
I  can  only  say  that  I  have  elsewhere  given  the  his- 
tory of  all  as  fully  and  fairly  as  I  am  able. 

And  here  the  anomaly  presents  itself,  that  while  the 
parent  government  in  all  its  ordinances  and  instruc- 
tions is  more  just  and  tender  toward  its  savage  sub- 
jects than  are  the  colonists,  through  i  orrupt  agents  the 
natives  may  be  more  vilely  treated  than  they  would 
be  by  filibusters  or  pirates.  Alone  in  a  wilderness, 
with  no  doting  parent  to  call  upon  for  protection,  the 
private  colonist  or  settler  hesitates  ere  he  raises  a 
swarm  of  enemies  about  his  ears.  Many  of  the 
atrocities  attending  govermnent  colonization  are  ab- 
sent in  private  colonization.  The  conduct  of  Peru 
stands  out  in  contrast  to  that  of  Pizarro  no  less 
marked  than  the  subsequent  doings  in  Pennsylvania 
contrast  with  those  in  Peru. 


And  what  price  was  Spain  to  pay  for  all  her  follies, 
crimes,  and  indulgences,  for  the  outrages  of  lif  r  con- 
querors, the  maleadministration  of  her  agents,  her 
selfish  exclusiveness,  her  vagarious  policy,  her  exac- 
tions and  enjoyment?  For  nations,  no  more  than  indi- 
viduals, can  indulge  in  crimes  and  follies  with  impunity. 
In  colonial  aft'airs  as  elsewhere,  greed  generates  disas- 
ter. Tyrannies  and  unjust  exactions  bring  their  own 
])unishment.  Iniquity  is  inexorably  alien  from  per- 
manent prosperity.  Spain's  punishment  was  earlier 
and  more  severe  than  tiiat  of  other  European  nations 
equally  or  more  guilty,  and  whose  reckoning  is  yet  to 
ome.  If  England's  God  lives,  then  England  has  yet 
to  make  her  final  reckoning. 

Besides  superior  energy,  Spain  possessed  material 
advantages  which  placed  her  before  all  otiier  nations 
at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.     Her  mer- 


#1, 


lli. 


I! 


I, 


[ 


I  ■ 


>    ! 


89 


COLONIAL  POLICY   OF  SPAIN. 


caiitilc  marine  was  the  finest  in  tlie  woikl,  nuinberiniif 


over  one  thousand  vessels. 


Tl 


le 


(juays  of  Seville  were 


crowded.      The  nianutactures  of  Spain  were  anijdi',  in 
addition  to  lier  own  requirements,  to  supply  all  her 


\>V 


colonies.  C'kttli  and  coral-work  were  jiroduced  at 
Uarcelona,  which  city  rivalled  Venice;  silk  and  gro- 
ceries at  A'akncia;  ck)th  at  C^uenca  and  Huete;  swords 
and  muske-ts  at  Toledo;  silk,  })aper,  and  flaxen  goods 
at  (iranada;  cloth  at  C'iudad-i'eal,  Segovia,  and  Villa- 
castin;  steel  blad<.'S  at  Alhacete;  soap  and  groceries  at 


•pc 


•sandOcana;  hats  and  saddles  at  (\)rdova;  linen 


in  (ialicia,  and  cutlery  and  j)late  at  Valladoliil.  Some 
of  these  cities  emjtloyed  a  thousand  workmen.  IFus- 
handrv  was  conducti'd  hv  the  Min'iscos  under  the  best 
methods  then  known.  IJy  systi'Uis  of  iriigatit)n,  the 
soil  wa-;  made  to  yield  large  retui'us  in  rice,  cotton, 
sugar,  and    other  jiroducts.      Even  the  Spanish  lan- 


i>ii 


igi-  and  the  universities  felt  the  im[;ul.- 


As  earlv 


a.s  I  j.K),  the  descendants  of  the  concjuered  Aztecs  and 
Peruvians  woi'  i'ound  in  the  schools  of  Spain,  and 
Indian  words  in  her  language. 

Some  time  later  look  again  this  way.  Tlowditferi'ut 
the  ])ieture  Spain  [MX'sents  toward  the  close  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century.  Her  soil,  exhausted,  runs  to  waste; 
lu-r  factories  are  closetl;  her  aitisans  and  her  agricul- 
turists goiu'  —  oiu!  million  of  her  best  and  most  ind 
trious  subjects,   the    ^^()riscos,  at  a  single   1)1 


us- 


(iW 


tl 


le 


small,  round  worm  has  bi'en  busy  among  the  (piarti'i"- 
ings  of  ( 'asiiK';  lu'r  domain  is  dismembered,  Holland 
and  J?ortugal  gt)ne,  Artois,  Ronssillon,  and  Franche 
Comte,  and  after  anothei-  hundred  years,  nearly  all 
these  broad  Americas  have  slip[)ed  from  her  posses- 
sion.     The  exi>ulsion  of  the   floors  by   Felipe    111. 


followtd  the  destructive  foreign 


wai 


s  of  Felipe  IJ. 


and  with  the  beginning  of  the  seventc^enth  centurv 
her  connmree  and  manufactures  bt'gan  to  fail,  ^len 
were  even  wanting  for  the  army,  and  ships  lay  rotting 
at  anchor  for  lack  of  sailors. 

The  navy,  which  in  J^hilip's  time  had  been  the  tcr- 


PRIXC'E  AND  I'KOPLE. 


01 


ror  of  the  sea,  was  now  nduced  nine  tt-iitlis.  Arse- 
nals and  inajjfazines  wore  enii)tv,  and  tVont'u  r  I'oitivsscs 
unj^iiri'isoned.  Crime  and  disoriK-r  jirtvadfd  tliiouL^li- 
»)Ut  the  land.  Simony  and  peculation  wc-rc  unlilush- 
in*;'  and  enormous;  so  that,  while  the  [)i'()[)K'  were 
ground  by  taxation,  the  jiuhlie  revenue  w.is  small. 
.Vs  a  renu'dv,  which  in  truth  onlv  ay'ijfi'aNatiHl  the 
disease,  the  currency  was  dehased.  Any  tliird-iate 
])ower  n)ight  now  insult  with  impunity  the  heirs  of 
(,'liailes    the    ^[a,i;nificent,   and    of    riiilij),    his    mo -t 


ca 

th 


thol 


ic  son. 


Tlie  lesson  is — and   let  it   he  written  in 


e   sKv  and   ijfraven  on  the  eterna 


d   hill 


s—  n< 


itl 


lei-  in- 


chviduids   nor   nations   can   loui^   live   hy   im[)ositions 
practised  (»n  their  fellow-men. 

Still  there  was  territorv  enoui^h.  Often  has  the 
judicious  pruning"  of  a  too  widely  s[)read  empire  pioved 
heneHcial.  It  was  pith  and  pulse  Sj»ain  pow  lacked. 
She  had  hied  her  own  vi'ins;  played  mntlur  pelican  to 
the  church;  and  now  to  this  conijih'xion  things  have 
come.  In  vain  .shall  a  Chai'les  aim  at  universul  em- 
])ire;  even  })etty  Duke  ^[aurices  will  not  hiiw  it  so. 
In   vain    shall    your    nether-millstone-hearted    I*hilip 


iloat 


mvincihio  armadas. 


I 


n  vam  slia 


11    V 


einaniU)  tie 


Jlerrera  and  Luis  de  Leon  gain  the  topmost  height  of 


S 


)anis 


h   1 


vricism ;  m  vam  a 


(  ahl 


ei'on  or 


Veg; 


I  im- 


nKM'taliztj  their  drama;  even  in  vain  shall  tlie  gre;^test, 
grandest,  richest  name  of  all,  Cervantes,  take  r<tyal 
place  in  the  fame-roll  of  literature.  Let  Mariana  and 
Solis  paint  the  history  of  their  countiy  tliick  and 
bright,  hut  above  all  (piick  :  tliese  gloiii  s  fade  so  fast. 
Alt  these  pi[)ed  to  a  country  that  would  not  dance; 
or  if  it  did  it  was  onlv  the  iicmral  dance  of  death.  ( )f 
late  Si>ain  has  slept  with  moie  or  less  htaviness;  a 
sleep  somewhat  troubled,  it  is  true,  with  fi'vercd 
tlreams,  wherein  mingled  with  smalhr  sprites  French 
revolutions,  Isabellas,  and  Carlists,  llolu-nzollerns  and 
Amadeos,  and  Prims,  and  re[»ublics,  and  one  haidly 
knows  what  else. 

Daring  the  middle  age,  and  up  to  the  tim.  of  J"'er- 


02 


COLONIAL  roUCY  OF  SPAIN. 


4.  1. 


dinand  tho  catholic,  tlio  people  of  Spain  possessofl 
greater  liberty  tliaii  any  people  in  Europe,  But  about 
that  time  monarchist  t<iok  a  long  stride  forward, 
fanaticism  following  closel}'  at  its  heels.  The  power 
of  the  nobles,  undermined  by  Ferdinand,  was  com- 
pletely liroken  by  Charles,  and  for  three  centuries 
thereafter  Austrian  and  Bourbon  princes  ruled  Spain 
with  a  despotism  almost  absolute,  Tliese  Austrians 
and  l^ourbons  were  ever  remarkable  for  tlieir  piety ; 
but  although  they  loved  the  cliurch  much,  tliey  loved 
themselves  more.  The  little  game  of  prince,  priest, 
and  people  was  then  played  somewhat  after  this  fash- 
oin:  The  prince  was  in  possession  of  the  power.  This 
power  he  derived  from  the  people,  who  helped  him  to 
break  down  the  nobles,  and  hold  in  check  the  clergy ; 
in  return,  the  prince  employed  the  church  to  rivet  the 
chains  of  despotism  tighter  and  tighter  upon  the  peo- 
ple; so  that  with  the  mind  enslaved  by  the  clergy, 
and  their  every  action  at  the  order  of  the  king,  this 
so  lately  free  and  chivalrous  commonalty  was  doomed 
to  be  thrust  backward  at  the  very  time  the  new  light 
broke  in  upon  Europe ;  at  the  very  time  when  liberty 
of  thought  and  action  would  have  carried  it  forward 
with  any  nation  in  Christendom.  Thus  to  the  great- 
ness of  Spain  in  the  sixteenth  century  Spaniards  of 
to-day  owe  their  littleness;  to  the  teaciiings  of  tradi- 
tion, enforced  by  the  stronijf  arui  of  royalty,  they  owe 
their  ignorance ;  and  to  the  wealth  of  the  Xew  World 
they  owe  their  poverty. 

The  student  of  civilized  history  has  seen  how  gen- 
erations of  discipline  made  strong  the  arm  of  Spain ; 
how  loyalty  and  religion  united  to  concentrate  and 
direct  the  energies  of  the  people ;  how  the  enginery 
of  the  incjuisition  was  hurled  against  the  reformation 
and  every  kind  of  religious  inquiry ;  how  a  religious 
war  stimulated  religious  zeal,  how  zeal  fanned  the 
flames  of  loyalty,  and  how  loyalty  and  zeal  bound 
men  together  ft)r  good  and  evil.  He  has  seen  how 
man's  nobler  impulses  came  forward  and  bowed  before 


CHURCH  AND  STATE. 


tills  slirinc;  liow  churcli  and  state  dlvlilod  between 
them  elnvulrv,  leurninj;',  and  wealth,  leavhig  the  pit)- 
ple  poverty  and  obedienee.  And  wluii  Granada  i'ell, 
leaving  tyranny  master  of  the  fiehl;  wlien  not  a  lure- 
t.c,  not  an  alien,  polluted  the  soil  of  Spain ;  when  fnnn 
the  Pyrenees  to  Gibraltar,  from  the  Mediterranean  to 
the  Atlantic,  all  were  loyal,  all  Christian — where  was 
tliis  mighty  enginery  next  to  be  directed?  Most 
opportunely  at  tliis  juncture  a  New  World  dropped  into 
the  lap  of  Spain.  And  such  a  world!  Truly  it  was 
a  reward  of  merit  for  eioht  centuries  of  i^odlv  service. 
To  her  piety  and  patriotism  Spain  had  sacriHced  her 
wealth.  She  was  left  bv  the  successiul  terniination  ot 
the  Alohanmieilan  contest  strong  but  poor.  In  this 
New  World  was  wealth  untold.  (Jod,  grown  kinder 
to  liis  people  than  in  ages  past,  there  paid  cash  for 
j.rotielytes.  A  new  crusade  was  preached,  in  wMiich 
gold  was  the  reward  of  piety,  in  which  romance  be- 
c.une  reality,  and  glory  here  was  but  the  harbinger  of 
glory  hereafter.  And  in  her  colonial  policy  Spain 
could  be  hampered  by  no  constitutional  restraints. 
She  might  model  her  colonial  affairs  and  issue  her 
edicts  by  mere  act  of  prerogative,  and  change  them 
at  pleasure.  Whenever  through  the  usual  mistakes 
attending  first  attempts  things  went  wrong,  laws  were 
made  to  fit  the  like  emergencies  of  the  future,  and 
soon  such  a  mass  of  ordinances  and  edicts  were  heaj)ed 
up  that  even  the  Spanish  government  could  not  en- 
force the  half  of  them. 

The  epoch  of  discovery  was  the  supplement  of  the 
crusades,  the  crowning  result  of  the  grand  levelling 
of  partition  walls  by  advancing  civilization.  Then, 
through  the  stubborn  zeal  of  Luther  in  Germany 
and  Zwingli  in  Switzerland,  assisted  by  the  amorous 
propensities  of  Henry  VIII.,  Europe  was  divided 
anew,  the  north  becoming  protestant,  and  the  south 
remaining  catholic.  By  her  excessive  exclusiveness, 
Spain  repelled  that  which  constitutes  the  very  essence 
of  progress,  curiosity,  inquiry,  scepticism.     The  result 


M 


f'OLONTAL  rOLTl'Y   OF  SrAlTT. 


»'!  J 


f 


as  seen  in  Spain  and  sonic  parts  of  Spanish  America 
to-day  s[)caks  volunu's. 

The  (picstion  could  scarcely  have  ariatMi  in  the  six- 
teenth ceiituiy  whether  tliis  New  Woi-ld  seized  so 
eaii^erly,  clutclied  so  greedily,  would  prove  a  blessing 
or  a  curse  to  its  possessor.  What  I  lands  more  fertile 
and  fifty  times  broader  than  Spain  not  a  blessing  ? 
Surely  gold  and  pearls  and  slaves  are  blessings,  to 
say  nothing  of  new  enipires  to  govern,  and  nullions  of 
heathen  souls  to  save. 

Tlic  innnediato  eftect  of  the  colonics  on  the  mother 
country  was  to  (piicken  Tde,  expand  connncrce,  and 
enlarge  all  industries.  Commercial  com])anies  were 
formed.  Tlie  prices  of  all  connnodities  advanced. 
Money  was  plenty,  and  everybody  rich.  Some  com- 
plained, not  of  the  abundance  of  gold,  but  liecause  it 
now  required  so  nmch  to  buy  so  little — an  extra  mule 
for  the  ti'aveller  being  almost  necessary  to  carrv  his 
pui'se.  Then,  knowing  little  of  the  principles  of 
economy  or  of  foreign  conunercc,  the  government 
ste[)[)ed  in  with  its  suicidal  restrictions  and  monopolies, 
and  confounchxl  what  might,  if  left  to  natural  chan- 
nels, have  })roved  beneficial  to  the  commonwealth, 
^lore  men  then  went  to  America,  drainiii'jf  the  coun- 
try  still  further  of  its  bone  and  sinew,  and  more  gold 
was  sent  to  Spain.  The  cost  of  labor  and  of  raw 
material  rose  rapidh';  indeed,  it  was  soon  impossible 
to  obtain  these  essentials  of  manufactures  in  Spain  to 
the  extent  recpiired.  It  was  (\asier  and  more  alluring, 
however  fatal,  to  let  others  do  the  work,  while  Spain 
commanded  the  situation  and  handled  the  oold;  and 
so  l\)rtugal,  France,  Flanders,  and  J'^ngland  wc>re  em- 
ployed to  furnish  the  required  commodities,  while  the 
Spaniards  gave  themselves  up  to  enjoyment.  They 
were  breeding  at  Spain's  cost  communities  of  artisans, 
which  more  than  soldiers  or  sailors  were  to  Income 
the  bulwark  of  the  nation,  and  Spain  was  forced  to 
pour  into  their  coffers  her  dearly  loved  gold  in  ever- 
increasing   ratio;    until   finally,  notwithstanding   the 


RKFLECTIVK  IXFLUKNCE. 


95 


ononnous  yield  of  the  two  Atncr'u'as,  she  liad  not  suf- 
licit'iit  lor  lur  own  lU'ct'ssit'us.  Tlio  malleoli  sci'\  icf, 
tor  more  than  tw(»  ci'iittnit's  i]\c  pridr  of  Sjtaiii  on 
hotli  tlio  Atlantic  and  I'acific,  was  I'ssciitially  at 
an  end  bv  tlio  middle  of  tho  oi'^litoonth  i-onturv. 

Fni'tlicr  and  yet  fnrtlicr  grew  tlio  ra^o  lor  woalth, 
and  tho  distasto  for  lal)or.  Wasto  was  tlio  order  of 
the  day  in  both  jiuhlic  and  |)rivat(i  affaii'S.  The  nn)ro 
^old  Sj>ain  got,  the  more  she  re<{uired;  the  more  .sjio 
sutl'ered  from  her  exactions,  tlie  more  she  exacted. 
Xow  the  king  anil  liis  court,  and  imnunerahle  minia- 
ture estal)lishmi>nts,  and  households  of  all  grades,  were 
kept  aHamo  hv  western  !>old  alone.  Industi'ies  of 
every  kind  vveie  aliandoned,  and  men  lived  only  for 
that  for  which  brutes  live,  to  eat,  sleep,  ar.d  propa- 
gate. Far  better  were  the  days  of  war  than  these 
days  of  enervating  peace.  It  was  as  if  all  Spain  had 
laid  down  everything  useful,  and  had  adopted  gam- 
bling as  an  occu[)ution.  And  when  this  influx  .of 
Wealth  began  to  iliminish,  it  was  found  too  latt  ;  that 
the  nation  had  nothing  on  which  to  dej)end  for  sup- 
port. Spain  became  impoverished.  Gone  were  the 
mercantile  glory  of  Seville  and  Ci'idiz.  A  resort  to 
l.iws  prohibiting  the  export  of  si)ecie  and  raising  the 
value  of  copj>er  was  without  benefit. 

Xor  was  this  all  the  disastr-ous  effect  of  Spanish 
colonization  in  America  on  the  aboriijiues,  on  the  col- 
onists,  and  on  the  j)oople  of  S[»ain.  There'  were  even 
wider  eflects  than  these — such  as  the  influence  upon 
the  commercial  and  political  intercours(>  of  nations, 
which  the  thoughtful  student  of  the  times  will  con- 
sider. Partly  from  the  reflex  influence  of  her  colonies, 
and  partly  from  other  causers,  Europe  to-tlay  is  more 
republican  than  monarchical.  England,  Holland,  ar,d 
Portugal  are  monarchies  in  form  only;  France  has 
struggled  into  republicanism,  and  even  Spain  has  at- 
tempted it. 

Thus  to  the  Spanish  people  America  was  a  C.erna 
of  ills,  a  Naboth's  vineyard.     They  despoiled  the  in- 


H  COLONIAL  POLICY  OF  SPAIN. 

habitants  of  a  distant  land  only  to  dissipate  their  ill- 
gotten  Wealth,  and  tlu-n  sink  beneath  the  excess  of 
8elf-iii«Iulgence  and  sensuality.  Two  civilizations  S[)ain 
succeeded  in  crushing  before  her  ibll,  an  eastern  a: id 
a  western ;  in  Mexico  and  Peru  it  was  her  evil  destinv 
to  destroy  a  culture  but  little  inferior  to  her  own,  and 
in  her  turn  to  be  destroyed  thereby.  Spain  was 
ruined  by  her  successes.  Let  men  and  nations  learn 
tiie  lesson,  for  there  are  yet  many  in  like  manner  to 
be  ruined.  Lord  Macaulay  and  others  resolve  all 
the  causes  of  the  decay  of  Spain  into  one  cause; 
which  term  signifies,  if  it  signifies  anything,  an  erring 
people,  a  corrupt  priesthot)d.  But  this  is  not  what 
Macaulay  means  to  say.  He  assumes  too  pointedly 
that  the  Spanish  nation  fell  into  decay  through  the 
retrogression  of  its  scn'ereigns,  which  assuredly  was 
not  the  case.  Were  our  Philips  and  Charleses  worse 
than  your  Georges  and  your  Louises;  why,  then,  did 
not  England  and  France  attain  these  depths  ?  A  mon- 
arch may  helm  the  ship  of  state  toward  the  rocks  and 
create  temporary  disaster;  but  no  nation  was  ever 
ruined  solely  by  its  rulers.  With  the  people  who 
constitute  the  nation  and  make  the  rulers,  the  blame 
must  chiefly  rest. 


;i'. 


CHAPTER  III. 


MEXICO  AS  SEEN  THROUGH  THE   EYES   OF   SCIENCE  AT  TFIE 
OPENlN(r   OF  THE  NINETKKNTH   CENTURY. 

Miiltitiido  omnia,  »icrtt  natnra  iiiaria,  per  se  immnhilis  est;  u^  vrati  et 
auriu  cii'iit,   ita  atit  tratiqiiilluiii  aut  priKjelliu  vohis  sunt.  —  />(Vy. 

The  two  Californias  were  invaded  and  occupiLd  by 
j)ri('sts  from  Mexico,  at  a  time  wiien  this  iv.'ion  was 
lii'lil  to  be  a  part  of  Mexico.  ^Mexico  has  been  ohr-o 
seen;  perliaps  twice.  The  coiujuerors  were  ch).-;'i  ul»- 
servcrs — tiiat  is,  of  gold  or  anything  worth  stealiiiL;; 
but  'i.  tlie  eyes  of  com])reliensive  genius  Mexico  has 
never  been  so  viewed,  before  or  since,  as  by  FreiUrick 
Hinrv  Alexander  von  Humboldt  at  the  opening  of 
the  present  century.  His  visit  to  our  continent  was 
in  the  interest  of  general  science,  rather  than  in  that 
of  any  particular  })ersons  or  ])lace.  He  was  thirty 
years  of  age  when  he  landed  in  South  America  in 
171)9;  thirteen  years  of  his  life  had  thus  far  been 
devoted  to  close  study,  and  before  him  were  yet  sixty 
other  years.  We  are  told  that  he  was  a  vain  man, 
and  very  egotistical;  but  sur(>ly  he  had  something  to 
be  vain  of,  and  his  ego  was  by  no  means  a  small  one, 
either  as  regards  time  or  dimensions.  In  his  match- 
less ct)nunentaries  we  hardly  know  which  to  admire 
most,  the  universe  which  he  describes  so  perfectly,  or 
tlu!  all-comprehending  intellect  capable  of  such  deline- 
ation. 

Alexander  von  Humboldt  was  born  in  Berlin  on  the 
1 4th  of  September,  17(>9,  when  the  first  mission  of  Alta 
California  was  being  founded  at  San  Diego.  His 
father.  Major  Alexander  George  von  Humboldt,  liad 

Cal.Past:,  Vol.  I.    7  (97) 


¥     i 


98 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTUPA'. 


been  in  succession  chamberlain  to  the  great  Frederick, 
and  to  Elizabetr,  princess  of  IVussia.  His  mother 
wlien  married  by  his  father,  was  the  widow  of  a  cer- 
tain Baron  Yon  Holwede,  and  was  descended  fronj  a 
Burgundian  family,  Colomb  by  appellation,  notable 
cral'tsmcn  in  glass  in  their  old  country.  The  young 
l[umbt)]dt  was  for  the  most  ])art  brought  up  in  hi;> 
Other's  old  castle  of  Tegel,  three  leagues  from  Berlin. 
Here  Alexander  and  his  elder  brother  William  played 
and  studied,  in  a  quiet,  unrestricted  wny,  till  178(5, 
when  they  commenced  their  academical  life  at  the 
university  of  Frankfort  on  the  Oder.  In  178S  they 
removed  to  that  of  Gottingen,  "a  staid,  grav(^  place, 
fall  of  earnest  students  and  learned  professors,"  among 
wliich  last  were  Blumenbach,  Heine,  and  Kiclihorn. 
The  universit}^  life  of  the  brothers  ended  in  1781). 

In  1790  Alexander  visited  Holland  and  England 
in  company  with  George  Foster  and  Van  (lenns,  and 
])ublished  his  first  work,  Observations  on  the  Basalts  of 
the  Rhine.  In  17D1  he  began  studying  under  Werner, 
the  Celebrated  geologist,  at  Frej-berg.  The  result  of 
some  of  his  observations  in  the  mines  of  that  district 
was  published  in  1793 :  Specimen  Fhrx  Frelhcrr/eiisis 
S:ihtcrraneii\  In  1795  he  visited  part  of  Italy  and 
Switzerland,  and  1798  found  him  in  Paris,  where  he 
became  acquainted  with  Bonpland,  the  naturalist,  des- 
tined soon  to  be  his  companion  in  trav(  1,  nnd  with 
many  other  French  savans.  He  here  ]val>lished,  in 
conjunction  with  Gay  Lussae,  Researches  on  the  Cow- 
jws'tioii  of  the  Atmosphere,  and  on  his  own  account  a 
work  on  subterranean  gases. 

From  his  boj-hood,  Humboldt  had  been  planning 
some  great  voyage  of  discovery;  and  in  1789  ho  was 
in  Madrid,  applying  for  permission  to  explore  th(^ 
Spanish  possessions  in  America.  That  permission 
was  granted,  and  havuig  secured  Bon  inland  as  a 
coadjutor,  he  sailed  from  Corunna  in  the  sloop  Pizarro, 
on  the  5tli  of  June,  179r.  On  the  19th  of  June  the 
Pizarro  put  into  Santa  Cruz,  in  the  island  of  Teneriffe; 


ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. 


99 


IV  aiul 
i-c  he 
,  dos- 

witli 
led,  in 

Com- 
)Uiit  a 

Inniuf^ 
jo  was 
re  the 
ilssion 
as  a 
zan'o, 
\\Q  the 
icriffc ; 


and  the  naturalists,  avaihug-  themselves  of  the  few 
days  the  ship  remained  there,  ascended  the  famous 
Pico  de  Teyde.  In  the  middle  of  July  they  reached 
Cumand,  South  America,  and  landed.  They  spent 
the  rest  of  the  year  in  visitin<^  the  coast  of  Paria,  the 
Indian  missions  of  Chaymas,  and  the  provinces  of 
New  Andalucia,  New  Barcelona,  Venezuela,  and 
Spanish  Guayana.  Leaving  Caracas  in  Jaimary  1 800, 
they  examined  the  charming  valleys  of  the  Aragua, 
and  the  great  lake  of  Valencia,  or  Ticarigua,  resem- 
bling in  general  appearance  that  of  Geneva,  but  with 
its  shores  clothed  in  all  the  beauty  and  luxuriance  ttf 
a  tropical  vegetation.  From  Puort>)  Gabello  they  went 
south,  crossing  on  horseback  the  vast  i)lains  ol"  Cala- 
l>()Zo,  Apure,  and  Orinoco,  and  the  dreary  llauus. 
At  San  Fernando,  on  the  river  Apure,  they  began  a 
latiguing  navigation  of  more  than  ;5,000  miles.  They 
jiei  formed  this  in  canoes,  crouching  in  awkward  pos- 
tures, scorched  by  the  terrible  sun  which  not  only 
liiihtens  but  colors  and  burns,  and  devoured  bv  a  ten- 
fold  Egyi)tian  plague  of  crawling,  creeping,  and  Hying 
tilings.  Sailing  down  the  Apure,  they  entered  the  Ori- 
noco at  the  seventh  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  then, 
ascending  this  river,  ])assed  the  cataracts  of  Mapures 
and  Atures,  and  gained  the  conHux  of  the  Guaviari. 
Thence  they  ascended  the  small  rivers  Atab  and 
Teini.  From  the  mission  of  Javita,  they  passed  over- 
land to  the  sources  of  the  famou^  liio  Negro.  About 
thirty  Indians  were  employed  to  carry  the  canoes 
through  lofty  forests  to  tlie  creek  of  I*emichin.  Fol- 
lowing the  current  now,  they  shot  into  the  Pilo  Negro, 
descending  to  San  Carlos.  From  this  they  remounted 
to  the  Orinoco,  by  way  of  the  Cassiquiari,  and  thus 
forever  cleared  uj)  all  doubts  as  to  the  existenee  of  a 
connnunication  between  the  Orhioco  and  the  Amazon. 
l*assing  up  the  Orinoco,  they  visited  the  volcano 
Daida  and  the  mission  of  Esmeralda ;  but  the  Guaicas, 
an  independent  native  tribe  of  very  fair  complexion 
and  small  build,  yet  extremely  warlike,  prevented  the 


^f 


i'^M 


100 


MEXICO  m  THE  NINETEEXTII  CEXTrRV. 


travellers  from  rcaclilnjx  the  sources  of  tlio  Orinoco. 
From  Esmeralda  thev  tloscended  the  swelliin*-  rivir  to 
its  mouth,  and  then  returned  to  Cumuna,  by  the  plains 
of  (yari,  ai'.d  the  mission  of  the  Caraibs,  a  race,  next 
to  the  PatajTonians,  the  larofcst  and  stoutest  known. 

After  a  i^hort  rest,  necessary  to  their  enfeebled 
strength,  they  sailed  for  Cuba  on  the  Kith  of  Novem- 
ber, and  were  nearl}^  shipwrecked  on  the  way.  They 
remained  three  months  in  that  island;  and  fearini^ 
accident,  Humboldt  sent  a  good  part  of  his  collections 
and  manuscripts  to  Europe. 

In  March  J  801  they  hired  a  small  vessel  and  sailed 
for  Cartanena,  South  America.  ()wini>'  to  adverse 
circumstances,  the  voyage  was  tedious,  and  they 
ai'rived  too  late  in  the  season  for  crossing  the  isthmus 
of  l*ananul,  and  reaching  Gunyaquil  or  Lima;  they 
liowever  pushed  on  up  the  Magdalena  up  Santa  Fe 
do  Bogota. 

In  September  1801,  though  the  rainy  season  was 
not  (piite  over,  they  began  their  journey  to  Quito, 
crossed  the  Andes  of  Quindiu,  arrived  at  Cartago  in 
the  fine  valley  of  Cauca,  passed  througli  Popayan,  the 
capital  of  the  province,  through  the  dangen)us  detihs 
of  Almaguer,  t]iroui:;li  the  town  of  Pasto,  the  villauo 
of  'Pulcan,  and  the  valley  of  Guaillabamba,  and  in 
Jamiary  1802  reached  Quito.  Xeai'ly  six  months 
were  here  devoted  to  researches  of  various  kinds  in 
t!io  surrounding  country.  Near  midsununer,  in  com- 
pany with  Don  Carlos  ^lontiifar,  they  visited  the 
Nevado  del  Chimborazo.  Thev  traversed  the  fright- 
ful  ruins  of  Riobamba  and  other  villa<''es,  destroyed 
by  an  earth(piake  February  7,  1797,  and  climbed 
the  Cuchilla  de  Guandifa.  On  the  eastern  sloj)e  of 
Chimi)orazo  thev  stood  on  the  hii«hest  spot  ever 
before  trod  Ijy  man.  They  then  descendeil  to  the 
region  of  vegetation  and  ft)lloW(Hl  the  great  chain  of 
the  Andes,  with  fiftemi  or  twenty  baggage  mules. 
Skirting  the  high  savannas  of  Tiocaxas,  tlu?}'  ad- 
vanced to  Sitzun,  in  the  woody  pnramo  of  Asouay, 


ARRIVAT.  IN   MFAICO. 


10\ 


and  crossed  tlie  inouiitahis  hy  that  dauj^orous  passage. 
Advaiu'iinjf  toward  Cucnca,  tliov  t'oinid  ruins  of 
j);da(x,'S  of  tlio  iiicas.  ]3ryond  that  town  was  ]-.oja; 
iVonj  Loja  they  passed  into  tlie  vale  of  the  hcd  of  tlio 
Cutaco;  mounted  a<j;ain  to  tlie  forest  of  ( 'huhieanas, 
near  vast  ruins  of  the  incas'  battle-fields;  crossed 
tlio  uu>untains  to  San  Felipe,  and  embarked  on  the 
('huDunja;  descended  it  to  the  cataract  of  Kentema, 
asceiuled  tlie  eastern  declivity  of  tlie  cordillei-as; 
t  xaniiiied  the  arj^entiferous  mountain  of  (iualiravoc; 
visited  the  towns  of  Micuipamj)a  and  Cajamai-ca,  itnii 
th(^  ruins  of  the  palace  of  Atahualpa  in  tlui  vicinity 
of  th(^  latter  place;  reached  Lima,  <'apital  of  l*eru, 
enteiinsjf  for  the  first  time  that  "Ion*;  narrow  valley 
hi)Un(l«Ml  by  tlie  shoies  of  the  Pacific  in  wliich  rain 
and  thunder  are  unknown." 

J  n  January  180."3  the  travellers  embarked  for(;tuaya- 
<|uil;  from  Guayacjuil  readied  Acapulco  by  sea,  land- 
i:i^'  in  Mexico,  2.'5d  of  March,  18U;5.  Acapulco  stands 
i;i  the  recess  of  a  bay  near  a  chain  of  '''ranitic  moun- 
tains.     The  iiort  is  i)art  t)f  an  immense  basin  cut  i;i 


P 


1' 


jLj^ranite  rocks — a  coarse-j^rained  ijfranite  like  that  of 
I'ichtelbei'g  and  Carlsbad,  toothed  and  rent  like  tlie 
Catalonian  Montserrat.  In  two  hemis[)heres  Hum- 
boldt Jiad  seiMi  few  wilder  sights,  few  scenes  at  once 
more  dismal  and  more  romantic.  The  climate  was 
terrihl}'  sultry  and  noxious,  tlie  inhabitants  sickly  and 


w 


retched.     A 


cotton  tree 


hoinJh 


il 


'HIX    CC/tMi,    WJlOSt 


overturned  trunk  was  more  than  seven  nietn-s  in  cir- 
ca mferenc(%  proved  the  tremendous  force  of  the  vctiila- 
vahs,  by  wliich  it  was  often  swept. 

in  the  beuinniiiir  of  May,  tlie  travellers  set  out  in 


'^}' 


"^' 


the  direction  of  the  capital,  ascendin^jf  by  the  burnii 
valleys  of  Papagayo  and  Mescala — thermometer  S'.).(r 
I'ahr.  in  the  shade — to  the  higher  plains  of  Chilpan- 
eiiigo,  Tehuilotepec,  and  Tasco,  existing  in  a  ni<<rc 
trmjiiTate  layer  of  the  atmosphere,  blessi'd  with  the 
pleasant  sluule  of  oak,  cypress,  pine,  and  tree-fern,  and 
ricii  in  wheat-fields  and    barley-fields,  eve~i  on  their 


■i-t< 


m 


102 


MEXICO  IX  THE  XIXETEENTIf  CEXTUIIY. 


K   n 


hills,  to  <a  hciglit  of  0,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Having 
visited  the  noted  mines  of  Tasco,  and  seen  its  beautiful 
cliur-eh,  they  passed  on  to  Cuornavaca  on  the  south 
slo})e  of  the  Cordillera  of  Guchilaque,  to  fix  its  longi- 
tude, which  was  incorrect  on  the  common  maps. 
Near  this  place  was  the  remarkable  monument  of 
Xochicalco,  which  Humboldt  did  not  visit,  having 
at  that  time  unfortunately  no  knowledge  of  its  exist- 
ence. It  was  a  natural  hill  or  mass  of  rocks,  which 
had  been  wrought  into  a  conic  form,  in  five  terraces  of 
masonry;  the  wliole  surrounded  by  a  great  fosse,  mak- 
ing an  intrenchment  of  nearly  4,000  metres  in  circuu)- 
ference.  Among  the  hieroglyphic  ornaments  which 
*  decorate  a  pyramid,  with  which  the  great  upper  ter- 
race or  ])latform  is  crowned,  are  figures  of  men  sitting 
cross-le<><'ed  after  the  Asiatic  fashion.  Humboldt 
concluded  from  the  foregoing  information  which  he 
collected,  and  from  its  position  being  indicated  in  a 
very  ancient  native  map  by  two  warriors  in  combat, 
tliat  tlie  place  served  the  purpose,  not  only  of  a  temple, 
but  also  of  a  fort.  Its  origin  is  referred  to  the  Toltecs, 
f  )r  tliis  nation  is  to  the  Mexican  antiquarians  what 
tlie  Pelasgian  colonists  were  to  the  archaeologists  of 
Italv — anvthing  of  which  a  Mexican  knows  nothiiijjf  is 
Toltec. 

We  next  find  our  scientists  in  the  citv  of  AFexico. 
Tliey  found  the  latitude  of  the  capital  at  the  convent 
of  8t  Augustine  by  meridian  altitudes  of  the  sun 
and  stars.  The  lon-'itude  was  deduced  from  the 
eclipses  of  the  satellites  of  Jupiter,  from  the  distances 
between  the  moon  and  sun,  from  transference  of  tli*' 
time  from  Acapulco,  and  from  a  trigonometrical  esti- 
mation of  tlie  difference  of  meridian  between  Mexico 
and  Vt>ra  Cruz.  This  method  of  check  and  countt^r- 
check  was  followed  as  far  as  possible  in  all  cases,  and 
thouGfh  detailed  accounts  of  these  thino's  can  Iiardlv 
interest  any  but  scientific  men,  they  give  to  the  most 
superficial  some  idea  of  the  minute  and  patient  indus- 
trv  of  Humboldt. 


fill 


CITY  AND  COUNTRY. 


103 


lllg  IS 


ludus- 


Mexioo  is  described  by  earlier  writers  as  seated  in 
tlie  midst  of  waters,  but  it  is  now  more  tliau  two  miles 
from  the  margin  of  the  diminished  Tjzcuco.  This,  a 
residt  of  increased  drainage,  has  not  contributed  to 
tlie  general  fertility  of  the  valley.  A  lack  of  vigorous 
vegetation  has  been  becoming  more  and  more  appar- 
ent since  the  conquest,  at  which  time  the  clayey  soil, 
being  washed  by  more  frequent  inundations,  was  cov- 
ered with  beautiful  verdure.  The  climate  of  the  city 
of  ^Mexico  is  generally  mild,  even  in  winter,  as  that  of 
Naples.  In  point  of  appearance  it  is  one  of  the  finest 
cities  in  the  new  continent.  It  is  more  im]K)sing  and 
majestic,  thougli  not  perhaps  so  beautiful  or  so  smil- 
ing as  when  great  tcocallis  lifted  their  minarets  ovi  r 
the  heads  of  an  uncomjuered  people,  and  waters  pressed 
on  its  foundations,  and  thousands  of  boats  shot  througli 
its  street-canals — an  Aztec  Venice.  The  present  arch- 
itecture is  generally  pure  in  style  and  of  good  taste, 
not  surcharged  with  ornament,  but  solid,  often  even 
magnificent.  Seldom  arc  to  be  seen  those  ponderous 
wooden  balconies  which  disfigure  .-^o  many  other  Eu- 
ropean-founded cities  in  the  Indies  and  Americas;  but 
here  tlie  balustrades  and  spates  are  of  Biscav  iron 
ornamented  with  bronze. 

Tile  travellers  were  somewhat  surprised  to  see  in 
tliis  city  many  fine  establishments  devoted  tt)  science 
and  the  fine  arts — a  school  of  mines  which  was  grndu- 
;\\]y  intro<lucing  juster  ideas  of  mining  geology,  and 
some  sorelv  needed  reforms  in  minin<jf  metliods — a 
line  arts  academv,  owiii'jf  its  existence  to  the  liberalitv 
of  ]»nvate  citizens,  and  ':lie  protection  of  ^linistcr 
( ralvez,  I  possessing  a  collection  of  plaster  casts 
finer  than  anything  of  the  kind  in  (Ji  rmany.  Lao- 
cooii  writhed  there  in  the  sui)reme  aijonv  of  his  iuiuioi-- 
tal  struggle  with  the  serpents  of  Tenedos;  and  the 
ilivine  form  of  the  Apollo  J^elvidere  had  cast  out  for- 
ever those  hideous  monstrosities  that  the  Aztecs  de- 
lighted to  honor.  In  this  academy  instruction  was 
free,  and  here  were  found  studying  and  competing  all, 


104 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


ill  'I 


Si     1. 


I  i 


i:!i 


t 


Indian  and  vvliite,  whom  talent  and  ojjportunity  fa- 
vored, for  art  is  nature,  and  makes  the  whole  world 
kin,  knowing  no  aristocracy  but  that  of  gf;nius.  The 
excellent  instruction  supplied  by  this  school  has  had 
already  a  jjreat  influence  on  the  architectural  taste  of 
the  nation.  In  Mexico,  Guanajuato,  and  Querutart) 
were  many  edifices  which  would  have  adorned  the 
finest  streets  of  Paris,  Berlin,  or  St  Petersburg.  For 
the  jj^reat  square  of  the  city,  Don  Manuel  Tolsa, 
director  of  the  class  of  sculpture,  had  just  comi>letcd 
a  maj^nificent  bronze  equestrian  statue  of  Charles  IV., 
reiLcning  king  of  Spain,  and  Humboldt  had  the  i)leas- 
ure  of  witnessing  both  its  castinij  and  its  erection.  In 
this  square  were  the  new  cathedral  with  its  massive 
towers,  built  over  the  remains  of  the  great  tenqdo  of 
Mexith,  and  the  viceroy's  palace,  fronting  the  s[)ot 
on  which  the  palace  of  Montezuma  had  formerly  sti>od. 
]5uried  in  one  of  the  passages  of  the  university 
of  ^Texico  was  a  great  double  Aztec  idol,  in  ba.saltic 
})orpliyry,  which  had  been  dug  uj)  by  workmen  en- 
gaged on  an  excavation  in  17*J0,  conveyed  to  the  uni- 
versity, and  concealed  there  lest  it  might  trouble  the 
weak  faith  of  the  Aztec  youth.  Humboldt,  by  dint 
of  solicitation,  secured  the  privilege  of  examining  and 
ski'tehing  it.  ]te  supposed  it  to  represent  tlie  Aztec 
god  t»f  war  and  his  wife.  He  also  studied  the  stone 
of  sacrii'ice,  and  the  calendar-stone.  The  first  was 
adorned  in  relief  with  the  triumphs  of  some  old  Aztec 
warrior,  probably  a  king.  This  stone,  Humboldt,  con- 
trary to  the  usual  hy{M)thesis,  suppc)sed  to  have  served- 
the  pur})ose,  not  of  an  altar  for  tlu;  sacrifice  of  human 
victims,  but  of  a  tcmaJacatl,  one  of  those  great  stones 
on  which,  as  on  a  platft»rm,  prisoners  were  allowetl  to 
contend,  in  certain  cases,  for  their  lives  with  ^lexican 
warriors.  As  to  the  calendar-stone — the  most  imj)or- 
tant  of  all  the  Aztec  monuments,  and  one  which  seems 
to  prove  the  existence  of  a  civilization  which  we  have 
some  difficulty  in  belitving  to  be  the  result  of  ob- 
servations made  by  a  nation  of  mountaineers  in  the 


H 


VALLKV   OF   MFXICO. 


10.-) 


unciiltlvatcd  regions    of  tlio    iww    continent     Huni- 
l)ol(lt  coniiJarod  tlic  cinunistanccs  attending"  its  jtos- 
session  by  tlio  Aztecs  to  tliose  in  which  a  l:in^n;ii;'e, 
rich  in  words  and  in  };;raniniatical  forn^s,  is  found  with 
a  jKople  wlioso  paucity  of  ideas  is  wliolly  incoininen- 
surato  with  the  niultiphcity  <)f  nieiha  adapted  to  eon- 
\ry  and  enihodv  tlieni.      "Tliose  lani^ua-'ts  rich  and 
ili'xihle,   tlioso  modes  of   intcrcahitioii  which  picsup- 
j»os()  jin  accurate   knowdedj^o   of  the  duration   of  tlic 
astronomical  year,  are  perhaps  only  the  renmants  of  .mi 
iiiheritancc,  transmitted  to  them  1>\'  nations  jiejtto- 
i'oro    civilized,    but   since    relapsed    into    baii)arism." 
Humboldt  had   often  been   struck   with   tlu'  analogy 
wliich    existed     between    the    ancient    tradition    and 
i.ieniorials  of  various  })eo[)les  of  Asia-  the;  I'liihetans 
and  Ja[)anesc,  for  example — and  those  of  the  ^Fi'xican 
races;  but  this  anal(»_i^y  was  n<»wliero  so  ajtpai-eiit  as 
in  the   division  of  time  revealed  in   this   calendar,  in 
the  employment  of  recurring   jteriods,  and   m   tlie   in- 
genious though  embarrassing  method  <tf  designating 
a  day  or  a  year,  not  by  numbers,  but  by  astrological 
;.igns.      The  sv.'tem  of  the  methods  of  those  .\siatic 
nations  and  these  American  is  essentially  the  same. 

The  valley  of  ^[cxieo  is  in  niany  i-esjiects  nui»|U<\ 
It  is  surrounded  as  by  a  circular  wall  with  a  icmark- 
able  chain  of  ])orphyritic  and  basaltic  mountains. 
The  whole  valley  is  but  the  dried-up  bottom  of 
an  ancient  lake.  The  five  basins  of  fresh  and  salt 
water  in  the  centre  of  the  plateau,  "the  tive  lakes 
/umpango,  San  ('hrist(')bal,  Tez-uco,  Xochimilco,  and 
( 'Jialco,  are  to  the  geologist  but  the  feeble  remnants  of 
a  great  sheet  of  water  which  ftrmerlv  covered  the  whoh; 
v;dley  of  Tenochtitlan."  Yet  despite  the  iiiterest 
attaching  to  this  valley  historically,  geologically,  and 
ill  i'esj)ect  to  its  various  hydi'aidic  c<»nstructions,  thei'(; 
existed  no  map  giving  its  true  form,  Hundxtldt, 
therefore,  fixed  by  many  astronomical  observations 
tli(>  limits  of  the  v.allev,  and  from  thest>  and  a  <>reat 
mass    of  collected    material  constructed  an  excellent 


m 


'<! 


lOG 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CEXTURV. 


I      1 


m 


uiii}).     By  a  bold  simile  he  compared  the  whole  valley 
to  that  of  the  mountains  of  the  nxtoii. 

The  distinguished  visitor  was  reeeived  at  the  eapi- 
tal  with  all  that  eonsideration  and  liospitality  to  whi(h 
his  eondition  and  his  personal  nurit  alike  entithvl  liim. 
AmoiiiLS'  the  several  congenial  sjtirits  wliieh  he  found, 
lie  took  especial  delight  in  Jion  Jost'  Antonio  ]^i- 
chardo,  whose  house  to  him  was  as  tlie  house  of  Si- 
ijfiicnza  to  tlie  traveller  Gemelli.  This  man  liad  tlio 
finest  collection  of  hieroglyphic  paintings  in  tlie  capit;d ; 
sacrificing  his  fortune  to  obtain  them,  coi)vini;  wliat 
he  could  not  buv.  In  the  new  as  m  the  old  continent, 
the  collection  and  conservation  of  objects  of  national 
imjiortance  are  generally  left  to  private  individuals, 
and  those  not  always  the  richest  of  the  people.  I>ut 
IIumb(,ldt  was  a  man  of  the  sahnis  as  well  as  of  tlie 
museums,  and  was  as  perfect  in  flirtation  and  sarcasm 
as  in  handling  fossils  or  gymnoti.  His  flirting  was 
])robab]y  a  mere  foil  of  politeness  and  relaxation,  but 
his  sarcasm  was  incisive.  These,  his  less  philoso[)]ii- 
cal  (jualities,  or  if  you  will  his  littleness,  have  been 
quietly  ignored  by  his  biographers  as  derogatory  to 
h!s  dignity,  or  to  his  amiability.  In  the  city  of  ^[ex- 
ico  he  seems  positively  to  have  been  smitten  outriglit 
by  a  famous  creole  beauty,  I^a  Giiera  llodriguez, 
dauiihter-in-law  of  that  Count  dc  liei^la  wlio  l)uilt, 
ecjuipped,  and  presented  to  the  king  of  Si)ain  two 
sliips  of  war,  of  the  largest  size,  in  maliogany  and 
cedar,  and  offered  to  pave  the  road  from  A'era  Cruz  to 
the  capital  with  silver,  if  his  ^lajesty  of  Spain  would 
visit  his  American  provinces.  "She  was  then  veiy 
young,  though  married,  and  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren," says  ^Madame  Calderon  de  la  Barca.  "He  came 
to  visit  her  mother;  she  was  sitting  sewing  in  a  corner 
where  the  baron  did  not  perceive  her;  until,  talking 
very  earnestly  on  the  subject  of  cochineal,  he  inquired 
if  he  could  visit  a  certain  district  where  there  was  a 
l)lantation  of  nopals.  *  To  be  sure,'  said  La  (jriiera  from 
her  corner,  'we  can  take  M.  de  Humboldt  there;' 


MINKS   AND   >rANUFACT>miES. 


107 


been 

V  to 

Mcx- 

•ijjjlit 

JJllCZ, 

)uilt, 
two 
and 
uz  to 
iNVould 
very 
ehil- 
canie 
corner 
Ikin^jf 
juireil 
was  a 
from 
lere;' 


whereupon,  lie  first  perceivintjf  lier,  stood  aniaze<l,  and 
at  leni^tli  cxelainu'd,  '  Wihjdtne  Dio^i !  \\\\o  is  that  nii-l  C 
Afterwar<ls  he  was  constantly  with  her,  and  more 
captivated,  it  is  said,  l)y  her  wit  than  hy  her  heautv; 
consideriniif  lier  a  sort  of  western  !N[adanie  do  Staiil." 
Ifuniholdt  next  visited  tlio  mines  of  Moran  and 
Real  del  ^Foiite,  handled  the  obsidian  interstratitied 
with  the  j)earl-stones  and  ])orph\'ries  of  Oyamel,  and 
u-(<'d  bv  the  ancient  Mexicans  in  the  manufacture  of 
knives,  and  sketched  the  hasaltic  colunms  of  tlie 
Staffa-hke  cascade  of  Ileola.  lleturnin*^  to  the  capi- 
tal in  July,  lui  again  left  it  to  visit  the  rich  mines  in 
tlie  north  of  the  viceroyalty,  principally  (luanajuato. 
And  on  his  way  thither  he  first  examined  that  great 
opening  in  the  mountain  of  Suicog,  the  canal  of  Hue- 
liuetoca,  ixcavated  to  previintunchu!  risings  of  the  val- 
li  y  lakis,  and  untimely  inundations  of  its  metrojiolis. 
It  was  choked  up  in  IG21),  and  Hooded  the  town  Ibr 
fi\e  years,  filling  its  streets  with  canoes  as  in  the  old 
(^)rtes  times.  From  the  valley  of  Tular,  thi-ough 
which  this  desagiic  ran,  JIumboldtpassed  by  the  moun- 
tain of  Calulpan,  and  tlie  town  of  San  Juan  del  llio, 
to  tlie  city  of  Queretaro,  a  place  noted  for  its  tasteful 
buildings,  which  was  also  making  some  praisewoi'tliy 
attempts  to  manufacture  certain  kinds  of  cloth  by 
an  execrable  system.  In  August,  Humboldt  visited 
certain  f)f  these  manufactories.  The  technical  ])rocess 
ni  tile  preparation  for  dyeing  was  very  imix'rl'ect. 
Tlie  situation  of  tlie  workshops  was  unhealtliy  in  the 
extreme,  and  the  treatment  of  the  workmen  ahomina- 
l>le.  The  convicts  of  the  country  Wi'r*;  distributed 
among  these  factories,  that  tliev  miujht  be  coinnt'lled 
to  work.  But  free  men  wi'i'o  confouiuU'd  with  these 
convicts,  and  subjected  with  them  to  the  treatment  of 
felons.  Every  workshop  was  a  dark  prison,  whose  in- 
mates, shut  in  by  double  doors,  were  ragged,  pallid, 


and  mai 


»y 


of  th 


dcf< 


lem  (icTormei 


1.    i^: 


veil 


tl 


lose  wJio  hv  a 


refinement  c»f  sarcasm  were  called  free,  never  saw  the 
faces  of  their  families  except  on  Sundays;  while  all 


Mi.. 

m 
w 


h 


I  ! 


(I 


H' 


108 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETKKXTII  Ci:\TUUV 


werc  subjt'cted  to  incrciilt'SH  fl<)<jfix"m!4H  upon  tlio  most 
ti'ivial  int'riiiLjt'incnts  of  t\\v  rcLiulatioiis,  Tliis  ])o\vcr 
ovrr  tV(c  M'orkt'i-s  is  i-uiiird  l»v  clioosintjf  fi'(»m  the 
])oorfr  Indians  such  as  it  is  thoiiiflit  Avill  suit  tlie  \vorU  ; 
lluMi  advanciu'''  tlicni  inonrv,  or  in  otlur  wavs  dijiw- 
inj^  thoni  into  d('i»t.  Sucli  is  tlic  impi-ovidcnci'  oftlio 
majority  of  these  pcopli',  and  their  ])assion  i'or  intoxi- 
<-ation  and  _!^and)iin<j;',  tliat  tlic  i)lot  j^cnerally  succeeds. 
In  sucli  a  case  tlie  man  is  a  debtor,  that  is  to  say,  ];e 


is  a  slave,  wliom  it  is  lawful  to  enclose  in  tl 


le  woi 


•k 


pliops  till  he  shall  havi-  worked  out  his  tk-ht;  whic  h 
he  tjfciu'i'allv  does  with  his  life.  It  is  not  thus  that 
tin-  manufai-turcs  of  a  country  are  pernnuuMitly  m\- 
Aanced,  nor  thus  that  a  desire  for  that  ad\ancenient 
is  likely  to  be  excited  in  the  minds  of  thi'  people. 
Humboldt  next  went  to  (Guanajuato,  stoi)pin!^'   on 


us    w 


^^y 


at    the    mines    of   S<»tolar,    Juchitlan,    \av 


Ai;-uas,  ^Faconi,  Kl  Doctor,  and  San  Christohal.  lie 
remained  lu're  two  months  investi^^atinuf  the  j^eolo^y 
and  botany  of  the  country;  the  iirst,  principally  in 
connection  with  the  mine  of  A'alenciana,  the  richest 
in  ( Juanajuato,  the  richest  in  all  Mexico.  Here  in 
I  "()<),  with  o-oats  feeding  on  the  hills  aroimd  him,  a 
stout-hearted    S[ianiard    named    Obregon    beoan    to 


WOl 


k 


a   vem   aoo\c 


ah 


tl 


le   ravmc 


of  S 


an    Javier. 


It 


had  bi'cn  an  old  Indian  mine,  and  was  sup|X)sed  to  be 
exhausted.  Obregon  ki'pt  sinking  his  pit  and  his 
money,  and  that  of  his  friends,  with  but  little  result 
for  many  years.  In  17()7  he  was  forced  to  take  a 
jH'tty  merchant  of  Kayas  as  a  ])artiu'r;  and  from  that 
time  the  })it  grew  richer  as  it  was  sunk  deepi'r,  and 
from  17?  1  it  yielded  over  ,i^ 1, 000,000  annuallv. 

In  general,  in  Mexican  mines  the  mineral  was 
abundant,  but,  weight  for  weight,  nmch  ]H)orer  than 
that  of  the  Euro|)ean  mines.  A  contem[)t  for  inno- 
vation amouL!:  the  master  miners  also  enormously  in- 
creased  the  cost  of  extraction,  by  the  use  of  antiquated 
machinery  and  exploded  mt^thods  of  working.  A  lit- 
tle more  method,  a  little  more  attention  to  the  ad- 


MINKUAI.S    AXD   MKTALS. 


100 


"Las 
lie 

llyiu 

ichost 

e  ill 

nn,  a 

It 

Lt>  l>o 
his 

[VSVllt 

that 
,  anil 

was 
than 
innit- 
,lv  in- 
^uati'cl 


vnno(\'^  in  clitMnistrv  and  nnchanics,  Avonld  ha\«> 
11  thu'»'(l  the  rxji«>nsrs  hy  liaU'.  Jn  the  [iroccss  d 
aiiial;4aniati(ni  (.'specially,  tlu'i't'  Avas  an  eimi-nious  w.-istc 
of  iniTciiry,  which  itself  should  bo  a  ncvcr-failini,' 
source  of  wealth.  Few  countries  have  so  many  indi- 
cations  of  cinnuharas  this  tahle-land  from  tlio  ll'th  to 
t!ie    --t{   parall<'is.      Wein'hini;',    liowcscr.   upon    what 


was    ( 


xtracti'd    were    various    vtxati 


Kiis    '_;(>\(rnnn'nt 


regulations,  forcini;.  i'oi'  exaniph-,  e\ery  niiin-ownei' 
to  buy  such  and  such  a  )»rojM)rtion  of  tlie  ;;dverninent 
imported  mercury,  and  in  fiict,  dealing'  »)ut  tlie  sup- 
plies from  all  s(»urces  in  an  arl)itrary  and  »'nteipii>-r- 
destroN  iu''-  way. 

The    ores,   too,   when    extracted,   ai'e    suhjectid    to 
\arious  inij»t>sts  and    duties  of  seit^-iioraue.      Ndw.    it 


tl 


le  same  wi 


th  tl 


lese  (hrect  imjiosts  on  o( 


.1.1 


lllMl 


\er  as  with   the  jtrotit   the  novertnnent  derl\i's   from 
ll;e  sale  of  mercury.      Miniiij^'  o]»erations  will  incre 


ise 


;e;  these  nn[)osts  (hmiiMsh,  and  as  the  mercury  iiKhs- 
|niisal>le  to  amalgamation  sjiall  he  furnished  at  a 
llumhold     was  astonished  that  Adam 


iwer  i>rict 


.      1'  .  . 

Smith  should  minu'le  with   the  soundest  ideas  i-elative 

to  the  exchani;'!'  of  metals  a  defence  of  the  suicidal 
(hities  of  seig'iiorag'e.  Considering",  then,  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  the  Cordilleras,  the  jirohahle  richnes-  of  tlieir 
drposits,  and  the  wasteful  way  in  which  the  compnra- 
tively  few  veins  already  examined  ha\*'  heen  woiked,  it 
is  prohahle  that  tlu'  mines  of  ^[exico  have  yet  to  reacli 
their  maximum.  T\\c  opinion  that  Mexico  jiroduees 
oiilv  perhaps  the  third  pai't  of  the  ])recious  metals 
which  it  could  under  hapjiier  j)olitical  and  social  cir- 
cmnstauces,  under  a  better  administration  and  with  a 
more  industi'ious  and  better  instrueted  people,  is  eoni- 
iiion  to  the  most  intelligent  individuals  of  that  country. 
Humboldt  knew  wi-ll  that  this  was  in  direct  oontra- 
(liction  with  most  authors  on  political  economy — they 
allirming  the  Anu'i'lcan  mines  to  be  ])artly  exhausted, 
and  partly  too  dei>))  for  furtlicr  retmmerativi'  ex]tlora- 
tion  -  still  ho  believed  that  theoretic   opinions  must 


no 


MEXICO  IX  THK  NINKTEEN'TU  (T.XTURY. 


r!i; 


ii  I'  i 


giv(!  wuy  Initoro  tlio  results  of  the  ])iiticiit  investigation 
tincl  t'ctinparisoii  of  facts.  Xeitlier  did  lie  sluire  in 
anotiiiT  very  general  idea,  that  the  mines  were  at  bot- 
tom more  injurious  than  helpful  to  the  country,  and 
iion-prodiietivo  in  tlie  long  event  of  any  permanent 
good.  Of  course,  notwithstanding  the  great  advan- 
tage of  the  precious  metals  in  ])urchaslng  the  goods  of 
other  nations,  it  is  well  to  understand  definitely  that 
it  is  in  the  nature  of  thin<j:s  that  sueli  stoi'es  will  one 
day  run  out,  and  that  even  immense  developments  of 
them  will,  nearly  in  proportion  to  those  developments, 
diminish  their  connnercial  value;  that  in  fact  the  onlv 
cai)Ital  which  constantly  multiplies  and  increases  itself, 
tlirough  time,  consists  in  the  ])roduce  of  agriculture. 
And  those  who  have  more  knowledge  of  the  interior 
than  the  vayue  information  at  tJiat  time  accessible 
could  give,  know  tliat  tlie  ])rincipal  riches  of  ^lexlco 
are  not  in  her  mines,  but  in  an  agriculture  which  has 
been  gradually  extending  and  improving  since  tlie  end 
of  tlie  preceding  century.  Yet  all  this,  however  true, 
is  inferential  of  nothing  to  the  prejudice  of  mining  as 
a  valuable  source  of  national  wealth;  it  merely  shows 
that  agriculture  is  another  and  on  the  whole  a  more 
reliable  and  permanent  contributor  to  that  end.  It  is 
not  to  the  mines  of  Mexico  that  any  backwardness 
in  the  other  departments  of  national  industry  is  justly 
attrii)utable,  but  to  those  political,  moral,  and  physical 
stumbling-blocks  hitherto  obstructing  the  advancement 
of  the  Spanish  col(»nial  interests.  If  these  mines  have 
fostered  a  spirit  o  reckless  expenditure  and  s[)ecula- 
tion,  tliey  have  a^  ^  called  out,  and  do  call  out,  enter- 
prise, invention,  a  '  geological  and  chemical  researcli. 
If,  indeed,  these  ct  eted  metals  add  little  to  the  real 
wealth  of  the  worlo  their  seekinjjf  creates  or  stinmlates 
a  thousand  necess  ies  which  do.  Roads  are  built, 
great  systems  of  traffic  inaugurated,  and  an  increased 
demand  springs  up  fDr  those  things  which  sustam 
life  and  make  it  enjoyable.  The  influence  of  mining 
on  agriculture  is  plainly  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 


CLIMATK  A\I)  VOIXAN'OFA 


in 


Invst  cultivati'd  lands  in  Mcxuo  iivv  tli<»si'  cxti-ndinj^ 
fnmi  Sulanianca  toward  Silao,  (Juanajuato,  and  H:o 
A'illa  do  Jjcon;  that  is  to  say,  tho  lands  appoitainin^' 
to  the  riclust  nuniiii,'  iv^^don  of  tho  known  woild. 
And  now,  in  disniissinjL?  tin;  sultjcct  of  ndniny,  wc  may 
add  that  Humboldt  rooeivid  little  information  fioni 
any  |)ul)li('  colK'ctions  of  minerals.  At  Mexico,  as  at 
^ladrid,  while  these  collections  contained  the  rarest 
s|>('ciniens  from  other  and  distant  countries,  tlioso 
illustrative  of  the  mineralogical  <j^eo_<^rapliy  of  New 
f'pain  were  almost  entirely  "Nvantin<j;;.  It  is  to  he 
hojK'd,  however,  that  the  proy  ietors  of  the  mines  will 
gradually  coiikj  to  see  how  much  it  concerns  their  in- 
terest that  a  knowledge  of  localities  in  detail,  and  of 
the  properties  and  j>ositions  of  the  several  minerals, 
should  l)e  i'acilitated  and  exten<l<'d. 

From  (Juanajuato  ]Iumholdt  went  south,  hy  Sala- 
manca and  the  valli-y  of  San  Jago,  to  N'alladolid 
(Morelia),  a  small  city  of  18,000  inhahitants,  and  cap- 
ital of  the  ]>rovince  of  ^Fichoacan,  the  most  fertile  and 
dcli;^htful  (»f  Mexico.  Next  ho  ilescended,  notwith- 
stanchng  the  heavy  autumn  rains,  to  the  plain  of  Jo- 
rullo,  hv  wav  of  l^ascuaro,  situated  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  J*ascuaro,  whose  picturescpio  beauty  riveted  tho 
attention  of  the  traveller.  ]^ut  admiration  gave  place 
to  awe  at  sight  of  the  !Mal[)ays,  a  tract  of  thi'ce  or 
lour  S(|uare  miles  in  extent,  which  had  been  suddenly 
tiirown  up  into  a  great  dome  by  volcanic  forci's,  in 
Juno  1751).  On  this  again  six  great  masses  a j>peared, 
of  irom  l,r{00  tf)  1,700  feet  each  above  the  old  hv(l  of 
the  plains.  Among  these  the  great  volcano  of  Jorullo 
was  cons[)icuous;  and  the  whole  was  stUTounded  by 
tliousands  of  little  cones  from  six  to  nine  feet  in 
height,  and  always  covered  with  vapor.  On  the  night 
this  eruption  occurred,  the  earth  rolled  like  a  troubled 
sia,  and  spouting  fire,  ashes,  and  mud,  swallowed 
tlio  two  rivers  of  Cuitamba  and  San  Pedro.  The 
subterraneous  fires  at  this  time  were  moderated,  and 
Vegetation  was  beginning  to  appear  on  the  sides  of 


if 


112 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


I  '  '!| 


the  great  volcano.  Still,  such  was  the  eftect  of  the 
hmunicrablo  small  cones,  or  ovens,  as  they  were  called, 
that  tlie  thermometer,  even  at  a  great  distance  from 
the  surface,  and  in  the  shade,  marked  101)°.  On  the 
19th  of  September,  Humboldt  descended  250  feet  into 
the  burning  crater  of  tlie  central  cone  of  Jorullo,  and 
collected  its  gaseous  products. 

The  position  of  this  volcano  gave  rise  to  a  curious 
train  of  speculation  in  the  mind  of  its  visitor.  He 
remarked  that  there  had  existed  from  historic  times  a 
parallel  of  volcanic  mountains,  situated  in  a  line  at 
riofht  anoles  to  the  axis  of  the  o;reat  cordillera  of  And- 
huac.  The  Peak  of  Orizaba,  the  two  volcanoes  of 
Puebla,  l*op  atepetl  and  Iztaccihuatl,  the  Nevado  de 
Toluca,  the  Peak  of  Tancitaro,  and  the  Volcan  de 
Colima,  cimjpose  a  single  " pa rallele  des  grandcs  eleva- 
tions," from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific;  and  when 
Jorullo  sprang  up,  it  sprang  up  in  line.  Considering 
all  this,  he  supposes  it  to  be  not  improbable  that  there 
exists  in  ^[exico,  at  a  great  d^pth  in  the  interior  of 
the  earth,  a  line  of  weakness,  as  modern  physicists 
would  call  it,  IP)?  leagues  in  length,  through  the 
porphyritic  rocks,  from  ocean  to  ocean.  Perhaps,  too, 
this  chasm  extends  to  that  archipelago  called  by  Col  1- 
nott  tlio  Archipelago  of  Pevillagiedo  (Revilla  Gigedo), 
around  which,  in  the  same  parallel  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking,  puinice-stone  and  other  volcanic  pnjd- 
ucts  have  becK  seen  floating  on  the  Pacific. 

From  Valladolid  the  traveller  returned  toward 
!>[oxico  by  the  plateau  of  Toluca,  where  he  examined 
the  trunk  of  the  famous  hand-leaved  tree,  the  cheiros- 
tcmon  'i)hdan aides  of  Professor  Cervantes,  nine  j'ards 
in  circuit,  and  of  great  antiquity.  He  also  climbed 
and  foun'l  the  level  of  the  adjacent  mountain,  which, 
itself  over  10,000  feet  high,  contains  a  lake  in  its 
crater  at  an  elevation  of  12,000  feet,  from  which  flows 
a  cold  stream,  temperature  48'  Fahr.  Humboldt  was 
once  more  in  the  capital  about  the  close  of  September, 
Here  he  and  his  companion  set  themselves  to  arrange 


MOUNTAINS  AND  PYRAMIDS. 


113 


f  the 
xlled, 
from 
n  the 
t  into 
),  and 

irious 
Ho 

,raes  a 
ine  at 
:  And- 
oes  of 
ado  do 
3an  do 
;  elcva- 
[  when 
ideriii*^ 
t  there 
jrior  of 
lysicists 
the 
is,  too, 
Coll- 
igedo), 
'c  have 
e  prod- 

oward 
amhied 
chelros- 

yards 
Vnnbed 
which, 

in  its 
h  flows 
kit  was 
teinber. 
arrauL-e 


® 
s 


their  f^eological  and  botanical  specimens,  to  calculate 
various  nieasurenients  which  they  had  made,  and  plat 
out  some  of  tlieir  maps — especially  the  <Tfeolo<jfical 
atlas — all  of  which  served  to  detain  them  till  the  close 
of  the  year. 

In  the  bt'Lj^inninuf  of  January  1804,  Humboldt  went 
and  I'xaniiui'd  the  eastern  slope  of  the  cordillera,  and 
tlien  visitid  Puebla  de  los  Angeles  and  the  pyramid 
of  Cholula.  This  pyramid  was  about  four  times  the 
(hniensions  of  the  Place  Vendome,  and  covered  with 
a  heap  of  bricks  to  twice  the  height  t)f  the  Louvre, 
From  its  great  platform  Humboldt  made  many  astro- 
nomical observations.  The  eye  there  commands  a 
iiiagiiificeiit  prospect:  Popocatepetl,  Iztaccihuatl,  Ori- 
zaha.  and  the  stormy  sierra  of  Tlaxcala  loom — three 
of  them  liiglier  than  !Mont  Blanc;  two,  burning  vol- 
canoes. '^NFasswas  said  in  a  small  chapel  where  the 
temple  of  Quetzalcoatl,  god  of  the  air,  had  once  stood 
in  the  golden  age  of  the  i)eoplo  of  Anilhuac.  As  to 
tlie  end  subserved  by  these  pyramids,  their  essential 
jtait  was  the  tower-shaped  editice  which  crowned  the 
wliole,  and  contained  the  images  of  the  divinitv  t(» 
whom  tlie  structure  was  dedicated — not  the  riM:e[)tacles 
or  chambers  in  which  certain  dead  were  placed.  They 
Were  tombs  and  temples,  but  especiall}'  temples;  they 
wviv  generally  artificial  hills  raised  in  the  midst  of  a 
I'lain  to  serve  as  bases  for  altars. 

llund)»)Mt  ])erceiv  )d  a  c^reat  analogy  between  the 
Mexican  tcncalliti,  of  which  Cliolula  is  the  most  strik- 
ing type,  and  the  ancient  tempio  of  ]^el  at  Babylon — 
not  onlv  in  c#>nstructio)\,  l)ut  in  object;  cither  beiiiL; 
at  once  a  tomb  ai'd  a  ti'nij)le.  There  also  existed 
strong  analogies  between  the  form  of  these  teocallis 
and  that  of  the  other  pyramids  of  Asia  and  Egypt; 
hut  on  the  other  hand,  their  destinies  were  dift'erent. 
Tlie  pyramids  of  Asia  and  Egypt  served  only  as  the 
tmubs  of  illustrious  ])ersonages.  Between  the  Egyp- 
tian and  the  ^fexican,  the  p3'ramid  of  Belus  is  prol)- 
ahly  a  conuectiug  link,  inasmuch  as  it  would  seem  that 

Cal.  Past.,  Vol.  1.    8 


114 


MEXICO  m  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


Vir.m 


P'.  ;    lii 


li!  ' 


^y-M 


■^  m. 


c'iil: 


tlio  addition  of  the  temple  to  the  latter  was  an  acci- 
dental circumstance. 

Next,  tlie  volcanoes  of  Iztacciluiatl  and  i*o|io(.-utcj)(tI 
were  visited,  measured,  and  the  latter  ascended.  Ti.is 
"Volcan  grande  de  Mexico"  is  higher  than  Mont 
Blanc,  and  in  the  scientist's  opinion  grander  in  aspect 
than  anything  Europe  can  show. 

Tlie  travellers  then  descended,  often  by  steep  slopes 
and  through  dense  forests,  to  Jalapa,  where  they 
lodged  in  the  convent  of  Saint  Francis.  This  charm- 
ing town  commanded  a  magnificent  view;  on  the  one 
side  the  ocean  and  its  sultry  adjacent  plains;  on  the 
other  the  Cordilleras  of  Andhuac,  the  peak  of  Orizaba, 
and  the  square-topped  Cofre  de  Perote. 

The  intendency  of  Vera  Cruz  contains  a  remarkable 
ruin,  that  of  I'apantla — a  pyramid  which  Humboldt 
describes,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  visited. 

The  danoferous  route  tlirou<j:h  thick  forests  and  other 
impediments,  between  Jalapa  and  Perote,  was  thrice 
barometrically  levelled,  to  determine  its  capabilities 
for  a  post- road,  then  under  the  consideration  of  tlie 
government. 

From  Jalapa  they  descended  to  Vera  Cruz.  The 
yellow  fever,  vomifo  negro,  of  Vera  Cruz  has  a  sensible 
influence  on  the  supply  of  connnodities  in  ^Lexico  ami 
their  price.  This  is  the  only  port  on  the  eastern  coast 
which  can  afford  any  shelter  to  large  vessels.  iJr.t 
when  the  terrible  epidemic  is  upon  the  city,  no  vessels 
that  can  possibly  help  it  land,  and  no  nmleteers  from 
the  interior  can  be  induced  to  enter  its  precincts. 
Commerce  stands  still,  for  it  cannot  get  carriage  tbr 
the  merchandise;  mining  falls  away,  for  iron,  steel, 
and  mercury  become  beycmd  price  in  the  mountain-. 
There  wtsre  two  remedies  usually  proposed  for  this; 
the  one  to  utterly  root  out  and  raze  the  town,  ami 
compel  its  ree.stablishment at  some  more  healthy  spot; 
the  other,  to  adoi)t  some  plan  to  render  the  port  moio 
habitable;  the  latter  should  if  possible  be  the  course 
followed,  considering,  not  only  the  immense  sums  In- 


TIERRA  CALIENTE. 


lis 


n  acci- 

Mout 
aspect 

1  slopes 
re  tbey 

chann- 
tho  one 

on  tlie 
Orizaba, 

narkable 
^uuiboblt 

indotbev 
as  tlirice 
pabilities 
m  of  tbe 

■uz.     Tlic 
sensil  ,lo 
cxico  antl 
cvn  const 
Icls.      VnX 
|uo  vesst  Is 
vva  tVoiH 
prccinels. 
Vriago  for 
,,   steel, 
liountaiu^. 
for  this; 
Itowii,  aiul 
llthy  sp"^"' 
[port  iHoi"^ 
the  course 
sums  in- 


vested by  the  government  in  its  fortificntions,  l)ut  Die 
fate  of  the  10,000  individuals  wlioso  fortunes  aro  to  a 
<>rrat  ext(!nt  staked  on  its  existence. 

In  February  Hundx)ldt  and  Bonpland  saw  in  tlio 
liospital  of  San  Sebastian  wliat  would  seem  to  have 
been  the  only  cast;  of  the  epidemic  then  in  Vera  Cruz, 
it  brinjjj  the  cold  season.  The  yellow  fi'ver  wjus  not 
considered  contagious  at  Vera  Cruz;  still  it  is  inipnjb- 
ablo  that  there  are  many  unprofessional  p<;rsons  who 
Would  care  to  carry  their  medical  researches  to  such 
au  extent  as  this,  in  a  town  of  such  an  unpleasant 
cliaracter.  The  air  of  Vera  Cruz  from  its  natural  sur- 
roundings is  always  tainted  with  putrid  emanations, 
wliich,  breathed  for  the  shortest  time  when  at  their 
maximum,  introduce  disorder  into  all  the  vital  func- 
tions. Yet  so  potent  is  use,  that  persons  born  in  that 
ciiy  are  not,  while  in  it,  exposed  to  contract  the 
disease.  Let  them,  however,  leave  their  native;  coun- 
try, let  them  visit  llabana,  Jamaica,  or  the  United 
States,  and  they  often  fall  victims  to  its  })articular 
typo  there;  and  conversely  the  same  is  true  of  the 
inhabitants  of  these  latter  places  when  they  visit  Vera 
( 'ruz. 

From  Vera  Cruz  the  scientists  were  carried  to 
llabana  by  a  Spanish  frigate,  leaving  Mexico  on  the 
7tli  of  March.  Having  spent  two  months  at  Habana, 
l)aehing  and  shipping  their  various  collections,  they 
sailed  for  Philadeli)hia,  visited  Washington,  and 
spending  eight  weeks  in  the  United  States,  studying 
A\ith  interest  the  men  and  institutions  of  the  great 
republic. 

On  the  9th  of  Juno  they  set  out  for  Europe,  and 
landid  at  Bordeaux  August  t],  1804,  having  been  five 
years  absent  from  Europe  on  their  American  explora- 
tions; of  which  time  about  a  year  had  been  spent  in 
Mexico. 

At  the  time  of  Humboldt's  visit  to  Mexico — or  New 
Spain,  as  he  preferred  to  call  it — "the  wealth  of  the 
great  landed  proprietors  had  attained  its  maximum. 


lie 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


The  extraordinary  success  of  mining  adventures,  which 
had  gone  on  flourishing  with  scarcely  any  interruption 
for  nearly  a  century,  had  stimulated  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil ;  and  from  the  comparatively  low  price  of 
labor,  immense  fortunes  were  realized  by  landlords 
and  ca])italists." 

On  [lis  arrival  in  New  Spain  Humboldt  was  favor- 
ably impressed  by  the  contrast  oflered  by  its  civiliza- 
tion to  the  very  limited  culture  of  most  of  the  Spanisli 
South  American  colonies.  This  contrast  led  him  t(» 
study  very  particularly  the  causes  which  led  to  this 
result.  Karely  has  there  been  a  man  better  qualified 
by  nature  and  education  for  such  a  work.  Profound 
in  many  of  the  natural  sciences,  and  knowing  more  or 
less  of  all,  at  home  in  many  languages  and  loving 
literature,  a  man  of  society,  with  German  sober  sense 
and  French  esprit,  who  knew  how  to  conciliate  those 
with  whom  he  was  brought  into  contact,  he  was  in 
every  sense  qualified  for  his  self-imposed  task.  Xo 
light  task  either,  wlien  we  consider  the  magnitude  of 
its  results,  and  the  paucity  of  previous  information 
existing  on  the  subject.  To  ascertain  the  cxael  out- 
line of  elevation  of  the  great  table-land  of  !^[exico,  he 
executed  five  great  surveys:  the  first  across  the  whole 
country  from  ocean  to  ocean — from  Acapulco  to  Mex- 
ico, and  from  ^Mexic  to  Vera  Cruz;  the  second  from 
Mexico  to  Guanajuato,  by  Tula,  Queretaro,  and  Sala- 
manca ;  the  third  from  Guanajuato  through  I'ascuaro  to 
the  volcano  of  Jorullo;  the  fourth  from  Valladolid 
to  Tolucaand  thence  to  Mexico;  the  fifth  was  devote  1 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Moran  and  Actopan.  lie 
determined  the  exact  heights  above  sea-level  of  20S 
points,  situated  in  the  country  bounded  by  the  i)ai' 
allels  IG^  50'  and  21°  of  north  latitude,  and  lyinu' 
between  the  meridians  98°  28'  and  162°  8'  of  longitudi' 
east  from  Paris. 

In  the  main,  the  soil,  climate,  and  vegetation  of 
Mexico  resemble  those  of  the  temperate  zones;  liut 
its  productions  arc  of  no  one  type ;  it  depends  little 


;s,  wliich 
rruptioii 
Itivatioii 
price  of 
iandlords 

'as  favor- 
3  eivili/a- 
j  Spanish 
id  him  tt» 
(1  to  this 
•  qualified 
Profound 
if  more  or 
^id   h)vu»g 
obcr  sense 
iate  those 
he  was  in 
task.     X<' 
Lgnitude  of 
iformatiou 

exact  out- 
\[cxico,  he 

the  whole 

0  to  Mex- 
cond  from 

and  Sala- 
'ascuaroto 
VaUadoli'l 
as  devoted 
opan.  lit- 
vol  of  20S 
y  the  pav- 

and  lylnu 
f  longitude 

fetation  ef 

1  zones;  i'Ut 
r)ends  little 


CLIMATE  AND  SOIL. 


117 


on  latitude,  for  nature  has  piled  all  climates  upon  the 
1  lacks  and  Hanks  of  its  mountains.  Its  worst  want  is 
that  of  old  Spain  herself,  a  want  of  water.  There  are 
parts  of  the  Mexican  interior  so  arid  and  destitute  of 
vei^etation,  that  their  aspect  recalls  the  j)lains  of  the 
two  Castiles;  and  where  saline  elflorescence  abounds, 
the  steppes  of  central  Asia.  This  evil  has  augmented 
since  the  concpiest  by  the  Europeans,  who  have  tk>- 
stroyed  without  planting,  to  an  alarming  extent,  and 
drained  to  excess  great  tracts  of  country.  I  have 
('idled  attention  to  the  etlects  of  this  latter  evil  in  the 
viilli  y  of  Mexico  itself;  and  the  effects  of  the  former  are 
perhaps  even  more  disastrous.  For  timber  grows 
scarcer  year  by  year,  while  the  demand  as  steadily  in- 
creases, and  the  lands  cleared  of  their  wood  seem  often 
to  become  barren.  The  iuHuence  of  forests  is  princi- 
pally })reservative,  cooling  and  refreshing  the  air,  and 
protecting  the  soil  against  the  direct  ravs  of  the  sun. 
Humboldt  proves  that  a  single  tree,  with  foliage  of  a 
given  lu)rizontal  section,  exercises  an  influence  of  this 
kind  several  thousand  times  greater  than  a  surface  of 
humid  or  grassy  soil  equal  in  area  to  this  section. 

Happily,  however,  the  sterility  of  which  we  have 
spoken  is  only  to  l)e  found  in  the  most  elev^ated  jdains, 
and  a  great  part  of  the  kingdom  a|>pertains  to  the 
most  fertile  regions  of  the  earth  With  proper  cul- 
tivation the  many  climates  and  varying  soils  of  Mexico 
could  be  made  to  su})pl3',  in  greater  or  less  extent,  all 
the  productions  of  all  the  zones.  But  agaii'.,  m  a  few 
seaports  and  deep  valleys,  this  fertility  is  balanced  by 
a  terrible  concomitant.  Beneath  the  burning  sun  of 
the  tropics,  extraordinary  fertility  too  often  indicates 
an  atmosphere  charged  with  deadly  miasma,  laden 
with  the  terrible  germs  of  tropic  fever.  It  was  this 
which  made  the  price  of  labor  three  times  as  high  at 
A  era  Cruz  as  on  the  central  plateau. 

Manufactui-es  had  made  but  small  progress  in  the 
Spanish  colonies  -  a  thini;  hardlv  to  be  grieved  at  if 
many  w^re  conducted  after  the  brutal  system  followed 


I  'S'llS 


m 


118 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTUPwY. 


at  Queretaro ;  a  thing  in  no  case  to  bo  wondered  at, 
considering  the  vexatious  anr^.  suspicious  pohcy  of  the 
home  government  toward  colonial  [jroductions  —  a 
policy  wliose  spirit  embodied  and  stigmatized  itself  by 
orders  for  the  rooting  up  of  vines,  lest  the  wine  of 
Spain  should  suffer  by  competition;  by  indirect  and 
direct  discouragement  in  all  similar  cases. 

This  was  partly  the  usual  modern  colonial  policy. 
For  ages  all  the  mother  countries  of  Europe  had  con- 
sidered a  colony  as  a  sort  of  step-child,  which,  [)os- 
sessing  few  of  the  privileges  of  home  province,  was 
to  be  subjected  to  more  enactments  and  restrictions 
than  a  conquered  one  It  was  only  thought  useful  in 
so  far  as  it  supplied  raw  material  for  the  metrop  )litan 
manufactures,  and  consumed  again  in  turn  a  greater 
or  less  portion  of  these  manufactures,  when  carried  to 
its  harbors  by  metro[)olitan  ships.  Such  p"hiciples 
are  easy  of  adaptation,  and  perhaps  very  slightly  pro- 
ductive of  evil  to  islands  of  small  extent,  or  to  isolated 
factories  on  the  shores  of  a  continent.  It  was  other- 
wise with  the  Spanish  colonial  provinces,  particularly 
with  Xew  Spain,  where  were  sutticient  hands  to  fur- 
nish labor,  and  a  demand  sufficieut  to  pay  them.  If 
other  reasons  were  necessary,  they  would  be  found  in 
the  enormous  expense  of  transporting  goods  iidand,  an 
expense  which  would,  properly  applied,  go  far  to  ])rii- 
duce  them  on  the  spot,  and  an  ex[)cnse  still  fuitlur 
increased  by  the  sup[)ort  of  officers  to  guard  against 
smuggling.  Strictly  speaking,  there  existed  no  royal 
decree  declaring  that  manufactures  should  not  oxisi ; 
but  then  it  is  on  the  spirit  in  which  laws  are  admiuls- 
tered  that  their  effects  depend;  and  where  indirect 
and  equivocal  decrees  can,  by  their  manner  of  exeiu- 
tion,  bo  made  to  produce  the  required  effect,  there  is 
evidently  no  necessity  for  a  waste  of  thunder  in  edicts 
more  explicit. 

As  an  example  of  the  method  followed  by  tiie 
Spanish  government  in  dealing  with  private  enter- 
prise, read  the  following:  "II  n'y  u  qu'un  demi-sieclo 


[ered  at, 
y  of  the 
ions  —  a 
itsoir  by 
wino  of 
rect  and 

.1  policy. 
lia<l  con- 
icli,  pos- 
iucc,  was 
stnctioiis 
useful  iu 
trop  )litau 
a  ivroater 
cairied  to 

p">Ut'ipk:^ 

;rhtlv  pro- 

•  "  1       1 

to  isolatud 

^vas  otlior- 
.iticulaily 
ds  to  fur- 

[tliem.     It' 

|e  found  in 
inland,  tin 
ar  to  pi""- 

lill  fuitlKi' 
rd  ai^'ainst 
lI  no  royal 
not  oxist; 
•c  adniini!^- 
•c  indiivtt 

of  CXC'i'U- 

■t,  thoiv  is 
Y  in  edicts 

Ld    bytiie 
late   enttv- 
leau-sietl*^ 


MANUFACTURES. 


119 


que  deux  citoyens,  aniiuc's  du  zele  patriotlque  le  plus 
pur,  le  conite  de  Gijon  et  le  marquis  do  Maunza,  con- 
(;ur«.;nt  1(!  projet  de  eonduiro  a  Quito  uue  colonie  d'ou- 
viicrs  ot  d'artisans  de  I'J'^urope:  le  ministere  espaL>nol 
f('i»»nant  d'api)laudir  a  Icur  zelc,  no  erut  pas  devoir  lour 
rt'tuscr  la  permission  do  monter  dcs  ateliors ;  mais  il 
sut  telkimi'iit  entravor  les  demarches  do  ccs  deux 
lioinnies  entreprenaus,  que  s'otant  a[)orcus  ,\  la  fin  que 
(^ics  ordres  secrets  avoient  etc  donnes  au  vice-i'oi  et  a 
I'audient^e,  pour  faire  cchouer  Icur  entreprise,  ils  y 
rcnoncurent  volontairement." 

In  New  Spain  the  nuumfacture  of  powder  was 
wliolly  a  royal  monopoly,  as  in  most  other  countries. 
Jjiit  here,  as  elsewhere,  tlie  j^overnment  which  creates 
artiticial  restrictions  and  monopolies  is  .smitten  with 
tlie  pla;j;ue'  of  contraband.  Hundxddt,  as  the  result  of 
diligent  research,  concluded  that  the  quantity  of  pow- 
der manufactured  by  the  rcjyal  mill  near  Santa  Fe, 
three  lea^'ues  from  the  city  of  Mexico,  was  to  that  sold 
fraudulently  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  four.  The 
mines  are  the  principal  consumeis;  they  are  dispersed 
far  iVoni  towns,  in  the  wildest  and  most  solitary  situa- 
tions, on  the  ridges  and  in  the  raviiu'S  of  the  cordi- 
Ihras,  wlien;  it  is  impossible  to  watch  the  smu^gh.'r. 
This  branch  of  contraband  cannot  be  met  but  by  re- 
ducing the  })rice  of  the  government  powder,  or  wliat 
is  Ifctter,  bv  t]irowin«>f  the  trade  cntirelv  open. 

The  manufacture  of  money  and  jtlate  was  an  nnpor- 
tant  braneli  of  Mexican  industry.  The  smallest  towns 
liiid  tiioir  goldsmiths' and  silversmiths'  shops,  and  the 
mint  of  Mexico  was  the  richest  and  most  extensive  in 
the  World.  The  academy  of  the  fine  arts  and  tlie 
(hawing-schools  of  Mexico  and  .T;diq)a  had  dom^  mucli 
to  diii'use  a  taste  for  the  beautiful  forms  of  the  anti(^ue. 
Sei'vices  of  plate  had  been  manufactnr«.'d  in  the  capital 
whieh,  for  elegance  and  finish,  might  be  compared 
Willi  the  beautiful  products  of  European  taste  and 
skill. 

The   mint  was  a   building  of  simple   architecture. 


4- 


120  MEXICO  IN  THE  NIXETEEXTH  CENTURY. 

atljoining  tlio  viceroy's  pdacc.  The  silver  ])roduced 
in  all  the  mines  of  Eur()[)e  would  not  give  employment 
to  this  mint  ior  more  than  15  clays.  Yet  the  various 
machines  in  use  were  far  from  as  })erfect  as  those  in 
the  French  and  English  mints,  and  the  motive  j)ower 
was  still  mules,  though  the  building  was  so  situated 
that  wat(!r  might  ho  easily  applied. 

The  taxes  on  imp(3rtation,  the  ulcahala  and  the  in- 
numerable (/crccAos,  tended  to  clog  ^lexican  connnt  ree, 
in  the  legitimate  smisc,  and  promote  smuggling.  Hum- 
boldt, by  the  collection  and  examination  of  exact  data, 
found  that  the  yearly  imp(jrtation  of  foreign  goods 
into  Spain,  contraband  included,  amounted  to  about 
twenty  million  of  piastres,  and  that  the  ex[>ort  of  its 
agricultural  and  manufacturing;  industrv  amounted  to 
about  six  million  piastres.  Xow,  the  mines  of  Xew 
S[)ain  produced  yearly  2:j  million  of  piastres;  from 
eight  to  nine  were  exported  on  account  of  the  king. 
Deduct,  then,  from  the  15  million  of  piastres  remain- 
ing fourteen  million,  to  meet  the  excess  of  the  imj)or- 
tation  over  the  exjjortation,  and  we  find  a  million  of 
piastres,  balance,  in  favor  of  Mexico,  thus: 

Piastres. 
Mexico  pays  annually  for  fdreign  goods. . .  20,000,000 
Mexico  cx^Mirts  on  account  of  the  king. . .     8,000,000 

Expendituro  of  M'jxico 28,000,000 

Mexico  receives  for  Iicr  exports 0,000,000 

Mexico  draws  from  her  mines 2.%000,000 

Income  of  Mexico 29,000,000 

Balance  in  favor  of  ^Mexico —    1,000,000 

The  specie  wealth  of  New  Spain  was  then  annually 
increasing  by  something  less  than  a  miHioi\  piastres. 
In  collecting  the  matter  fur  the  various  tables  on 
which  his  conclusions  are  based,  HumboMt  endeavored 
to  inform  himself  on  the  spot  in  each  province,  jis  to 
its  trade,  agriculture,  and  manufactures;  colk^cting 
and  comparing  all  the  information  which  might  pos- 
sibly be  of  value,  from  all  sources — in  connnercial 
matters  principally  from  merchants  of  intelligence, 
and  the  various  tribunals  of  commerce. 

As  to  the  amount  of  the  contraband  trade,  it  had 


ii|,  :„.:| 

i 

li '    '  T  '1 

1 

til 

ROADS  AND  TRAFFIC. 


121 


rtduced 
)yuiciit 
various 

•> 

1 

hose  in 

;i 

s  power 
situated 

wt'i 

the  in- 

nuurce, 

Huui- 

Lct  data, 

n  <jjoods 
,o  about 
rt  of  its 
uuted  to 
of  Xcw 

es;  from 
,ho  Vxng- 

s  reuiain- 

le  iiupor- 
iiillion  of 

-   1,000,000 

annually 
piastr«"S. 
tables   on 
idcavorod 
ncc,  as  to 
collecting- 
light  po^- 
»nunercial 
;cllin:cnco, 


le,  1 


t  had 


been  cxainfgerated  by  the  greater  number  of  authors 
who  liad  treated  of  SpanisJi  coninierce.  For  example, 
it  was  affirmed  in  certain  widely  circulated  works  that 
the  English  alone,  before  17G5,  gained  by  the  contra- 
bantl  tra<le — juincipally  profits  of  the  Jamaica  mer- 
cliants — more  than  20  million  of  piastres  [nv  annum. 
To  show  the  exaggeration  of  this,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  add  the  sum  mentioned  to  the  (luantitv  of  gold  and 
silver  n-gistered  at  Cadiz,  as  arriving  from  the  colonies 
on  account  of  the  king,  or  in  })aymeiit  of  Spanish 
goods,  to  find  that  the  total  sum  exceeds  the  actual 
jiroduce  of  the  mines. 

The  means  of  interior  communication  in  Mexico 
were  by  no  means  worthy  of  an  important  kingdom. 
This  was  being  in  ])art  remedied  by  the  construction 
of  a  magnificent  road  between  Vera  Cruz  and  l*erote; 
u  road  in  which,  as  we  have  before  shown,  llumboldt 
took  the  liveliest  interest,  and  which  would,  lie  con- 
sidered, when  com[)letcd,  be  a  worthy  rival  to  the 
roads  of  the  Simplon  and  Mount  Ceiiis,  and  exercise 
moreover  an  appreciable  effect  in  lowering  tlie  })rice 
of  those  commodities  whose  carriage  formed  a  con- 
siderable item  in  their  price.  It  had  been  begun, 
under  the  directiim  of  Sr  Garcia  Conde,  wliile 
lIund>ol(lt  was  staying  at  Jala})a,  in  February  I  !!()4, 
at  its  most  difficult  points,  in  the  ravine  called  Plan 
(]'  1  liio,  and  on  the  C^uosta  del  Soldado.  It  was  i:i- 
tinded  that  columns  of  porphyry  should  be  })laccd 
along  the  road,  graven,  not  only  with  tlie  distances, 
liut  also  with  the  elevation  of  each  pillar  above  tlic 
li'Vel  of  the  sea. 

Humboldt  strongly  advocated  the  introduction  of 
camels  as  beasts  of  burden  in  Mexico.  1T(^  did  not 
tliiuk  the  ta1)le-land  through  which  the  great  roads 
i)assed  too  cold  for  them;  and  he  was  sure  they  would 
sutler  less  than  horses  and  mules  from  the  aridity  of 
tlie  soil  and  the  lack  of  water  and  pasturage  to  which 
hoasts  of  burden  are  exposed  north  of  (Guanajuato, 
>  sjtfcially  in  that  desert  by  which  New  Biscay  is 
separated  from  New  Mexico. 


122 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


I  ii    . '!  if"l 


riiusiili 


III 


!         ■U,:f:l 


Highly  impressed  witli  the  importance  of  an  inter- 
of'canie  communication,  Humboldt  collected  all  acces- 
sible information,  and  map[)etl  in  eight  several  .sketches 
the  various  points  at  which  such  communication 
might  be  possible.  Having  discussed  in  detail  the 
various  obstacles  and  advantages  to  be  overcome  and 
hoped  for  in  a  junction  of  the  two  oceans,  at  some 
point  of  Central  America,  Mexico,  or  even  north  of 
tliere,  he  finally  concluded  i)i  favor  either  of  a  passage 
tlirough  the  isthmus  of  Nicaragua,  or  of  one  through 
tliat  of  Cupica— at  the  very  northern  extremity  of 
South  Anujrica — not  because  these  were  the  shoi'test, 
but  because,  if  the  im|)erfect  information  then  attain- 
able could  1)0  depended  upon,  they  were  the  least 
obstructed  by  natural  obstacles  for  canals  of  large 
iliiueiisions — such,  in  fact,  as  would  constitute  a  veri- 
table strait,  by  which  vessels  of  the  size  usual  in  the 
Indian  and  Chinese  trade  could  pass — not  a  mere 
means  of  inland  carriage  for  bari'es  and  Hat-boats. 
Humboldt  ]>()inted  out  the  Caledonian  canal  in  Scot- 
land as  one  possessing  all  the  qualiti(!s  required  for  an 
interoceanic  liighway  of  the  world's  ships.  He  be 
licved,  howevc^',  that  a  joint  association  for  such  an 
undertaking  could  oidy  be  founded  when  the  practica- 
bility of  sucli  a  canal — a  canal  capable  of  receiving 
vessels  of  300  or  400  tons  burden — between  latitudes 
7°  an  iLi",  had  l)een  fully  proved  by  accurate  prepara- 
tory surveys,  and  the  ground  fixed  u|)on  and  recog- 
ni;:cd.  .Vlso,  tliat  whatever  •••overmncnit  miiifht  own 
tlic  i,o\\  ou  which  such  a  canal  should  be  estal)lished, 
tlie  benefit  of  such  hydraulic  work  should  belong  to 
every  nation  of  both  worlds  which  would  contribute, 
by  t.ikin  1^  sliares,  toward  its  execution. 

Next  in  eligibility  to  Nicaragua  and  Cupica,  he 
put  the  isthmus  of  Tehuan tepee- --the  importance  of 
the  Coazacoalco  to  this  end  had  been  discussed  by 
CortJs  rM  early  as  the  conquest-- and  Humboldt  only 
gave  to  tlie  Istlimus  of  Panamd  a  fourth  place  as  to 
probable  practicability. 


1  ti' 


GOVKIlNMF.XT. 


m 


inter- 
acccs- 
etcbos 
catiou 
lil  tho 
no  and 
■j  some 
.vth  of 
)a!ssug-o 
hrougli^ 
nity  ot* 
iii»rtt!fet, 

attiiiu- 
le  least 
)f  large 
i  a  veii- 
,1  in  the 

a  mere 

Lit-boats. 

in  Seot- 

.J  for  an 

He   be 

sueb  an 
inactiea  - 

eceiviuLi; 

latitudes 

prepara- 

d  reeog- 

al)lisbed, 
elonjj;  to 
utributf, 

ipica,  be 
Irtauco  of 
lusscd  by 
Licit  only 
laec  as  to 


New  Spain,  socially  as  wvW  as  pliy.sically,  was  tlie 
country  of  inequality.  In  no  otlicr  country  could 
such  alarming  contrasts  in  tho  distrilmtion  i»f  for- 
tun«'S,  civilization,  and  population  have  been  stcn. 
The  wealth,  luxury,  refinement,  and  cleirance  of  the 
higher  class  had  its  frightful  antithesis  in  the  naked, 
foul,  and  de))raved  misery  of  the  pariahs  of  the  hind. 
This  inequality  of  fortune  existed,  not  only  among  the 
whites,  but  was  often  found  among  tiie  mixed  and 
Indian  castes. 

Within  the  twenty  years  preceding  Humboldt's  visit, 
the  S[)anish- American  youth  of  the  settlements  of  the 
new  continent,  beiuij  brou<»ht  more  and  more  into  con- 
tact  with  Anglo-Americans,  English,  and  Fiench,  had 
sacrificed  apart  of  their  national  prejudice  and  formed 
a  marked  predilection  for  those  nations  more  energetic 
and  more  advajiced  in  culture  than  the  Spaniards.  It 
was  then  nothing  strange  to  him  that  the  i)olitical 
movements  of  Europe,  since  1789,  should  have  excited 
the  keenest  attention  among  a  peo[)lo  long  aspiring  to 
rights,  the  privation  of  which  is  at  once  an  obstacle 
to  tlie  public  jirosperity,  and  a  motive  of  resiMitmont 
against  the  mother  countrv.  Certain  vicerovs  and 
governors  had  proceeded  to  take  measures,  which,  far 
from  calming  the  agitation  of  the  colonists,  had  only 
imbittercd  tho  nascent  ill  feelinof.  These  over-zealous 
rulers  pretended  danger  in  all  associations  for  the  pur- 
suit and  dissemination  of  knowledge.  Printing-presses 
were  prohibited  in  towns  counting  forty  or  fifty  thou- 
sand inhabitants;  and  to  possess  and  read  quietly  the 
works  of  Montesquieu,  Robertson,  or  liousseau  was 
to  be  suspected  of  revolutionary  principles.  Now,  to 
to  be  just,  this  terror  was  not  wholly  without  founda- 
tion; 178'J  was  quite  sufficient  to  scare  any  Si);uiish 
viceroy;  it  had  scared  all  the  kings  of  Europe — had 
l)urst  upon  Europe  like  a  storm,  causing  a  general 
holding  on  of  crowns  with  the  one  hand  and  clinging 
tc  thrones  with  the  other.  "That  whirlwind  of  the 
universe,"  as  Carlylo  has  it,  wherein  were  "lights  ob- 


124 


MKXirO  TN  TifE  NINKTKKNTH   rKXTURY, 


»''l 


:  ^li 


M 


litt-'iat'd,  and  the  torn  wrecks  <»!'  earth  an«l  Ik  11  huiled 
aloft  into  the  empyrean,  hlack  whii-hvind,  which  made 
even  apes  serious,  and  tirove  most  of  them  mad,"  was 
(juite  iMpial  to  causing,  hy  the  terror  of  its  iid'ernal 
pyrotechnics,  a  Ht  of  moral  eurft'W-legislation,  and 
confused  jjilini,'  of  bushels  upon  lights,  pitiful  to  see — 
arising  out  of  Hahhiness  of  liver  anil  oscillation  of 
knees  amonuf  ministers  and  yfovernors  and  the  like  in 
^[exico.  But  it  was  not  in  these  futilitii-s  that  t\\v 
security  of  a  Spanish  govi^rnment  lay,  hut  rather  in 
the  disp(!rsion  of  the  inhahitants  over  so  vast  an  extent 
of  country,  and  in  the  mutual  hatred  of  the  various 
castes.  The  lack  of  sociahilitv,  the  utter  want  of  all 
sympathy  between  these  diffei'ing  castes  couhl  have  but 
one  effect  on  an  advancin<;  national  life.  Wise  after 
its  jxeneration — a  ^feneration  soon  to  be  known  no 
more  in  Mexico — the  government  fanned  these  ani- 
mosities so  that  in  division  there  might  be  weakness, 
and  that  in  wranglings  within  there  might  be  left 
neitlnT  stomach  nor  capacity  for  strivings  without. 
In  this  policy,  and  not  in  arnii<!S  of  small  eft'ect  and 
rigorous  measures  of  worse  than  none,  lay  the  true 
security  of  Spain.  As  to  a  foreign  foe,  Humboldt 
considered  New  Spain  almost  impregnable  from  the 
physical  accidents  of  her  position.  From  a  land 
attack,  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  intervening 
deserts  protect  her;  and  toward  the  sea  the  natuial 
fortress  of  the  tierra  tem])lada  looks  down  upon  coasts 
better  guarded  by  the  sword  of  the  pestilence  than 
by  the  guns  of  San  Juan  dc  T>lua  at  Vera  Cruz,  or 
of  San  L)iego  at  Acapulco, 

Though  the  Indians  were  no  longer  legally  subject 
to  forced  labor,  they  were  in  tlie  mass  in  a  state  oT 
miserable  degradation.  Driven  to  the  worst  lands, 
indolent,  if  not  by  original  disposition,  at  least  by  that 
character  superinduced  by  long  political  depression, 
and  unnerved  by  the  listless  fatalism  which  is  its  inva- 
riable concomitant,  perhaps  consolation,  they  live,  let- 
ting each  day  provide  for  itself.     Except  in  intoxica- 


SO<MKTY. 


125 


uilod 

"  was* 
fornal 
,  and 

iike  ill 
it  the 
\\vY  ill 

t'Xtollt 

,'arious 
■j  of  all 
ivc  l)ut 
o  at'tiT 

)Wll    lU) 

'sc  ani- 
sakuL'SS, 
be   left 
vitliout. 
^'ct  aiul 
he  true 
uiil^oldt 
■GUI  the 
a   laud 
rvenui;^ 
natural 
n  coasts 
lee  than 
ruz,  or 

subject 
I state  ot 
It   lands, 

by  that 
hrcssion, 
[its  iuva- 
llive,  Ict- 
Utoxica- 


tlon,  no  passion,  no  sontinu'nt  but  that  of  i  ndi  fie  rone  e, 
a|»|u'ars  in  their  fari's,  wliatever  the  (hirk  eh-nunt-i 
that  mingle  in  their  hearts.  Perhaps  this  has  coin- 
nii-nced  in  self-control;  and  ])rol)abh',  with  time,  be- 
eaine  in  some  sort  insensibilitv.  With  reufard  to  thiise 
people,  Humlxtldt  <^ives  it  as  liis  im[)re«sion,  tliat 
iihhou^h  they  possessed  in  a  hi,n"li  dejj,rec  powers  (»f 
exact  reasoniiiij;'  and  quickness  of  aj:i)reliension,  tliey 
were  of  all  races  the  most  dt^stitute  of  imai^ination. 
\'et  he  wiselv  observes:  "We  must  be  exceedinulv 
cautious  in  ])ron(»uncini»'  on  what  we  are  pleased  to 
call  th(!  moral  and  intellectual  tendencies  of  i)e('.j)les 
I'mm  whom  wo  are  separated  l)y  dillerences  of  lan- 
L'ua!4('S,  manners,  and  customs.  .  .  .  How  can  a  travel- 
l<"r,  after  havinu:  soiourned  some  time  in  a  distant  coun- 
try,  arrojj^ate  to  liimself  tlu^  right  to  j)ronounco  on  the 
various  faculties  of  soul,  and  of  tin;  preponderances  of 
leason,  wit,  or  imagination  amon«jf  races  T' 

How  could  he  form  any  idea  of  the  capabilities  of 
the  ^lexican  people  as  then  existinj^-  Crushed  by 
ij^enerations  of  oppression;  l)rutalized  by  unavailing 
toil;  deprived  of  their  ancient  writings,  religions,  and 
jiiiests ;  and  having  appropriated  little  in  their  place — 
they  were  no  fair  exam})les  of  that  people  wh«»se  civil- 
ization shines  from  the  mi<jhtv  structures,  elaborate 
sculjttures,  and  curious  hieroglyphics  that  remain,  or 
that  have  been — shines  with  a  light  cauijht  at  the  noon 
of  Aztec  history,  and  that  flickers  yet,  though  the 
sun  of  its  glory  has  long  since  set  in  blood.  The  Az- 
tecs love  to  build  their  cabins  on  the  slopes  of  the 
lonely  mountains,  and  retire  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Europeans — from  that  st)cial  life  with  which  a  sad  ex- 
perience has  so  disgusted  them.  They  love  the  soli- 
tude which  gives  them  again  the  freedom  of  natuie, 
and  j)erhaps  carries  them  back  in  memory,  to  their 
auti(pie  grandeur,  for 

"The  hi'!s  hiivc  iu>  memory  of  sorrow  or  death, 
And  thuir  uuinuiita  arc  sacred  to  liberty." 

There  is,  let  us  hope,  a  brighter  future  in  store  for 


126 


MEXICO  IN  TllK  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


:-i  t 


:i:'l 


\m-  M^'^' 


t\- 


the  Indians  in  Mexico;  jukI  it  is  coi'tain,  as  the  records 
of  the  ]t(:ll-t;ix  prove,  that,  liowever,  at  an  earher  date 
this  indigenous  population  may  liave  l)ecii  diminished 
by  the  cruelties  of  the  eoiKpieiors^at  the  time  of  ]luni- 
holdt's  visit,  and  for  fifty  years  before,  they  had  been 
steadily  inereasini:. 

Connected  with  these  peoples  are  several  great 
problems  of  origin,  anti(|uity,  and  civilization,  coneei-ii- 
in<^  which  we  shall  attemjtt  to  present  Humboldt's 
conclusions.  And  first,  as  intimately  connected  with 
these,  wt'  may  speak  of  the  ai^c  of  the  Amei'ican  con- 
tinent. He  looked  with  a  ij^ood  deal  of  fjuiet  ri(hcule 
on  the  idea  that  the  so-calk-d  new  continent  was  in 
reality  j'ounsj^ei-  than  the  old.  Was  it  that  its  exuber- 
ance of  volcanic  action  indicated  a  modern  structure, 
the  eiiL^ines  of  whose  ele\ation  were  not  yet  cold  ?  If 
so,  is  not  southern  Italy  tlie  twin  of  this  ultimate  olF- 
sprinij;'  of  chaos?  Who  asserts  this?  yet  why  should 
jihilosophers  })ut  asunder  times  and  causes  which  effect 
has  joined  ?  He  preferred  to  su}>posi>  that  the  volca- 
noes of  Amei'ica  had,  in  tlu'  n)ass,  pi-eserved  their  fires 
lonj^'er  than  those  of  the  other  continents,  bec.iuse  the 
mountains  through  whicli  the}^  acted  happened  to  be 
in  ijeneral  close  to  the  sea— a  nciijhbor  which,  in  some 
way  yet  to  be  explained,  appiars,  with  few  cxce}>tions, 
to  influence  the  eui-rgy  of  these  subterranean  fii'es. 
Aside  from  this,  there  are  n^asons  founded  on  hvdrct- 
static  laws  and  geological  discoveries  which  would 
forbid  the  idea  of  any  large  part  of  America  remain 
ing  submers^ed  after  the  emerLT'^nce  of  the  old  conti- 
iu>nt.  Lastly,  to  account  for  the  superior  climate  and 
Soil  of  most  parts  of  America,  compared  with  that  of 
Africa,  for  example,  it  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  sup- 
pose a  later  birth  or  upheaval  from  the  central  daik- 
ness.  Its  physical  conformation,  its  outlines,  mountains, 
and  rivers,  are  fully  suflicient  to  account  for  this. 

Nor  does  the  existence  of  man  seem  to  date,  in 
America,  from  any  more  r(>cent  epoch  than  in  th<> 
other  continents.      It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that 


/     -t  v. 


RACE  PROBLEMS. 


127 


cords 
•  (late 

Llum- 
been 

great 
nccrn- 
bol.lt's 
il  with 
111  coii- 
idicuU' 
was  in 

ucture, 
kU     K 
iat'3  oiV- 
sliould 
•h  effect 
[>  volca- 
eir  tires 
use  the 
(.1  to  he 
in  some 

ptions, 
,11  fires. 

livih'o- 

\\i  )ul  J 
remain 
conti- 

ate  and 

that  of 

to  sup- 
lal  dark- 

luutaius, 

lis. 

date,  in 
in  th<' 

)se  that 


tlic  countries  the  most  anciently  inliahited  are  tliose 
which  sliow  tlie  largest  populations.  There  are  vast 
tracts  of  northern  Asia  as  scantily  j)eoplcd  as  the 
plains  of  New  Mexico  and  Parajjfuav.  ]-ieiU'iith  the 
tro[)ics,  natural  ol)stacles — the  vigor  and  mass  of 
the  vegetation,  the  breadth  (»f  rivers,  and  the  frequency 
and  extent  of  their  inundations — fetter  the  migrations 
of  peoples. 

Tfe  believed  in  the  unity  of  origin  of  the  human  race ; 
and  as  nearly  as  might  be  in  the  unity  of  stock  of  the 
American  aborigines,  with  the  exci'ption  of  those  bor- 
dering the  j)olar  circle.  Yet,  it  is  well  to  understand 
that  a  European  who  decides  on  the  resemblance  of 
swarthy  races  is  subject  to  a  particular  illusion.  The 
uniformity  of  color  conceals  for  a  long  time  diversity 
of  features — the  eyes  are  l(>ss  fixed  on  the  expression, 
soft,  melancholy,  or  ferocious,  as  it  may  be,  than  on 
the  strange  skin,  antl  the  coarse  black  hair,  so  level 
and  glossy  that  it  seems  always  moist.  Besides,  it  is 
intellectual  culture  which  individualizes  faces;  wdiere 
this  is  wanting,  there  is  rather  a  physiognomy  of  tribe 
than  of  individual — something  which  may  be  also  ol)- 
served  in  comparing  domesticated  animals  with  those 
which  inhabit  the  wild  i)laces  of  nature. 

ThouLjh  he  thus  «>ivesus  his  oiiinion  as  to  the  origin 
of  these  autochthones,  and  does  actually  discuss  the 
(|uestioii  in  various  parts  of  his  works,  lie  considered 
this  whole  question  of  the  first  origin  of  the  people  of 
a  continent  as  entirely  beyon*!  the  pi'ovince  of  history, 
and  even  of  philosophy. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  whole  tone  of  his  refiections 
on  the  })arentage  of  the  uVmerican  races,  that  he  is  in 
favor  of  an  Asiatic  origin,  but  from  what  particular 
stock  he  derives  them  it  is  difiicult  to  sav.  On  the 
whole,  and  by  compariion  of  various  passages,  ]\v. 
seems  to  lean  toward  the  opinion  that  the  Toltecs 
and  Azt-^  .  were  a  part  of  those  lliongnoux,  or 
descendants  of  Hiong-nu,  known  at  diflferent  times 
under  the  name  of  Kalkas,  Kalmuks,  and  Burattes   - 


128 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


m 


m 


warlike  shcpliercls,  who,  under  their  name  of  Huns, 
have  laid  waste  the  fairest  regions  of  civilized  Europe, 
and  changed  more  than  once  the  face  •*"  eastern  Asiatic 
politics. 

He  seems  to  favor  China  as  the  p(Mnt  at  which  this 
emigration  left  the  Old  World.  Let  us  not  forget  that 
wo  are  discussing,  not  the  original  c(jlonizing  of  the 
American  continc^nt,  inhahited  as  early,  according  to 
Humboldt,  as  tlio  rest  of  the  world,  hut  that  of  ^lex- 
ico.      "It  is  historically  demonstrated  that  Bonzes  and 
other  adventurers  navigated  tlie  Chinese  sea,  to  seek 
a  remedy  which  should  secure  inmiortality  to  man. 
It  is  thus  that  under  Tschin-chi-houang-ti,  201)  years 
before  Christ,  three  hundred  couples  of  young  people 
of  both  sexes,  sent  to  Japan,  established  themselves 
at    Xipon    instead   of    returning   to    China.     Miglit 
chance  not  have  conducted  a  similar  exjiedition  to  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  to  Alaska,  or  Xew  California?     The 
American  conthient  and  tlie  Asiatic  only  a})proaching 
at  the  north,  and   the  distance  separating   them  in 
the  temperate  zone  being  too  considerable  for  such  a 
voyage,  we  must  suppose  this  disembarkation  to  have 
taken  place  bencjath  the  inhospitable  climate  betM'cen 
the  5jth  and  Oath  parallels;  and  that  this  civilization 
penetrated  little  by  little  southwards,  the  usual  direc- 
tion of  American  migration,  as  all  data  would  indicate. 
at   that   time."     llemains   of   Chinese    or    Japanese 
vessels  have  even,  it  has  been  affirmed,  been  found  on 
the  American  coast  as  early  as  the  14th  century. 

He  then  seems  to  bring  his  colonists  south  by  slow 
stages  into  ^lexico,  ami  connects  the  monuments  of  the 
Gila  witli  this  migration. 

The  ^lexicans  made  use  of  hieroglyphics  in  chroni- 
cling: their  micrrations  and  other  historical  events: 
though  in  a  manner  very  far  from  that  perfection  tn 
which  the  Egyptians  had  attained.  The  Mexican 
writings  were  principally  rough  paintini^fs  of  oviiits, 
eked  out  by  a  few  conventional  signs  repn'scnting  tlic 
elements  and  relations  of  time  and  place;    while  tlic 


If 


AZTEC  CULTURE. 


129 


luns, 
irope, 
.siatic 

h  tills 
■t  that 
of  tlu' 
injjj  to 
Mcx- 
ius  aiul 
to  seek 

0  man. 
)  years 

1  people 
uiselves 

Migl't 
11  to  the 

i1    The 

foachiag 
them  iu 
»r  such  a 

to  have 
[between 
.ilizatlon 

■i\  threc- 

uidk'ate. 

ivpaucse 

[found  on 

jury, 
by  sh^w 

ktsoftlu' 

In  chroii'- 
ovents; 

octlon  to 
Mexleaii 
If  events, 
Intln;?  tlu> 
Ivhlle  tlH' 


Egyptian  ^vritings  aj)proached  nearer  to  narratives, 
coiiiposetl  of  arbitrary  and  .simple  eharaeters,  suseepti- 
l)le  of  being  emj)loyed  si>parately,  and  of  being  tliiier- 
ently  eombined.  It  is  :)nly  by  a  refinement  of  the 
hitter  method  that  the  painting  of  ideas  becomes  easy 
and  ap[>r(>ximate8  to  writing. 

Tlu^  rudeness  of  these  ]Mexiean  jialntings  no  doubt 
(U'notes  the  infaney  of  art;  still,  we  nmst  not  forget 
the  end  they  were  prineipally  intended  to  subserve — 
tliat  of  a  simple  record:  and  that  the  necessity  of 
siin])licity,  and  rapidity  of  execution,  would  lead  a 
])eo|ile,  who  so  expressed  their  ideas,  to  attaeh  as 
little  importance  to  artistic  painting  as  do  the  literati 
(■■'  J'>uroi)e,  in  their  manuscripts,  to  a  fine  handwriting. 
S.  we  may  see  in  all  this  a  potent  means  of  spoiling 
(ho  taste  of  a  nation.  This  constant  familiaritv  with 
the  most  hideous  and  disproportionate  iiguri'S,  and 
tliis  obligation — under  pain  of  confusion — to  preserve 
the  same  forms  without  chanu^e,  were  enouuh  to  root 
out  all  sense  of  delineatlve  grace,  all  feeling  of  the 
heautiful  in  art;  without  which  sense  and  feeling, 
jtaintlng  and  scul]iture,  he  they  nover  so  diligently 
tol lowed,  cannot  rise  above  the  ranks  oi'  the  mechan- 
ical. 

As  to  the  value  of  proofs  of  migration  or  origin,  to 
ho  *l''rlved  from  languages  themselves,  whether  writ- 
ten '»r  s})<*ke;i,  j[und)ol(lt  si'cms  to  have  consiih'rably 
ihr,ige(!.  or  uj  least  modified,  his  ideas  in  his  later 
\vi  ir>'  ii.-'  'bst  opinion  of  their  importance,  as  ex- 
]i''sst;i  in  'ic  introdu(  tion  to  his  Pergonal  Xarratirc, 
was  extra vagMLiy  high;  the  most  concise  and  [)erl'ect 
i:li  a  of  his  mature  conclusions  on  this  subiict  niav  be 
Hiven  by  a  (piotatlon  from  his  TahJcaux  ik  la  Nature: 
"Th(>  analogies  of  languages  are  worthy  of  no  con- 
fidi'iice  when  they  are  limited  to  mere  accord  of  the 
Miuiids  in  their  roots.  It  is  necessary  to  penetrate 
into  th  organic  structure,  the  granunatical  ilexions, 
and  id,  hut  interior  mechaiusni  where  traces  appear 
'»f  tlu    \.    i!:  t>f  iiitelllixence." 


Ck'u.  i'AsT,,  Vol.  I.    9 


ii 


I  '■ 


190 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH   CENTURY. 


His  only  definite  conclusion  as  to  the  languages  of 
Mexico  was  that  their  great  variety  proved  as  great 
a  variety  of  races  and  origin — a  conclusion  wliieh,  un- 
less tlie  tiu'nis  race  and  origin  are  understood  in  some 
illogically  restricted  and  comparative  sense,  is  flatly 
in  contradiction  with  the  manner  in  which  he  else- 
where expresses  himself 

We  may  here  notice  an  interesting  kind  of  record  of 
migration,  which  Humboldt  pointed  out  as  worthy  of 
attentive  examination.     He  sa^'s  identities  of  tastes 
among  various  peoples,  as  to  the  cultivation  of  certain 
plants,  indici    ;     '^^er  identity  of  race  or  a  contact 
more  or  less  a         it;   so  that  vegetables,  like  lan- 
guages or  physiog:    mies,  may  become  historical  monu- 
ments.     A    few    strange    vegetables,    a    few    foreign 
words,  either  in  tlic  possession  of  the  wanderers  or 
among  those  through  whom  they  have  passed,  will  often 
fix  the  road  by  which  a  nation  has  crosses*  a  continent. 
Considered  thus,  the  potato  furnishes  a  problem.     Not 
known  in  Mexico  before  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards, 
it  was  yet  cultivated  elsewhere  in  America  Irom  lati- 
tude 40"  south  to  50"  north.     Did  the  Soutli  Ameri- 
can tribes  succeed  in  penetrating  northward  to  tli<' 
banks  of  the  Rappahannock  ?  or  did  the  i)otato  wander 
south,  like  the  successive  peoples  who  have  apjKiarcd 
on  the   plateau   of  Andhuac?     Iji  eitlier  case,  how 
came  it  not  to  take  root  in  Mexico?     It  is  probabU' 
that  pi)tato  cultivation  gradually  extended  itself  north 
from  C^hile  by  Peru  and  the  kingdom  of  Quito,  to  the 
table-land  of  Bogotit,  the  course  followed  by  the  imas 
in  their  conijuests.     But  here  the  Cordilleras,  whlcli 
had  preserved  a  great  elevation  all  the  way  from  Chili', 
fall  suddenly  near  the  sources  of  the  river  Atrato. 
Xow,  in  the  tropics,  potatoes  grow  only  in  the  cold  and 
^(^l^gy  climates  secured  by  elevated  grounds.     S'l "h 
were  not   to   be   found   in    Choco  and    Darien;    l)at 
instead,  close  forests  inhabited  by  hordes  of  hunters, 
enemies  of  every  sort  of  civilization  and  cultivation. 
Here,  then,  is  the  barrier  which  physical  and  nn'ial 


CHARACTER  OF  HUMBOLDT. 


131 


nroS  of 
U,  uu- 

l  SOlllO 

tlatly 

0  clsc- 


■corel  of 

vthy  of 

;'  tastes 
certain 
contact 

Ike  lan- 

il  monii- 
forei'j^n 

[crers  or 

,y\\\  often 

ontinent. 

nn.    Not 

ijxiuiartls, 

from  lati- 

1  Anieri- 

•a  ti)  tlif 

,()  Nvander 

ap]K'ar»'<l 

;ase,  1>'>^^' 

[self  north 
ito,  to  tlu' 
the  iw-i^'^ 
•as,  wli'u'h 
foni  Cliil^', 
jv  Atrato. 

|o  cold  autl 

[s.  Svv.-U 
.rien;  '»^i^ 
i{  Ivuntevs, 

lultivafu'n- 
Luul  nv'ViU 


cruses  have  opposed  to  further  progress  from  this  side. 
As  to  the  nortli,  if  Kaleigli's  settlers  really  did  find 
potatoes  there,  as  is  asserted,  we  can  hardly  refuse  to 
l)t  lieve  that  this  j)lai)t  is  independently  indigenous  to 
the  northern  hemisphere. 

And  now  we  liave  followed  the  distinguished  natu- 
ralist from  the  shores  of  J'^uropc  to  that  new  continent, 
which,  if  Columbus  discovered,  he  revealed;  fmm 
plains  rocked  hy  the  earthquake,  up  to  mountains 
where  the  lava  shaj)ed  the  path,  and  down  again  to 
marshy  sloughs,  whei  '  gymnoti  writhed  in  the  tny/.v, 
Hashing  at  will  througli  Jieir  slimy  and  sj>ott(-d  skins 
such  ti'rrible  shocks  as  no  man  or  beast  could  endure 
— or  farther  south,  between  the  Orinoco  and  the 
Amazon,  where  the  soil  is  hid  by  impenetrabh;  forests, 
ceaselessly  echoing  the  noise  of  waterfalls,  the  roaring 
ef  the  jaguar,  and  the  weird  cries  of  tlie  bearded 
ape,  presaging  rain,  and  sounding  itself  like  the  first 
muiiled  sounds  of  a  distant  tempest.  On  the  s.ind 
banks  lay  the  crocodiles,  moti(jnless  as  logs,  and  witli 
giipuig  mouths,  seeming  in  their  clumsy  way  to  ])ant. 
On  the  river  banks  the  boa  watched,  with  its  tail 
anchored  on  sonic  brancli,  and  its  spotted  skin  coiled 
]ik(!  a  spiral ;  and  the  jaguar,  as  he  couched  along  his 
f.iNorite  limb,  in  silent  ambusli,  flattened  himself  still 
more  at  the  traveller's  step.  There  were  men,  too, 
not  less  savage,  who  coukl  drink  the  bl(v.)d  of  their 
inemies;  or,  venomous  as  a  viper  or  a  Borgia,  kill  by 
tlie  scratch  of  a  thumb-nail — "men  who  r<'Vc-aled  to 
man  the  ferocity  of  his  species."  As  Humboldt 
passed  to  the  north<;rn  continent  and  ]\r<'xico,  W(!  fol- 
lowed him  still,  no  longer  afar  off  and  vaguely,  l)Ut 
step  by  step,  and  hiaving  no  notable  word  or  work 
without  its  faithful  chronicle.  For  us  his  work  is 
<iiiii(>,  and  if  Asia  S(>es  him  on  her  distant  steppes,  and 
tlie  I'ralian  mountains,  and  the  Siberian  prison-house 
of  the  tzars,  wc  follow  him  not. 


'I 

■'V 


132 


MKXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURV. 


:^r:yrM 


«  i 


t:    fi 


"Hi 


Humboldt  as  a  savant  and  a  man  astonishes  us,  not 
so  nmch  by  liis  heiglit  as  by  his  breadth.  It  is  proba- 
l)le  that  in  any  simple  branch  of  research  and  learning 
there  have  been  greater  men ;  but  for  comprehensive 
knowledge  his  ecjual  had  not  at  this  time  a])peared. 
Not  a  peak  piercing  hea\'en,  too  awful,  too  barren  for 
any  sentiment  save  awe,  but  a  mighty  tiible-land,  such 
as  he  loved  to  describe,  broad  as  a  continent  and  far 
above  vulgar  level;  yet  not  so  high  but  that  golden 
grains  and  jmrple  fruits  dwelt  there.  Though  egotis- 
tical he  was  humble,  as  all  great  souls  are  who  have 
lifted  themselves  over  petty  men  and  things  by  stern 
and  patient  lobor;  for  the  illimitable  fields  of  the 
universe  widv  ii  as  we  climb.  There  is  a  time  when 
young  and  eager  minds  think  they  are  very  near  to 
the  most  p<  rfect  truth — think  it  but  needs  anothc  r 
thought,  anotlier  fact,  and  their  theory  of  cosmos  Mill 
l)e  compli-te,  ineluctable,  irrefragable.  But  every  lunr 
lact  trails  in  new  thoughts,  new  complications,  and 
new  contradictions.  Men  of  average  mind  stop  herr; 
tliey  become  frightened,  seize  an  opinion,  and  stick  to 
it  as  a  battered  limpit  to  a  rock;  or  worse,  become 
aggressivclv  bi'^o^ed.  ]^ut  irumboldt  was  a  great 
man,  for  he  could  always  see  two  sides  to  a  question; 
a  great  man  who  knew  what  he  did  not  know. 

Such  knowledge  seems  sadly  wanting,  for  the  most 
part,  to  his  biographers — a  race  by  whom  he  has  beta 
ridiculously  overj)raised,  they  either  not  knowing  or 
not  caring  to  remember  that  in  both  the  literarv  and 
scientific  parts  of  his  work  were  constantly  employed 
the  revision  and  aid  of  almost  all  the  great  men  of 
his  day.  l^robably  no  man  ever  enjoyed  the  intimate 
society  of  so  many  philosophers  as  Hmnboldt,  and 
few  appear  tt»  have  made  a  better  use  of  it.  It  I-; 
oidy  bj'  studying  his  enormous  scientific  and  friendly 
correspondence  that  a  just  idea  of  his  means  of 
information  can  be  formed. 

Ho  could  not  write  of  natural  history  like  Bufibn, 
nor  of  jihilosophy  and  physics  like  his  (ierman  Goeth<  : 
lie  could  not  })aint  a  ruin  or  an  antique  palace  liKo 


OENIUS  AND  H.\BITS. 


i33 


;,  not 
v(>\  ai- 
ming 
•usive 

311  for 
,  such 
lid  far 
ia)kk'U 
ecrotis- 
[)  have 
V  stern 
of   tlu) 

lu-ar  tt> 
an«>tlur 

nos  ^viU 
fi  y  ncvf 
ous,  aiul 
o^)  here ; 
stick  ti> 
),ecouie 
a  tijrcat 
|Vicstiou; 


the  most 
has  boiu 
l)W\u"j;  **r 
Irary  ami 

men  ot 
1  intimate 
)klt,  aiiil 
It.  It  i< 
friendly 
iieans   el 

BuiVeu, 

Goetli'  -. 

llace  Id"*- 


liim  who  looked  on  ^Melrose  by  niy^lit;  the  scttini^  sun, 
n  storm  among"  tlie  mountains,  like  tlie  ereutor  of 
^^an^'red;  a  ]»rimeval  forest,  a  Nia<;ara,  like  Cliatoau- 
hiiand;  or  the  Ljlorv  of  tlie  firmaim-nt,  the  elouds  of 
heaven,  and  tlu^  mountain-tojis,  like  the  peerless  .jolm 
liuskin;  yet  ho  was  not  very  far  from  the  suhlinu'  in 
tlie  massive  and  scjuare  simplieity  of  his  great  vvoiks. 
He  had  the  purity  of  uninihiti'd  style,  presn-viiiLT 
always  a  perfect  atlaptai)ility  and  fitness  to  the  end  lie 
ki  pt  in  view.  l[o  matlo  no  attempt  to  j^ive  what  it 
pleases  Knskin  to  call  "the  far  hii^her  and  (U'e[)er 
tintli  of  mental  vision,  rather  than  that  of  tlie  physi- 
cal faets;"  and  consequently,  Ins  descriptions  are  of 
more  use  to  engineers  and  geographci's  than  to  painters 
aiitl  poets.  He  could  not  soar,  and  ho  was  wise  enougli 
not  to  court  an  Icarian  failure.  This  is  in  itself  an 
clement  of  greatness  not  to  be  despised. 

Of  Huud)oldt's  method  of  working,  we  will  tran- 
sciihe  Bavard  Taylor's  account :  "Tho  habits  of  Hum- 
holdt  are  not  remarkable,  except  in  the  limited  nun)l)er 
of  liours  necessary  to  sleep,  and  in  temj»ei-ance  and 
regularity.  His  time  is  systematically  divided.  \  le 
lises  at  six  in  the  winter,  and  five  iji  the  sunmier, 
studies  two  hours,  drinks  a  cuj)  of  coti'ce,  ictunis  to 
his  study,  and  commences  the  task  «»f  answering  his 
letters,  of  which  he  receiyes  yearly  m()re  than  one 
hundred  thousand.  From  twelve  until  two  he  receives 
A  isits,  and  returns  to  work  at  two.  At  four  ho  dines, 
in  sunnmT  with  the  king,  in  winter  at  hom(>.  From 
lour  imtil  eleven  he  passes  at  the  table,  an«l  gonc^rally 
in  com}>any  with  the  king,  but  sometimes  at  the  meet- 
ings of  learned  societies,  or  in  the  comjiany  of  his 
friends.  At  eleven  he  retires  to  his  study,  and  con- 
tinues there  until  one  or  two,  answi'i-ing  letters,  or 
Avriting  his  books,  or  jireparing  them  by  study.  11  is 
lust  books  have  all  been  written  at  midniy^ht.  He 
sleeps  four  hours."  With  sm-h  a  brain,  for  so  long  a 
time  so  (Miiployed,  there  is  no  wonder  that  great  things 
came  of  it. 


134 


MEXICO  IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 


It  was  Humboldt  himself  who  said  that  "  the  course 
of  tlie  world  refuses  to  admit  of  great  exceptions  to  its 
com}iensatory  system  of  pleasure  and  sadness,"  and  he 
proved  it  well.  Liberal  in  politics  and  religion,  he 
was  a  bitter  morsel,  upon  which  bigots  and  reactiona- 
ries were  always  gnawing.  Take  the  following  ex- 
tract from  his  friend  Varnhagen's  diary,  date  2(jth  of 
December,  1848:  "Humboldt  has  called  ;  he  assures 
me  tliat  were  it  not  for  his  position  at  court  he 
would  not  be  suffered  to  remain  in  the  country,  but 
would  be  expelled,  so  strong  is  the  hatred  of  the 
ultras  and  bi<;ots  ajjainst  him."  And  at  this  time  he 
was  in  his  eightieth  year.  In  February  1854  Hum- 
boldt writes:  "I  live  in  a  monotonous  and  sad  mood — 
et  mourant,  avant  le  principe."  His  brother  was  dead 
long  before,  and  he  had  no  consolation  but  in  his  own 
heart — a  heart  which  was  never  closed  by  envy  or 
avarice  against  any  worthy  object,  liis  enemies  even 
being  judges.  His  was  a  hard  and  lonely  journey, 
without  wife  or  child;  even  though  his  ]»ath  was 
])avtd  with  honor.  At  the  best  of  times,  "  tlie  way 
to  fame  is  like  the  way  to  heaven — through  nmcli 
tribulation."     But  since  the  beginning  of  the  world — 

"Be  the  tlay  weary,  or  l)e  tlio  tluy  li'iig, 
At  luiigth  it  riugeth  tt>  evuii  song." 

And  after  bearing  up  stoutly  to  his  90th  year  against 
the  infirmities  of  age,  he  took  to  his  bed  for  the  last 
time  in  April  185U.  The  traveller  was  setting  out 
on  his  last  journey.  On  the  Gth  of  May  he  dietl. 
Karely  Berlin  sees  such  a  funeral;  the  princes  of  the 
r()val  blood  of  Prussia  stood  bareheaded  by  his  cotliii 
with  the  greatest  and  tlie  poorest  of  their  people. 

"  He  is  goiio— 
Who  never  soUl  the  truth  to  servo  tlio  liour. 
Nor  paltered  with  eternal  Clod  for  power; 
Wlio  let  the  turhid  streaiiia  of  rumor  How 
Tliro'  eitlier  babbling  world  of  high  ami  low; 
Whose  life  was  work,  whose  Lmguago  rife 
With  rugged  maxims  hewn  from  life; 

. .  .lie  wears  .a  truer  crown 
Than  any  wreath  that  nuiu  can  weave  him. 

. .  .Speak  no  more  of  hi.s  renown, 
Jjay  your  earthly  fancies  down, 
And  in  the  vast  cnthetlral  leave  him, 
(Jod  acceDt  him,  Clirist  receive  him." 


?ourse 
,  to  its 
uicl  ho 
oil,  lie 
ct'ioiia- 

llg    CK- 

2GtU  of 
assures 
urt   lie 
:ry,  l>ut 
of  the 
tuuo  he 
t  Huni- 
luootl — 
,'as  tload 
his  own 
envy  or 
ACS  even 
jourmy. 
)ath  was 
the  way 
r\\  much 
worhl — 

Ir  against 

1-  the  last. 

jting  out. 

he  died. 
les  of  the 
Ihis  cotWu 

)ple. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


LOTO.>i-LAND. 


In  the  afternoon  they  came  nnto  a  laml. 

In  wliicli  it  seenieil  always  atti.'rniH)ii, 

All  roiind  till!  coast  the  languid  air  did  swoon, 

Breathing  like  one  that  hath  a  weiu-y  dream. 

T/ie  Lotoit-EiUcrn. 

Tf  ever  one  were  justified  in  rising  out  of  tlio  ])ath 
of  exaet  narration,  and  indulging  in  a  brief  spell  of 
till'  fanciful  or  ideal,  it  is  in  thinking  of  California 
when  the  white  men  came.  A  narrow  strip  of  sea- 
hoanl,  the  air  low  hreathing  and  of  tender  tone,  with 
green  and  grizzly  mountains  for  a  baekgrouiul,  all 
opening  toward  the  sun-waves — this  is  our  lotos-land, 
where  fancy  may  place  the  lotos-tree,  with  its  leaves 
like  the  ears  of  elepha'its,  and  its  branches  dro()])ing 
(li»\vn  fioiii  heaven.  Among  these  branches  are  birds 
of  sweetest  song,  whose  strains  are  fresh  from  para- 
dise, and  under  their  shadow  angels  pause  and  rest. 
The  seeds  of  this  tree  each  encloses  an  houri;  and  from 
its  rcjots  spring  the  two  rivers  wiiich  How  by  the  in- 
visible throne  of  Allah.  Sitting  on  a  lote-triH>,  rising 
from  the  water}'  mud,  the  Egyptians  i)icture  deity, 
while  the  great  desert  prophet  jdaces  a  lote-tree  in 
his  seventh  heaven. 

It  is  a  winterless  earth's  end  perpetually  r»'freshed 
by  ocean,  a  land  surpassed  neither  l)y  the  island  grotto 
of  Calypso,  the  Elysian  tit'ldsof  Homer,  nor  the  island 
valley  of  Avalon  seen  by  King  Arthur  ju  his  dying 
tliought.  Here  day  after  day,  and  year  after  year, 
may  come  the  stranger,  and  eat  the  lotos,  and  be 
li  ij>|»y:  he  may  eat  the  lotos  and  forget  the  old  home 
and  country,  forget  the  wife  and  children,  content  for- 

(135) 


1 


li''  I 


m  ' 


iiki'/ki 


1  !^  a* 


n 


136 


LOTOS-LAXD 


ever  to  rest  in  this  strani^o  land,  wakinj,'  to  fall  asleep 
aiL,'ain,  and  dream  day-dreams  and  niglit-dreains,  as 
he  floats  silently  down  the  sluii;'f,nsh  stream  of  time. 
Here  might  he  placed  the  Hebrew's  Eden,  or  the 
l)eatitude  of  the  Buddhist;  here  may  the  dark -eyed 
Italian  enjoy  his  dolce  far  nientc,  and  the  sighing 
ghost  of  Charles  Lamb  find  a  region  beyond  the  do- 
niain  of  conscience.  And  I  d('>ul)t  not,  if  proper  search 
be  made,  that  here  may  be  found  the  singing-tree  of 
the  Arabian  tale,  the  leaves  whereof  are  mouths,  each 
one  of  which  discourses  harmonious  music. 

At  either  end  of  this  seaboard  strip  is  a  beautiful 
ba}';  San  Diego,  in  the  south,  the  starting-point  in 
Alta  California  of  the  Franciscan  friars  in  their  tour 
northward,  the  initial  point  in  their  line  of  mission 
buildings,  San  Francisco  being  the  northern  terminus. 

What  shall  I  say  of  this  land,  and  not  lay  myself 
open  to  the  charge  of  hy[)erbole,  grosser  than  any 
ever  indulged  in  by  the  ancients f  If  they  wrote 
nmch  about  their  Arabys  and  Arcadias — the  world 
learning  their  stories  by  heart  and  repeating  tlieui 
over  and  over  to  this  day — may  not  I  write  a  little 
about  a  better  country  ?  But  indeed,  there  is  no  need 
here  for  exaggeration,  even  if  I  desired  to  indulge  in 
it;  plain,  homely  prose  best  fits  this  and  all  honest 
occjusions. 

Grant  that  Andalusia  is  the  garden  of  Spain, 
Amboise  of  France,  Italy  of  Europe,  and  Sicily  of 
Italy,  and  we  may  justly  claim  for  our  lotos-land  a 
place  before  them  all  as  the  garden  of  the  world. 
Grant  to  be  not  wholly  fanciful  the  great  story  of  tin- 
Greek  Ulj'sses;  we  can  match  it  in  tangible  truth  from 
the  li[)s  of  the  English  Anson  and  Cook,  wlien  among 
the  soft  South  Sea  isles,  and  fn)m  the  profane  mouths 
of  scores  of  ship-masters  sailing  along  the  California 
main,  who  tell  how  they  often  were  forced  to  drag 
back  their  seamen  to  the  vessel,  provided  they  were 
fortunate  enough  to  catch  them,  so  loath  were  they  to 
abandon  the  fascinations  of  the  shore. 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 


187 


islccp 
lis,  as 
tiiiic. 
)!'  tlio 
i-eyed 
'iLjlnn''' 
iie  do- 
soarch 
tree  ot" 
s,  ouch 

jautiiul 
loiut  in 
jir  tour 
mission 
riniuus. 
'  myst-'lt 
laii  any 
y  -wrote 
e  world 
(T  tlu'ni 
a  littlt' 
no  need 
lulo-e  in 
lionest 

Spain, 
)icily  ^'f 
5-land  a 

world. 
ly  of  tilt  • 
itUiVoui 
|i  anioni;* 

moutli^ 
Ulifornia 
ito  dra;j; 
ley  wero 

they  to 


I  do  not  say  that  there  are  licre  no  ott*  days,  no 
trt'a<'her<)us  rocks,  or  slimy  reptiles,  or  poisonous 
jijants;  1  do  not  say  that  winds  never  blow  and 
storms  never  beat;  that  there  are  no  withering; 
northern  Idasts,  or  sand-whirlinijfs  in  the  desert,  or 
Miow  on  the  uiountain-to[)s;  or  that  sometimes  when 
iii;j,ht  sets  in  the  eastern  ridges  do  not  subside  and 
cover  their  heads  beneath  the  fog-blankets  of  the 
valleys — but  these  are  the  exceptions,  and  there  are 
scarcely  enoui»'h  such  days  to  break  the  dead  monot- 
ony of  the  warm,  misty  mornings  that  overspread  the 
Iiiipjiy  hills  and  echoing  canons,  forever  wooed  by  the 
cnclianting  smile  of  ocean.  Here  along  we  may  be 
sui'c  are  no  waters  of  adversity  beneath  which  the 
sca-llower  blooms  nt)t. 

l^ut  I  have  seen  the  ^Mediterranean  angry,  spit(>- 
i'ully  so;  one  would  infer  from  the  high  recorded  cx.- 
jiciicnci's  of  the  veracious  old  IHysses,  in  his  little 
jiadillings  thereabout,  that  he  had  been  five  times 
loimd  the  world,  to  have  seen  so  inany  things  which 
never  exi.sted.  When  we  have  catalouued  the  ills  of 
all  other  Edens,  the  fever-breeding  sun,  the  f»)ul,  float- 
ing miasma,  and  other  pestilential  airs  of  Amboise  and 
Andalusia,  of  Egypt  and  Italy,  antl  have  spread  them 
all  out  before  our  California  lotos-land,  we  shall  then 
see  the  poverty  of  this  place  in  death-dealing  agencies. 
To  grass  and  flowers,  indeed,  death  comes  not  in  the 
cold  and  melancholy  robe  of  autunm  ;  but  sublimated 
by  the  summer's  sun,  undecaying  they  die,  leaving 
their  ])art  substantial  for  the  hungry  brute,  like  the 
departing  soul  which  leaves  the  substance  of  its  life  in 
generous  deeds.  And  we  are  even  told  of  saints  de- 
]i;iitcd,  whose  bodies  were  preserved  by  the  gods  from 
decay,  even  as  Hector's  body  was  kept  fresh  and 
roseate  by  the  devotion  of  Venus  and  A])ollo. 

Ming  vourself  in  early  morning,  the  skv  red-flu.sh- 
uig  with  the  rosy  dawn,  upon  a  point  of  land — Point 
l^oiiia,  if  you  will — and  looking  seawar*.!  and  shore- 
ward aloiisjf  the  white,  curvini;  line  of  sand,  until  in 


iJV- 


m 


1^  M 


h 


.,  '! 


It    i 


IM 


LOTO.S-LANU. 


tho  far  perspective  slioro,  Bca,  and  sky  meet;  pres- 
ently you  may  see  Aurt)ra  stealing  over  the  eastiiu 
mountains,  ami  peeping'-  in  uj)on  her  favorite  fairy-land, 
nestling  warm  and  glowing  under  a  coverlet  of  gray 
mists,  while  with  roseate  lips  she  kisses  night  away. 

Salute  this  land,  blessed  above  all  lands!  Salute 
the  unstained  altars  and  sky-roofed  temples  of  lur 
gods  I  It  is  not  the  Arcadia  of  tradition,  sung  by 
poets,  and  ethercalized  by  romance  writers  as  a  golden 
refuge-land,  free  from  the  harsh  prosaic  life  of  other 
lands;  it  is  the  Arcadia  of  reality,  with  the  three 
fates  plying  their  lively  trade — Lachesis  who  spins 
the  thread  of  life,  Clotho  who  holds  the  distatf,  and 
Atropos  who  eli[)s,  clips,  cli})s,  every  time-tick  ending 
an  earthly  existence  and  opening  an  eternity ;  yet  with 
sweet  vales  tl(»wered  by  fairy  fingers,  and  watered  by 
smoky  streams  and  dew  dropped  by  departed  night, 
and  opening  through  the  mountains  vistas  far  inland 
of  a  country  where  day  is  but  night  warmed  and 
lighted  by  tlie  unseeing  sun,  and  night  but  shadowy 
day;  where  s[)ring  and  winter,  life  and  decay,  fetcli 
and  carry  fair  forms  and  sweet  odors,  their  coming  and 
going  being  not  birth  and  death,  but  only  change,  and 
man  most  of  all  most  unintelligibly  changeable,  per- 
chance with  daughters  who  even  now,  like  butterflies, 
lie  dreaming  m  their  ante-natal  home. 

Almost  Jill  the  days  are  halcyon,  wherein  upon  tho 
surface  of  the  sea  the  kingfisher  may  lay  its  eggs  to 
incubate.  So  gently  slide  the  seasons  from  sumnur 
to  autunm,  and  from  winter  to  sprmg,  that  sunnmr 
seems  but  winter  smilmg,  and  winter  but  the  sum- 
mer born  anew  by  the  refreshing  rain.  So  gently 
fades  the  summer,  like  stars  before  the  rising  moon; 
so  sweetly  falls  the  winter  rain  robing  all  nature  in 
gay  livery!  Stingless  winter  with  its  fresliening  rains 
spins  the  green  and  flowery  coverlid  which  sprinj; 
spreads  over  the  hills  and  plains. 

Spring  breathing  bliss  comes,  and  holding  wmter  in 
her  warm  embrace  until  his  surly  mood  is  melted, 


SKA  AND  SEASONS. 


130 


prcs- 
■asteru 
y-laiul, 
f  vrniy 
iway. 
Saluti! 
of  lur 

ang  ^)y 
gokluii 
)f  otlur 
o  throe 
lo  spins 
;atf,  and 
:  ending 
yet  with 
torotl  \»y 
!cl  uijjjiit, 
ar  inland 
mod  and 
shadowy 


•ay 
uiinjj; 


fetrli 
and 


iw^c,  and 
iblc,  por- 
ittertlies, 

I  upon  the 
[s  eggs  to 
suninur 
smnnur 
Ithe  suni- 
irentlv 
g  moon; 
laturo  in 
lin^r  rauis 
fh  sprin:4 

I  winter  in 
melted, 


spreads  the  hills  with  brilliant  tapestry,  paves  tlu?  val- 
I  ys  with  tender  green,  and  freights  the  gtintlo  winds 
with  the  melody  of  birds  and  the  fragrance  of  ilowijrs. 
t>vi'r  the  white  shining  peaks  iloat  tiie  white  shining 
clouds,  with  a  purity  and  splendor  equalled  only  by 
the  gk>ries  of  Bunyan's  eelestial  city  Gentle  showers 
suoeeed  the  heavier  rains  of  winter,  and  after  the 
si>rin<'  showers  are  the  invisible  mornin<'  dew-elouds, 

I  o  o 

whirl),  after  dropping  tlieir  celestial  moisture,  hie  at 
tlie  bidding  of  the  sun  to  realms  impalpable.  Then 
from  the  refreshed  earth  spring  life-sustaining  fruits, 
low  panting  to  perform  their  mission  of  martyrdom. 

Spring  skips  over  the  hills  scattering  daisies,  toueii- 
iiig  with  a  livelier  hue  the  paljutating  vales,  distilling 
into  the  blades  of  grass  a  darker  green,  deepening  the 
eiiiiison  on  the  rt)bin's  breast,  while  the  lapwing  crests 
himself  anew ;  then  sunnner  comes  to  every  valley  atid 
gulden,  curing  the  gra.ss,  and  reddening  and  yellowing 
the  liHci(»us  fruit,  filling  the  air  with  rich  aroma. 

Soft,  warm,  billowy  sea  bonlered  by  a  soft,  wa)'m, 
iiillowy  shore;  billowy  green  shore  bordering  a  billowy 
hluo  sea,  and  canopied  by  a  deep  blue  sky;  the 
iiicniiniifs  always  youn*;,  the  nii^hts  soothinij:,  j^entle 
(It  \vs  descendint''  wooin*j  frajjrance  from  the  fra*j:rance- 
hicathing  tlowers,  the  valleys  carpeted  with  green,  the 
iilaius  clothed  in  balm  and  boautv ;  while  always  toward 
the  east  the  hills  rise  and  roll  off  in  voluptuous  swells, 
like  the  heaving  breast  of  a  love-lorn  maid.  On  pin- 
iiacU's  of  the  aged  mountain  range  staiids  flushed  by 
wtstei'ii  light  the  aged  snow.  Over  blos.soming  law-ns 
rush  the  wild,  bellowing  herds,  treading  out  honey  and 
]Hituuie,  while  the  bashfid  hare,  innocently  bold,  leaps 
through  the  tall  grass.  In  the  air  are  swallows,  birds 
ot  luck  and  consolation,  sacred  to  the  penates. 

hike  the  happy  valiey  of  Rasselas,  it  is  coni])ara- 
tivcly  inaccessible  except  from  one  side;  yet  softly  on 
this  slanting  shore  falls  the  slanting  light,  gilding  the 
slanting  shore. 

The  soil  is  light  and  dry,  and  like  Attica,  it  is  a 


■M 


140 


LOTOS-LAND. 


'"Ml 


land  of  olives,  vines,  and  honey,  of  sheep  and  cattle, 
rather  than  of  corn  or  cereal  cultivation,  jL^ow-bencl- 
ing  branches,  freighted  with  fruit  fair  as  any  that 
ever  tempted  Eve,  yet  all  unforbidden  seek  the  hand, 
begging  earth  and  man  to  relieve  them  of  their  fra- 
grant burden.  Sun-painted  grapes  glowing  in  rich 
purple,  green,  and  black  clusters,  fragrant  with  tin; 
unawakened,  care-dispelling  juice,  coquet  wantonly 
with  wind  and  leaves. 

Here  and  there  tlie  earth  has  clothed  herself  above 
the  dark  and  sappy  green  in  a  coat  of  many  colors 
eschscholtzias,  ytiUow  as  gold;  lupins,  blue  as  the  rohc 
of  the  ephod,  or  purple  as  Ciesar's  toga;  ancient  colum- 
bines, twining  convolvuli,  and  lilies  white  and  shining 
as  snow.  There  is  laurel  for  the  Parthian  victor's 
Mreath,  wild  olive  for  the  Olympian,  green  parsley 
for  the  Nemean,  and  green  pine-leaves  for  the  Isth- 
mian. Gray  groves  of  olive,  dark  green  orange-trees 
gilded  with  golden  fruit — the  olive,  symbol  of  peace, 
emblem  of  chastity,  sacred  to  Pallas  Athene.  For 
when  the  gods  decreed  that  vviioever  should  [jroduce 
a  gift  most  useful  to  man  should  have  possession  of 
the  land,  and  Poseidon,  with  his  trident  striking  the 
ground  made  to  appear  the  horse,  Athene  meanwhile 
planting  the  olive,  did  nt)t  the  gods  decide  that  the 
olive  was  more  useful  to  man  than  the  horse,  and  so 
gave  the  city  to  the  goddess,  from  whom  it  was 
called  Athenie? 

Back  of  the  Coast  Range  our  lotos-land  reaches 
not;  but  Jigencies  are  there  at  work,  and  none  the  less 
influential  because  unseen.  There  is  the  proud  Siena, 
standing  like  a  crystalled  billow  rolled  in  from  the 
ocean,  scarred  and  knotted  by  avalanche,  riven  hv 
earthquakes,  rent  asunder  by  frost  and  fire,  fiK<l 
down  l)y  rasping  glaciers,  cut  by  winds  into  geonutnc 
irregularity,  rounded  by  rain  into  symmetry  and 
rhythm,  and  topped  by  silvered  cones  and  turret (d 
peaks.  Standing  there,  arrayed  in  purple  robes  of 
majesty,  with  an  immaculate  glacial  crown,  like  Atlas 


MOUNTAIN  RANGES. 


m 


1(1  cattle, 
lOW-beiul- 
any  that 
the  hand, 
their  fra- 
y  in  iicli 
with  thu 
wantonly 


ts  the  rol)c 
ent  coluui- 
nd  shinin^^ 
an  victor's 
en  parsley 
•  the  Isth- 
ranpje-trees 
)1  of  peaa', 
liene.     F<'i' 
Id  produce 
jssession  <»f 
trikhijjj  the 
meanwhile 
e  that  the 
rse,  and  so 
oni   it   Nvivs 


keeping  asunder  heaven  and  earth,  and  holding  up 
the  sky,  our  monarcli  Sierra  assumes  the  dictatorship 
of  all  this  region — Father  of  all,  Dominator,  Pre- 
server ! 

The  pliocene  tertiary  period  probably  saw  the  waves 
of  the  great  ocean  forced  to  recede  from  the  base  of 
the  Sierra,  and  the  valley  of  California  lifted  from 
beneath  the  primeval  waters  by  the  same  Titanic 
power  that  upheaved  the  adjacent  acclivities.  Check- 
iiii;  with  adamantine  walls  the  pretentious  ocean,  the 
ureat  rano;e  ever  after  nresides  over  our  western  sea- 
hnard  and  its  destiny,  directing  air  currents  and  water 
cunents,  regulating  tenjperature  and  creating  climates. 
\\'ith  its  own  garment  of  earth  it  clothes  the  plain, 
and  overspreads  its  slimy  surfiice  with  rich  alluvium, 
heedless  of  itself.  The  ambitious  winds  it  chtM-ks, 
compels  the  clouds  to  give  up  their  humid  freightage, 
and  drop  their  moisture  in  fruetifj'ing  rain  and  snow 
ii|)nii  its  western  slope,  while  the  cold,  dry,  wrung- 
oiit  air  is  permitted  to  escajie  eastward  to  the  unhappy 
consolation  of  the  desert.  Rearing  its  head  above 
the  limits  of  life,  watching  the  stars  by  night  and 
tlasjiing  haek  in  proud  defiance  the  sun's  rays  by  day, 
it  lays  its  innnutable  laws  on  all  filesh  and  grass. 
Turning  its  back  upon  the  east  and  all  old-time  tradi- 
tions, it  guards  our  little  newly  made  world  as  did 
Olyniiiian  Jove  his  Greece;  folding  in  his  (juiekeiilng 
eiiiiiiae(3  our  happy  valleys. 

The  minor  ranges,  like  subordinate  divinities,  join 
also  ill  controlling  nature,  oft  in  selfish  quarrelling 
niood;  one  extendinij  a  shielding  moisture-oatheriiii,' 
banier,  another  excluding  too  long  the  refreshing 
I'reeze,  and  exposing  the  basm-like  vallej's  to  the 
fierce  solar  rays,  or  admitting  the  withering  northers. 
These  western  later-born  formations  of  nu^tamorphic 
civtiiceous  rock  are  embraced  by  the  Coast  KauLre  with 
Its  numerous  spurs  and  peaks,  of  which  only  three  rise 
ahove  r),000  feet.  ()r»  om*  side  they  present  mostly 
an  ahiui)t  and  forbidding  front,  while  the  other  side 


I'iF'.ll' 


U.  Iti 


If; 


142 


LOTOS-LAND. 


melts  away  in  soft  verdant  or  tawny  hills.  Although 
less  majestic,  they  form  in  their  extent  and  location 
the  main  oroi;raphic  feature,  and  help  to  frame  the 
many  fertile  valleys  of  the  country,  with  their  wavinj^ 
wild  grass  and  native  groves  and  vines.  The  lead- 
ing chain,  interlocking  with  the  dominant  Sierra  at 
Mount  Shasta  in  the  north  and  Mount  Pinos  in  the 
south,  forms  that  huge  basin,  the  great  valley  of  Cali- 
fornia, famed  for  its  golden  wealtli,  first  in  yellow 
metal,  subsequently  in  yellow  grain. 

Trickling  from  the  side  of  the  Sierra,  fed  by  the 
melting  snow,  now  hoarsely  tumbling  over  rocky  ob- 
structions, now  creeping  sullenly  through  gloomy 
canons,  settling  in  silent  crystal  pools,  and  shooting 
swiftly  on  in  broad,  shallow  rapids,  the  Sacramento 
and  San  Joaquin  wend  their  tortuous  way  down  t(» 
the  quiet  plains.  Under  the  influence  of  the  warm 
sun  upon  the  snow  above,  and  the  coolness  of  tlu> 
night,  their  clear,  cold  waters  rise  and  fall  each  day 
with  the  regularity  of  the  tide.  From  the  woodid 
valleys  lying  between  the  parallel  ridges,  spriii)j:.s 
shoot  up  and  send  their  rivulets  to  swell  the  largi  r 
streams.  A  series  of  singularly  regular  table  hills, 
risijig  into  mountains  farther  up,  where  they  assume 
the  form  of  battlements,  with  all  the  angles  of  regular 
fortifications  and  bastioned  wings  and  front,  mark  the 
course  of  these  headwaters  i'vr  many  miles.  The 
table  mountains,  for  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  feit 
from  their  flat  tops,  present  a  blank,  cheerless  suifac"', 
with  perpendicular  sides,  then  slope  off  in  uncNrii 
descent,  with  here  and  there  small  indentations  con- 
taining a  few  stunted  trees  and  meagre  vegetation. 

There  are  no  outlets  offered,  aside  from  mount.iiii 
passes,  save  the  portal  pierced  by  the  mighty  streams 
through  the  Carquinez  Straits  and  the  Golden  (iato. 
That  rush  of  waters  drained  tlie  inland  sea  once  left  !•>' 
receding  ocean,  and  still  drains  its  relic  in  the  bay  <  f 
San  Francisco,  ever  widening  the  channels  which  aro 
still  too  narrow  or  shallow  for  the  swelling  spri  ig 


":4. 


VALLEYS  AND  STREAMS. 


143 


dthougli 
location 
'ame  the 
r  wavinj^ 
Che  kad- 
Sierra  at 
;ios  in  the 
y  of  Call- 
in  yellow 

2d  by  the 

rocky  ob- 

h    glooniy 

I  shooting 
iacraniento 
y  dtnvn  to 
'  the  warm 
less  of  tho 

II  each  day 
j,lie  woocU'd 
es,    spriiij,^^ 

the  larir^r 
table  hiU^. 
ley  assume 
Is  of  regular 
,,  mark  the 
lilos.     The 

ndred  feit 
less  surtaiv, 

in  unevrii 
.ation^  coii- 
[rctatioii. 
niountiilu 

^ty  streams 

[olden  Ciate. 

,ncc  left  I'V 

the  bay  « t' 

[a  which  nvo 

lUng  spriig 


.;f; 


flow.  It  is  in  truth  two  valleys  merged  in  one,  with 
two  great  rivers  that  join  in  sisterly  embrace  near 
the  outlet,  forming  one  continuous  line.  Each  pre- 
sents a  beautiful  leaf-like  ramification  of  tributaries, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  lotig  on  an  average, 
flowing  from  the  east  as  the  higher  slope,  owing  to 
the  greater  upheaval  of  the  Sierra  and  its  lieavier 
wadi.  This  system  embraces  the  main  flow  of  the 
country;  a  few  minor  streams  fall  into  the  same  bay, 
the  rest  into  the  ocean  in  great  number,  but  small  in 
importance.  For  instance,  the  only  navigable  stream 
-and  that  only  near  its  mouth — south  of  the  bay  of 
H;ui  Francisco  is  the  Salinas;  all  south  of  that  are  by 
uutinnn  lost  in  the  sands  before  reaching  the  sea. 

The  five  eastern  tributaries  of  the  basin  partake  of 
the  romantic  interest  centring  in  the  country,  passing 
;is  they  do  through  so  wide  a  range  of  altitude,  scenery, 
iiiid  wealth.  From  the  sharply  })rofiled  sky-line  of 
the  great  Sierra,  where  the  snow-clouds  sweej)  from 
peak  to  peak  through  the  cold  dry  ether,  and  falling, 
liang  in  glistening  festoons  from  pinnacle  and  dome, 
tho  brook  leaps  down  in  l)oisterous  play,  enteritig  open 
vales  all  afoam  from  their  mad  race,  pausing  in  lacus- 
trine hollows,  rippling  over  shallows,  eddying  arouml 
rocks,  and  splashing  against  bowlders.  Descending 
t'aitlu  X,  the  gnarled  and  storm-whipped  coniferie  wiiich 
hover  about  the  limits  of  plant-life  are  soon  left,  the 
th'jily  scattered  pines  gather  in  aroma-shedding  dus- 
ters, tlie  white  rocky  summits  are  shut  out  by  the 
(iccpcning  foliage  of  stately  groves,  and  at  length  a 
belt  of  black,  cor.ipact  forest  is  entered,  vast  in  extent 
and  wildly  sublime,  bounded  by  earth-fractures,  fan- 
ta>tio  with  buttress,  towers,  and  bastions.  Closely 
fitting  the  mountains  like  a  vesture,  rising  and  falling 
with  thoir  heaving  sides,  and  wrapping  their  limbs  in 
its  warm  velvety  folds,  a  robe  of  emerald  succeeds  a 
crowK  of  hoary  white.  A  belt  oi  billowy  forest  in- 
tervenes between  this  and  the  prairie-plain  below. 
lianged  in  long  vistas  of  sweeping  colonnade,  or  gath- 


II  if- 


^  If: 

;i    ','1. 


m?' 


LOTOS-LAXD. 


erod  in  donso  t^roups,  standinsj;  asido  from  bramblcd 
cnigs  and  tiilted  bluflk  to  let  in  tlio  j^lowinij^  sunshino, 
arc  myriads  of  barbed  arrow-shafts  and  tinted  i^reen 
spires  pierciii*:^  the  sky,  sable  points  of  pine  tiankin*^ 
the  Sierra,  and  drooping  plumes  of  swarthy  eypress 
and  closely  interwoven  firs  and  cedars  casting  cold 
shadows  on  the  earth,  and  roofing  it  in  infinite  \erdurc. 

Then  the  ocean-seeking  stream  emerges  upon  a  hilly 
bench  sloping  roughly  toward  the  ]>lain,  and  covered 
with  red  metalliferous  earth,  blushingly  conscious  of 
its  embosomed  treasures.  Here  along  tliis  western  base 
of  the  Sierra,  from  Siskiyou  to  San  Diego,  stretches 
the  famous  gold  belt  of  California,  with  its  thousands 
of  dead  streams,  soon  to  be  flooded  by  currents  of 
human  toilers  inflowini;  from  every  corner  of  a  tributary 
world.  A  general  dryness  characterizes  this  region, 
as  if  nature,  exhausted  in  her  mightier  efforts  above, 
])aused  before  entering  upon  the  more  di'licate  traceiy 
of  tlu'  valley.  Kising  duskily  from  the  }>lain,  and 
fVinoino-  the  background  wall  of  dark  ^i-een  firs  with 
golden-berried  manzanita  and  pttlished  madi'ono,  with 
antlered  maple  and  dogwood,  the  Sierra  foothills 
present  their  own  peculiar  aspect.  Their  rusty  vig*  - 
tation  and  dull  gray  undergrowth,  their  groves  of 
dwai'fed  pine  trinnned  with  large  bioad-spreading  oak. 
ai'cord  well  with  the  scorched  soil  and  lurid,  eojipt  ly 
tone.  Even  air  and  sky  seem  significant  of  tlie  luct- 
alh'.rgical  j)rocesses  which  have  here  beeri  going  on 
since  time  beyfan. 

Much  of  the  barrenness  is  due  to  the  age  of  fr(>st, 
v\  hich  in  the  building  of  the  Sierra  succeeded  the  a^o 
of  fire.  Slowly  creeping  down  the  mountiiin,  its 
monster  glaciers  forced  their  way  through  earth  and 
solid  rcK'k,  and  ribbed  the  western  slope  from  toj>  t" 
bottom,  at  intervals  of  twi-nty  or  thirty  miles,  with 
eroded  canons  and  serpentine  chasms.  Lesser  furrows 
were  ploughed  between,  and  thus  the  Sierra's  b-i-i' 
M'as  sculptured  into  a  maze  of  foothills.  Then  tin  iv 
was  the  widening  process  by  the  rains  of  winter  and 


FURTHER  .CONFIGURATIONS. 


146 


\    irrotiU 

\onlur»'. 

[  covoivd 
scums  oi 
.tt.rn\)iise 

stivtfUos 
[,\\*)usan«ls 
irrouts  ot 
.trilmtavy 
lis  vo;j;i«>i»- 
its  al)ovo. 
ito  tracei  y 
|)\aiu,  au<l 

\  iirs  with 
.ruuo,  witli 

I    tootiiiU^^ 

■usty  vooH- 

o'VOVOS    t>l 

,t'  tlu'  lUft- 
r.  '.lioin'j;  "11 

re  of  fr**^t' 
[ed  the  a;4o 

oarti\  au'l 

|-<)U\  tc>V  ^" 
inilos,  with 
,,.r  fun-'Avs 

Lrra's  h=«-^' 
IrUrn  tb>  'V 
1  winter  au«i 


tlio  melted  snow  of  summer,  which  came  in  rushin*; 
brooks  and  vaulting  torrents,  freighted  with  earth  and 
roik  and  gold,  heaping  up  the  old  moraine,  and  mak- 
ing ready  for  the  grand  carnival. 

A  little  farther  and  the  streams  enter  the  level  plain, 
gli(Hiig  dreamily  past  old  and  festooned  oaks  along  the 
;j;rassy  banks,  finally  to  merge  and  enter  all  together 
into  the  great  receptacle.  The  course  of  the  two  main 
rivers  differs  more  than  that  of  the  tribufciries.  The 
Sun  Joaijuin,  rising  in  a  vast  expanse  of  morass  cen- 
tring round  Tulare  Lake,  H<)ws  through  marsh}'  soil, 
sonii  wliat  turbid,  yet  still  free  from  the  yellow  tinge 
that  after  1848  testified  to  the  disembowelling  along 
the  eastern  base.  The  Sacramento  runs  for  a  long 
distance  in  the  midst  of  striking  mountain  scenerv  ere 
it  enters  the  broad  plain  to  expand  between  the  fenny 
banks. 

The  space  enclosed  by  the  two  ranges  is  charaeter- 
izt'd  by  gjiind  beauty  of  topography,  of  uneven  har- 
mony, and  uniform  irregularities  of  siu'face.  F(»r 
liun<lreils  of  miles  the  great  central  jdain,  fertile  as  the 
vallry  of  the  Xile,  extends  flat  as  a  prairie  and  ahnost 
without  a  break,  swaying  from  side  to  side,  narrowing 
between  the  low  red  hills  and  bolder  headlands  thn.wii 
eit  from  either  range;  then  widening  so  as  to  embrace 
the  t  ver-nioving  landscapes,  the  rusty  ridges  and  flu- 
viatlle  ravines,  and  clusters  of  {)i(|uant,  saucy  hills  and 
cirrnlar  glens.  Mark  its  meand(>ring  watercourses 
Aviinling  round  the  green-enanu'Ued  glacis,  and  creei)ing 
with  gentle  nmrmurs  through  the  tules,  or  round  st)l- 
itarv  buttes.  wiili  crests  wreathed  in  soft  silvery  cloud- 
mantles,  whieli  rise  abruptly  from  a  |»lain  carpeted 
with  long,  wavy  grass!  It  swi'eps  round  the  arena, 
rising  lu^ie  and  there  in  long  undulations,  and  throw- 
\\\\i;  itstlf  in  angry  waves  upon  the  base  of  the  Sierra, 
iuid  tinally  breaks  into  a  chain  of  oi>en  plains  whose 
links  are  formed  by  forest-elad  promontories,  whieli 
soHiriinu's  extend  half-way  across  the  valley,  and  cut 
It  into  transverse  sections  of  successive  ridges  and  in- 

Cal.  1'ast.,  Vol.  L    10 


,i!;i 


h  ii'^^  m 


146 


LOTOS-LAND 


tervcning  glades,  their  sides  fretted  with  rivulets  and 
flashing  cascades  winding  in  successive  leaps  and  rests 
down  to  a  base  garnished  with  blazing  yellow  and 
purple  flowers,  and  expanding  into  smiling  vales,  liko 
isle-dotted  estuaries  of  the  ocean.  The  Coast  Range 
with  its  series  of  ranges  is  full  of  these  long  valleys, 
running  parallel  with  the  coast,  some  exposed  to  tin- 
winds  and  fogs  of  the  ocean,  others  so  sheltered  as  to 
enjoy  an  almost  tropical  climate.  All  of  them  may 
be  classed  among  the  loveliest  spots  of  earth,  our  lotos- 
land  still  remaining  apart,  unap])roachable. 

Round  the  whole  circumference  of  the  valley  of 
California,  clustered  like  a  great  diamond  set  in  a  circli- 
of  diamonds,  this  system  of  minor  valleys  extends,  in- 
tricate and  confusing  at  the  northern  end,  l)ut  more 
simple  toward  the  south.  Most  of  the  smaller  <»iu  s 
are  oblong  in  shape,  and  have  a  level  surface.  Far 
up  the  sides  of  the  Sierra,  even,  hundreds  of  them  ai  »■ 
found,  well-watered,  fertile,  and  exceedingly  beautiful. 
The  soil  in  the  great  valley  consists  chiefly  of  rich, 
deep  loam,  covered  in  places  by  beds  of  drift.  At  tlic 
northern  end,  where  the  plain  rises  and  blends  with  the 
foothills,  the  surface  is  red  and  gravelly;  but  soiitli- 
ward,  and  throughout  almost  the  entire  area  of  tlio 
great  and  small  valleys,  for  purposes  of  agrieultuiv 
the  soil  exceeds  in  richness  the  most  favored  districts 
of  France,  Italy,  or  the  Rhine. 

Much  is  idyllic,  park-like  land,  with  natural  nu  all- 
ows arabesque  with  tawny  wild-oat  fields,  patchis  of 
blossoming  pea,  and  golden  mustard  beds  sown  and 
husbanded  by  nature,  and  interspersed  with  indigo- 
nous  vineyards,  fruit  thickets,  and  fairy  flower-ganleus 
laid  out  in  exquisite  pattern,  stars  and  crosst.i  and 
chaplets  of  yellow,  purple,  white,  and  red;  all  vario- 
gatc^'d  with  scraggy,  scattering  oaks,  clustering  gro\  os, 
and  clum})s  of  undergrowth,  freckled  by  the  shadows 
of  floating  clouds,  and  lighted  by  trembling  lakes  and 
lakelets,  shining  tule  lagoons,  and  rivers  which  n<»\v 
race  through  the  canons  like  frightened  herds,  tlicii 


CLIMATIC  FEATURES 


147 


ilcts  au(? 
and  rests 
illow  and 
;ales,  like 
st  Range 
cr  valleys, 
^ed  to  the 
ered  as  t<> 
them  nuiy 
.  our  lotos- 

i  valley  of 
t  in  a  circli" 
Ljxtends,  iu- 
l,  but  ninre 
mailer  I'lus 
rtace.     1'  '^^' 
of  them  art' 
ly  beautiful 
etly  of  ri»-h. 
ft.     At  tlif 
nds  with  the 
but  south- 
area  of  the 
acrriculture 
red  districts 


with  muffled  feet  roam  the  low-lying  Lombardy  pUiins; 
canopies  of  glistening  foliage  Hushed  with  misty  sun- 
shine, with  branches  densely^  matt«d  into  a  smooth, 
continuous  belt  of  russet  gold  and  green.  Warm,  sen- 
suous life  is  filling  lowland,  lawn,  and  meadow,  and 
flinging  the  foothills  which  here  and  there  crop  out 
in  little  zones  of  timbered  land,  crowned  by  beech  and 
birch,  ash,  myrtle,  and  laurel,  or  garlanding  with 
tulips  and  wild  onion,  flax  and  prickly  chaparral,  the 
smooth-browed  hills  that  rise  from  these  seas  of  ver- 
dure. 

The  foggy  district,  or  seaward  side  of  the  northern 
section  of  the  Coast  Range,  is  clad  in  majestic  forests 
of  redwood,  which  overspread  its  sides  like  the  shadow 
of  the  Eternal ;  while  the  southern  section,  and  inner 
ridges  and  valleys  of  the  range,  are  smooth  and  bare, 
and  dotted  at  intervals  with  orchard-like  oak  gather- 
ings, groves  of  stately  arbutus,  az^dea,  and  royal 
laurel,  and  red  hills  covered  with  maple,  hazel,  berry- 
li-aring  bushes,  red-stalked,  glistening  manziinita,  sub- 
dued pines  of  balsamic  odor,  and  tangled  solitudes  of 
annual  and  perennial  plants  and  sweet-smelling  shrubs, 
mustard  plains,  heather  wastes,  and  meadows,  all 
drinking  in  tiie  morning  vapors.  Trailing  through 
the  valleys  are  long  lines  of  sycamore,  garnished  with 
mistletoe,  and  on  every  side  lakelets  of  blue  lupine, 
golden  buttercups,  fleurs-de-lis,  white  lilies,  and  dainty 
hare-bells,  tessallated  beds  of  purple  larkspur  and 
thistlo-Uossoms,  white  and  variegated  convallaria  and 
wild  honeysuckles  woven  in  fairy  network,  crypto- 
ganious  and  delicate  ferns,  aftd  over  all  presidhjg  vener- 
alile  oaks,  bearded  with  long  flowing  mo.ss  of  silver- 
gray.  The  madrono,  with  its  smooth  bronze  trunk  and 
culling  i>ark,  its  blood-red  branches  and  varnished, 
waxen  leaves,  fit  garniture  f(»r  a  nmrderer's  grave,  is 
at  Monterey^  a  stately'  tree,  but  northward  dwindles 
to  a  shrub.  Here,  also,  nature  spreads  her  green  car- 
pet in  autumn  and  takes  it  up  in  summer. 

The  animal  kingdom  is  no  less  profuse.     Pelican 


MM 


148 


LOTOS-LAND 


i^  #. 


w 


and  sea-gull  fish  together  in  the  bays;  seals  and  sea- 
lions  bask  and  bark  upon  the  islands  of  the  shore; 
myriads  of  noisy  wild  fowl  fill  the  lakes  and  tulc- 
marshes;  the  streams  and  ocean  swarm  with  sulmoji- 
tfout  and  cod  and  herring;  lions,  panthers,  and  the 
great  grizzly  bear  roam  the  forests,  preying  upon 
elk  and  deer;  hares  and  rabbits  fill  the  underbrush ; 
coyotes  howl  upon  the  hillside  at  night,  and  by  day 
sneak  around  the  edges  of  watercourses;  the  plains 
are  perforated  by  ground-squirrels;  and  larks,  robins, 
and  tufted  quail  make  the  luxuriant  wild  oats  their 
covert. 

Here  birds  and  beasts  may  rest  content  and  never 
migrate,  their  little  journeys  between  valley  and  moun- 
tain being  scarcely  more  than  an  afternoon's  ramble. 
Piping  on  the  tangled  hillside  is  heard  the  soft  note  (tt 
the  curlew,  likewise  the  rustling  of  the  pheasant,  tliu 
chirrup  of  the  blackbird,  the  whistling  of  the  i)ar- 
tridge,  and  the  sweet  songs  of  the  robin  and  meadow  - 
lark.  Even  the  prudent  bee,  careless  for  the  futuic, 
sometimes  leaves  neglected  the  honey-bearing  Howori^ 
and  fails  to  lay  in  a  winter's  store.  To  elk  and  ante- 
lope, deer  and  bear,  hill  and  plain,  scorched  by  smnnur 
sun  or  freshened  by  winter  rains,  are  one;  bounte()u.>^ 
nature  brings  forth  the  tender  verdure,  cures  the 
grass,  and  }>rovides  the  acorns.  Here  is  no  froziii 
winter,  and  before  the  white  man  came  to  stir  the 
ground,  no  damp,  malarious  summer ;  cool,  invigorat- 
ing nights  succeed  the  warmest  days.  Ice  and  snow, 
banished  hence,  sit  cold  and  stolid  on  distant  j)eaks, 
staring  back  into  the  faCe  of  the  sun  his  impotent 
rays,  and  throwing  its  eternal  glare  over  the  per^ipir- 
in^c  earth  and  back  to  mother  ocean. 

In  the  survey  of  grand  scenery,  distance  always 
lends  enchantment;  in  California,  distance  covers  tlie 
naked  earth,  fills  up  spaces  which  intervene  between 
clumps  of  foliage,  mats  the  thin  grass  into  lawns  in\  it- 
ing  to  repose,  tones  down  rugged  deformities,  brides 
aoualling  chasms,  blends  colors,  veils  the  hills  in  purple 


WONDERS  OF  NATURE. 


149 


oauzo,  and  casts  a  halo  over  the  roinoter  mountains; 
until  the  lantl8c'a|)c,  cold  and  forbidding  jterlia[)S 
uiitKr  closer  scrutiny,  fades  away  in  warm,  dreamy 
|M  rspective.  Nowhere  on  earth  do  landscajtos  display 
so  throat  a  variety  of  tints  and  shades.  Italy  may 
l)(iii.<t  the  blue  haze,  but  only  Californian  skies  disclose 
tlu'  iL^oN^en. 

Besides  these  qualities  of  land  and  sky  and  water, 
iver  varying  and  inspiring,  ever  revealing  fresh  re- 
sources and  new  blessings,  there  are  natural  wonders, 
the  show-grounds  of  our  lotos-land,  unsurpassed  for 
their  beauty,  grandeur,  and  marvel.  Instance  the 
Yosemite  chasm,  with  its  series  of  stupendous  domes 
and  i)eaks,  of  perpendicular  walls  nearly  a  mile  in 
Ik  ight,  of  rushing  cascades  fed  by  glaciers,  and  its 
succession  of  waterfalls  matchless  in  luMght  and  strik- 
ing features.  Within  the  radius  of  less  than  half  a 
(lozt'u  miles  is  here  presented  a  combination  of  magnifi- 
ctiice  which  lures  travellers  from  every  corner  of  the 
oiobe,  and  leaves  them  impressed  with  ineffaceable 
awe  and  admiration.  And  this  j)lateau-rent  has  its 
ciiunterpart,  or  nearly  so,  in  the  Hetch-hetchy. 
Al»ing  the  approaches  to  both  are  numerous  groves  of 
niuninioth  trees  that  rise  from  pedestals  of  more  than 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  into  majestic  proportions  and 
hrin-ht,  or  lie  in  petrified  masses.  There  are  natural 
affiles  and  brirlges,  three  hundred  feet  in  span,  formed 
hy  l)urrowing  rivers,  and  caves  with  stalactite  and 
tiiituous  chand)ers;  and  there  are  bubbling  lakes  and 
siirings  of  miraculous  virtue,  among  them  tlie  world- 
t'anud  geysers,  fuming  and  spurting  their  steam  and 
liwitt'd  water,  hissinjx  and  roarini-'  under  the  volcanic 
fiiivts  that  impel  them;  weird  in  as[)ect,  and  Plutonic 
in  thrir  many  local  aj^pellations. 

Everything  is  great  and  glorious,  compact  and 
l>('(uliar,  in  this  favored  country;  in  soil  and  climate, 
nsnurees  and  eniovments,  it  more  than  verifies  the 
iiiowuig  scenes  ascribed  to  an  ever- retreating  Hes- 
l'tri(h's.  even  to  the  doubling  of  the  goklen  app.lc.j,  in 


160 


LOTOS-LAND. 


t'^f-m 


w^i' ;.'■■«. 


glittering  metal,  and  in  fruit  of  orange  groves  and 
orchards.  Here,  at  the.  world's  end,  nature  has  in 
truth  made  the  last  and  supreme  eflbrt  toward  a  mas- 
terpiece. 

Thus  dreamily  the  Pacific  had  slept  the  sleep  of  the 
ages,  its  waters  unploughed  save  by  whale  amd  por- 

f)oise,  itn  sunny  islands  breaking  into  ripples  the  seji's 
azy  swells,  or  frowning  back  the  laboring  tempt-st. 
Thus  ages  have  rolled  along,  centuries  have  come  and 
gone,  while  no  stranger  approached  the  gilded  sIkmv. 
And  now,  silent  as  a  snow-bound  canon  of  the  Sierra, 
lonely  as  night  on  a  moon-lit  lake,  beautiful  as  un- 
folding womanhood  upon  whose  face  the  rude  gaze  of 
man  hath  never  brought  a  blush,  sits  California,  on 
the  siiorc  of  a  great  sailless  sea,  the  world's  divine.st 
poein,  all  unsung  save  by  the  waters  that  murmur 
their  presence  at  her  feet,  save  by  the  mountain  birds 
and  wild  fowl,  the  land  beasts  and  water  beasts,  that 
raise  their  voices  to  scare  away  the  stillness;  all  hid- 
den and  unknown  her  blushing  beauties  and  her 
treasures,  save  to  the  native  men  and  women,  wli(», 
clotlied  in  the  innocence  of  Eden,  creep  through  the 
chaparral,  or  lie  listless  on  the  bank  beside  their  rustic 
rancherfa. 

"  Let  us  swear  an  oath,  and  keep  it  with  an  equal  mind. 
In  tlie  hollow  Loto8-lan<l  tn  live,  and  lie  reclined 
On  tho  hills  like  godd  together,  careless  of  uiaukiud." 


CHAPTER    V. 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 

Tlie  visage  of  the  hangman  frights  not  me! 

The  sight  of  whips,  racks,  giblMsts,  axes,  tiros, 

Am  HCiiffoltliugs  oil  which  my  soul  climbs  up 

To  an  eternal  habitation. 

JUoHniiKjer. 

While  the  happy  wild  man  lay  outstrctchecl  upon 
tlio  softly  rounded  promoiitory,  lay  and  sunned  liini- 
st'H',  lulled  by  the  low,  murmuring  tones  of  ocean, 
(lnainin,i(  half  awake  of  the  fishing  presently  to  bo 
(lone,  of  the  early  morrow's  hunt,  the  periodic  raid 
ui)<)n  his  neighbor,  too  long  postponed;  his  faithful 
wives  meanwhile  catching  grasshoppers,  and  curing 
savory  reptiles  for  the  future  food-supply — while  these 
and  other  necessary  measures  in  the  aboriginal  econ- 
omy were  being  carried  out,  tliere  came  to  these 
Arcadian  shores  men  from  afar,  from  beyond  the 
i^ncat  waters,  men  of  fairer  skins,  and  subtler  brains, 
and  more  determined  purpose  than  the  isolated  Indian 
could  hope  to  have — they  came  to  tell  the  hapj)y 
wild  man  that  it  was  all  a  mistuke:  a  mistake  first 
that  he  liad  not  been  created  ditterently,  and  se(;ondly, 
that  he  had  been  made  at  all.  In  any  event,  he  was 
ill  the  wrong  place,  and  in  fact  was  alto«;ether  wrong 
liiiiiselt. 

ite  had  his  gods,  other  men  had  theirs;  other  men 
wtie  stronger  than  he,  and  their  gods  were  stronger 
than  his  gods.  If  he  would  abandon  the  gods  of  his 
fiithers,  and  disclaim  all  ownership  to  the  land  of  his 
tatluTs,  then  the  incoming  and  more  righteous  men 

151 


152 


OPPOSINO  FORCES. 


im 


m 


;,:i 


if:t' 


^«- 


^;il:.::i 


and  i^otk  would  ])ormit  thoin  to  live,  and  walk  ujion 
the  <4r(>uiid,  and  brcatlu.'  the  air,  and  tc'cl  iIh-  suiisliiut', 
otherwise  they  should  he  killed,  they  and  their  wives 
and  their  little  ones;  for  it  is  thus  that  the  stronijftr 
men  and  j^ods  decree,  even  as  these  wild  men  lnar 
tliemselves  toward  one  another.  The  ditlerence  be- 
tween them  was  onlv  on  the  surface.  All  men  at 
heart  are  still  l>rute8. 

This  was  tlie  lesson  these  j'entle  sava«rea  were  now 
to  be  taught;  they  had  never  known  it  else.  Hitherto, 
on  their  hills  and  in  their  canons,  these  lords  ahoriij;!- 
nal  had  themselves  dwelt  like  Olympian  deities,  con- 
tent with  their  nectar  and  ambrosia,  and  careless  of 
the  joys  or  woes  of  the  busy  world  without,  careless  of 
the  moanin<;8  of  mankind,  careless  of  the  weariness 
and  heaviness  of  heart  of  others,  of  wars  and  revulu- 
tiofis,  of  biting  wjint  and  ])estilence,  of  seas  tumultuous 
and  deserts scofching,  of  Christian  butcheries,  of^xiliti- 
cal  snarlings,  of  joy-dispelling  books,  of  inquisitions,  of 
murky,  reptile-breeding  prisons,  of  penitential  castiga- 
tions,  of  hunger,  cold,  and  heat,  of  m  u,rs  on  evil,  the 
moanings  of  progress,  and  the  creaking  wheels  of  civil- 
ization. 

All  that  was  bright  and  sunny,  all  that  savored  of 
out-of-doors,  belonged  to  them.  They  were  cheerful 
and  thoughtless  and  triHihg,  but  they  were  not  morose, 
or  melancholy,  or  sad.  They  were  human  and  child- 
like as  Homeric  heroes  in  their  petulance  and  tears. 
Enough  they  had  both  of  gods  gloomy  and  gods  sunny ; 
but  though  the  evil  spirits  cried  aloud,  there  was  al- 
ways at  hand  a  certain  escape.  Sure  1  am  the  gods 
of  their  'varm,  billowy  shore  were  sunny  deities,  lu»w- 
ever  black  the  priests  may  have  painted  them. 

Hitherto  the  savage  had  supjuised  himself — if  in- 
deed he  thought  at  all — one  with  his  environment;  of 
hills  and  vales,  of  ocean  and  sky,  of  trees  and  fruits 
and  game,  a  part.  He  had  his  tlieory  of  how  all  these 
came  about,  how  the  world  was  made — thougli  imt 
imagining  that  it 'extended  far  beyond  tiie  mountains 


m  :-m 


COMING  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES. 


15.1 


[k  u\>on 

iv  wive-* 
stronirer 

ouco  bo- 
uiL'U  at 

,vcrc  now 
I  litlu'ito, 
s  al)onu;i- 
itics,  ei)U- 
aroless  of 
^•uroli'^^  of 

lul  rcvitlu- 
uuiultu«)us 
■s,  of^'oliti- 
aisitions,  ot 
ial  i'a«ti!^a- 
n  evil,  tho 
lels  of  fi vil- 


li 


yonder — liow  man  was  created,  and  whithor  ho  f^oes 
\\  hen  he  leaves  tlii-s  wo.  Id.  His  coneeptions  wen-  cruder 
than  thcst  v»f  tlie  Europeans;  nevertheless,  he  had  tlio 
same  riiifht  to  them  that  the  Europeans  had  to  theirs, 
jind  who  shall  say  where  none  know  which  was  right 
or  wrong  ? 

Whosoever  his  creator,  and  f(>r  whatsoever  purpose 
iiiiidc,  the  California  savage  was  fulHUing  the  design 
of  that  heing  concerning  him.  He  was  not,  as  the 
incoming  strangers  would  say,  an  interlop<M-  in  this 
world,  and  occupying  ground  which  should  he  put  to 
lifttir  use;  the  same  agency  or  being  that  made  this 
charming  lotos-land  placed  m  it  these  dark-skinned 
('li\ldren  of  nature,  perhaps  to  develop  into  something 
fairiT  and  better,  j»eniaps  to  be  slain  by  men  from 
otlur  lands,  or  civilized  and  christianized  out  of  this 
World  into  happier  realms. 

However  this  may  have  been,  it  was  while  nature 
was  warm  and  fraLjrant,  and  humanitv  here  was  free, 
uiuursetl  by  conventionalisms,  that  these  men  came — 
Imly  I'len,  they  called  theiuselves,  men  of  (iod,  priests, 
juh' .-  friars,  monks,  at  all  events,  missionaries,  in 
loiii;  gray  g  \vns,  with  shaven  head,  slightly  bent 
in  attitude  of  circumspection,  with  book  and  beads 
whereby  to  hold  connnunion  with  the  Ljreat  Jehovah 
who  lives  beyond  the  sky,  on  the  other  side  of  chaos, 
ill  the  realm  of  the  illimitid)le.  There  were  also 
others,  not  holy,  but  bearing  firelocks  and  swoids  and 
spears,  to  kill  men  with;  one  clan  being  by  professiou 
soul-.savers,  the  other  destroyers  of  men's  bodies, 

'Why  come  they  hither  f  the  wondering  wild  man 
asks.  '"'What  do  they  desire?"  "What  woidd  they 
ha.',  us  doT'  "Why  did  they  leave  their  homes  if 
they  are  honest  folk  ai»d  have  honest  homes.''" 

"Peace,  savage!  What  should  you  know  of  the 
jjreat  doctrines  of  salvation,  the  nature  and  attributes 
of  the  trinity,  of  mediation,  transubstantiation,  ini- 
iiuiculate  conception,  and  the  rest?  What  should  you 
know  of  missionary  labor — you  whoSe  mission  it  is  to 


at' 


154 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 


i' 


eat  and  sleep,  hunt  a  little,  fight  a  little,  but  in  all 
things  taking  God  at  his  word,  not  trying  to  interfere 
with  his  })lans,  or  improve  his  handiwork? 

Like  you,  these  men  have  their  traditions  regard- 
ing the  origin  and  end  of  things,  tales  told  when  the 
world  was  young,  and  intellect  clouded,  and  men  were 
very,  very  ignorant — as  ignorant  as  you,  poor  shock- 
head!  Yet  it  is  from  these  poor  and  ignorant  men 
who  lived  many  thousand  years  ago,  and  wlio  knew 
nmci-  less  than  men  know  now,  but  who  believed  all 
the  more  knowing  so  little,  and  whose  imaginative  and 
inventive  faculties  were  quite  good  for  filling  gaps 
it  is  from  such  as  tiiesc  that  we  are  supposed  to  receivi; 
all  our  knowledge  of  the  creator  of  the  universe,  liis 
character  and  attributes,  his  ways  and  works,  and  of 
heaven,  his  dwelling-place,  and  of  hell,  where  lives  his 
great  enemy  Satan,  wht)m  the  onmipotent  camiot 
wholly  overcome,  though  he  be  called  omnipotent, 
still  being  unable  fully  to  cope  with  this  adversary. 

These  who  are  now  wending  their  way  hither, 
round  throujifh  the  canons  and  over  the  rolling  hills, 
sleeping  under  the  madrono,  or  in  the  clustered  man- 
/anita,  eating  their  frugal  meal  by  the  clear  runniiiLf 
water,  and  praying  int<>  the  inhabited  heavens — these 
sainted  strangers  are  coming  hither  to  do  you  good, 
to  tell  you  what  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  of  aL:is 
past  ac'A  of  the  supernatural,  and  to  ask  you  to  ii"- 
lieve  it.  Thev  bring  their  formulas  and  ceremonials, 
and  tell  you  thus  and  so;  if  you  accept  their  hcatc- 
ments — which  I  grant  is  somewhat  difficult  for  a  rea- 
sonable .savage  to  tlo — well;  then  you  shall  be  permittid 
to  wait  UDon  them,  and  work  for  them,  build  houses, 
ten«l  cattle,  and  till  lands  for  them,  you  shall  pray 
like  them,  and  bless  and  curse  as  do  they;  and  wii<  u 
you  all  di(^  you  shall  ^ollow  them  to  the  happy  luax eii 
they  tell  about,  an*'  wait  u|)on  them  there.  If  you  i<  - 
fuse  their  piottered  benefits,  which  they  have  come  so 
far  an<l  suliered  sucli  tribulation  to  bestow,  then  tin  sc 
with  the  firdoclcs  and  steel  will   slujot  you  dead,  ami 


THEORY  OF  PROSELYTISM. 


is  regard- 
when  the 
men  were 
)or  shoek- 
orant  nun 
^vVio  knew 
eheved  all 
native  and 
ing  gaps— 
I  to  reeeive 
diverse,  his 
irks,  and  t>t" 
?re  lives  his 
cnt   cannot 
omnipotent, 
dversary. 
way  hithrr, 
rolling  hill^. 
itored  nian- 
„ar  runniiv^' 
Ivens — the>'' 
[()  you  goo* I, 
ions  ofag^*^ 
vou  to  l"- 
oremoniai>, 
their  hcat*- 
\\t  for  a  ivii- 
jopernihtid 
luild  houses, 
shall  \>vay 
;  and  wiH  u 
iippy  heavtu 
if  you  iv- 
jave  eomt'  >" 
,  then  tli'>^'' 
,)U  dead,  aiul 


cut  you  in  pieces,  you  and  your  wives  and  little  ones; 
for  so  their  masters  hid  them  do. 

They  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  arc  very 
wicked,  while  they  are  very  good;  to  teli  you  that  the 
maker  of  this  universe  is  their  particular  friend,  that 
tliiv  know  him  well,  and  all  ahout  him — his  impulses, 
thoughts,  desires,  and  purposes;  and  that  they  are 
sjitoially  commissioned  by  this  almighty  one  to  come 
to  this  lotos-land  and  tell  the  people  hero  that  they 
are  all  had,  altogether  oad,  vile,  miserahle  .sinners, 
tit  only  to  he  cut  in  pie?u.s,  uidess  they  will  say  that 
tluv  believe  what  is  now  beinir  told  them,  in  which 
ciiso  they  shall  some  day  go  to  heaven,  tin  ic  to  sit 
and  sing  the  })raises  of  their  masters  throughout  all 
tteniity,  while  watching  with  holy  satis'a«'ti»m  the 
writhings  of  the  tortured  who  never  had  so  said. 

It  was  quite  a  mistake  on  the  part  o'  the  creator 
to  have  mac'e  you  at  all,  redskin  brotLor,  and  unless 
wi'  can  imp'  ove  his  handiwork  we  shall  murder  you. 
We  do  not  know  how  a  perfect  being  can  produce 
imperfect  work,  but  we  know  that  it  is  so — and  be- 
sides, we  want  this  land,  and  we  must  have  it;  so 
speak  (|uickly,  for  we  must  know  whether  we  are  to 
kill  you,  or  only  cultivate  you  to  death."  Thus  came 
tlie  serpent  civilization  into  this  Eden,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants thereof  from  that  moment  were  doomed. 

Again  the  wild  man  asks,  "What  benefit  shouM 
tlow  from  this  serene  and  heavenly  life?"  And  the 
ai:s\ver  is,  "Besides  religion,  your  beasts  aiid  reptiles 
aii(!  birds  of  j)rey  will  be  exterminated,  the  wilderness 
will  be  turned  into  a  garden,  famines  will  tH\ase,  pesti- 
lence will  be  controlled,  physical  forces  now  intago- 
I'istie  to  your  well-being  will  be  subjugated,  and  you 
will  bo  less  dependent  on  fitful  nature. 

"Vou  do  not  want  them,  you  say,  or  their  religion. 
^  oil  arc  better  otf  as  you  are,  as  the  re*il  and  true 
eniitor  made  you  and  placed  you,  and  you  do  not 
1«  lievo  that  their  traditions,  or  knowh'dge  of  tlu^  un- 
kiiu\vul)lo,  are  better  than  vours,  or  that  they  know 


m 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 


,i 


more  than  you  of  wliat  they  have  never  seen,  of  wliat 
no  one  has  ever  seen — for  surely  tliey  eoiild  not  ask 
you,  you  say,  ignorant  and  superstitious  tliougli  you 
are,  to  accept  as  true  what  other  ignorant  and  su[)er- 
stitious  men  said  they  saw  ages  and  ages  ago.  And 
'f  the  strong  white  man  has  the  right  to  take  the 
li'.nils  of  the  weak  red  man  beeause  he  does  not  make 
the  best  use  of  tliem,  may  not  any  one  who  is  able 
take  the  possessions  of  another  on  the  same  ground? 
And  why  do  they  w  ish  to  per-suade  or  foret;  you  to 
accept  their  faith*  and  what  would  tlu'V  sav  were  vou 
to  cross  the  ocean  and  endeavor  to  thrust  your  religion 
down  their  throats?" 

Ah!  gentle  savage,  these  are  pertinent  <|uestions. 
There  are  several  reasons  why  they  wish  you  to  accept 
tluir  faith.  The  principles  upon  which  proselyting 
stand  arc  benevolence,  superstition,  and  selfishness. 
Probably  the  last  named  should  be  i>laced  first.  Tlnso 
men  firndy  believe  that  by  making  converts  to  their 
fiiith,  as  they  call  it,  they  will  be  most  liberally  })iU(l 
for  it  after  their  death.  They  have  many  maxims  to 
this  eflect.  They  will  shine  as  stars;  they  will  have 
a  high  yeat  in  heaven;  they  will  in  many  ways  be 
specially  favored  by  their  heavenly  father,  all  the  whili' 
having  the  satisfaction,  as  I  have  said,  of  seeing  those 
who  would  not  listen  to  them  broiling  in  regions  below. 

Again,  if  you  accept  their  religion  you  accept  them, 
and  their  ea  'thly  master,  the  king  of  Spain;  you  nmst 
give  up  your  liberties  and  your  lands,  and  work  for 
them,  thereby  making  them  rich  and  comfortable 
even  in  this  lifj,  so  that  they  secure  a  foretaste  of 
heaven  here.  Piety  with  property  is  great  gain,  my 
good  savage. 

Then,  too,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  believing  wh.it 
they  tell  you  is  true,  it  is  natural,  not  only  for  n  li- 
gionists  but  for  scientists  and  all  wlio  have  anj'  enthu- 
siasm in  what  they  think  and  do,  to  endeavor  to  win 
over  to  their  way  of  thinking  .as  many  as  ])ossible. 
This  proselyting  spirit  is  all  well  enough  within  pro[>»  r 


MISSIONARY  WORK. 


w 


^  of  what 

not  ask 
,ujrli  you 
lid  su[)er- 
To.     And 

tako  the 
not  make 
u)  is  alile 

•CO  you  to 
/•  wero  you 
,ur  roligion 

(jucst'ions. 
mtoao<-<-'\>t 
jiroselytiuj^ 
solfishutss. 
rst.     Thrse 
;rt9  to  tlieir 
berally  paid 
J  maxims  t'> 
y  will  have 
iny  ways  bo 
|iU  tlio  VUilo 
jcein*^  tliosc 
^ioiis  bolow. 
J;copt  them, 
h;  youmu>t 
[id  work  to  I' 
icouifortaitlo 
forotasti'  »'t' 


lliniis;  it  is  well  enough  so  long  as  sound  reasoning 
iiiiiy  is  employed,  and  not  steel  and  gunpowder.  Co- 
ncion  in  this  direction  is  the  greatest  of  crimes.  In 
propagating  creeds,  or  in  moral  conquest,  conversion, 
(»r  proselyting,  men  are  secured  more  easily  being  led 
than  driven.  Argument  has  little  to  do  with  conversion 
ill  savage  minds,  but  example  much,  and  food  and  trink- 
i  is  more.  Let  a  superior  race  practise  pompously 
any  tt'iieto,  I  care  not  what  they  are,  aujong  savage 
)i',(>|)1l'S,  and  the  doctrines  so  pronudgated  will  prove 
citcliing.  See  how  radically  in  political  matters  a 
leading  mind  can  change  opinion  throughout  the  entire 
tiiuimimity.  So  a  strong-minded  missionary  will  coii- 
viit  ids  thousands  and  make  them  do  his  bidding  by 
sliver  force  of  will. 

These  ndssionaries  are  men  of  sublime  heroism,  of 
imhounded  faith,  of  limitless  credulity.  In  their 
(K'\(>tioii  to  their  faitli  they  are  as  firm  as  Abdiel, 
upon  wliom  Satan's  eloquence  urging  heaven  to  revolt 
fril  powerless.  They  have  been  told  that  it  is  the 
tiling  to  do  to  ct)nvert  the  heathen,  to  njake  them 
stand  still  while  they  nmmble  dogmas  and  scatter 
water  over  them.  Therefore  they  do  not  fear.  Man 
<an  do  them  no  harm,  for  if  killed  tliey  enter  heaven 
at  once.  And  in  truth,  some  of  thorn  seemed  as 
hard  to  kill  as  Saint  Cecilia,  who,  kept  of  Christ, 
folt  it  no  woo  to  bo  shut  in  a  hot  bath,  and  whoso  fair 
neck  the  executioner  could  by  no  chance  smite  in  two. 

Muscular  strength  was  the  Greek  i(Ual  of  manlv 
eliaraeter;  strength  through  weakness,  that  of  the 
(  hristian.  Antesthetic  fanaticism  does  nuich  for  those 
called  to  suffer  nuirtvrdom.  The  dull,  unintellectual 
nature  of  the  extreme  bigot  renders  him  in  some 
measure  insensible  to  suffenng. 

Regarding  tlie  matter  after  the  manner  of  men,  the 
ahori^inal  inhabitants  of  our  lotos-land  have  existeil 
Vn\'X  enough.  They  have  accomplished  tiieir  destiny 
mill  ,ire  readv  to  die.  Their  work  is  «lone.  That  for 
wliieli  they  are  here  is  upon  the  »)riginal  basis  eon- 


•l  V  ij/  ,( 


R-- ,  H 


158 


OPPOSINPr  FORCES. 


eluded;  there  is  nothing  further  lor  them  to  do,  and 
they  can  accompUsh  nothing  on  a  new  basis — for  they 
cannot  shift  their  position. 

Tlie  early  conquerors  believed  themselves  divinely 
inspired  to  discover  lands  and  christianize  the  pe<>i>lc  ; 
we  of  to-day  see  in  it  all  the  natural  product  of  his- 
torical antecedents.  The  power  of  the  almighty  tciii 
pered  their  steel.  "Ah!  thou  my  good  sword,  hail, 
bright  Toledo,  soul-saver,  slave-maker,  land-giver, 
gold-finder,  I  worship  thee !  Of  all  things,  what  can 
give  me  so  much  as  thou?  Sensuality  and  salvation, 
wealth  and  worship,  lust,  avarice,  and  immortal  glory. 
God  and  Satan  recompense  me  for  doing  devilish 
deeds  in  Christ's  name.  Cut  and  slash,  thou  switt 
blood-letter,  thou  holy  hewer  of  quivering  tiesli !  I 
bow  to  thee ! " 

In  the  solitude  and  gloomy  shade  of  their  wildii- 
ness,  although  alone,  no  one  knowing  their  wlun- 
abouts,  the  niissi..naries  felt,  at  all  events,  that  tlic 
eyes  of  God  were  upon  them — the  eyes  of  tlio  oiii- 
ni[)otent  Jehovah,  of  the  Lord  Christ,  and  of  the  holy 
vir«rin,  stealing  through  soul  and  sense  like  the  g.i/c 
of  a  tender  mother,  which  penetrates  with  such  strono; 
magnetic  influence  the  breast  (»f  her  not  wholly  unci»ii- 
sclous  sleeping  child.     Their  faith,  like  Mambriiu-V 
helmet,  rendered  them    invulnerable   to  evil.     Tiny 
could  pray  for  a  safe  and  prosperous  journey  to  wlmt- 
ever  spot  God  pleased,  for  thither  were  they  bound, 
and  then  strike  out  boldly  and  confidently  into  tho 
unknown,  trackless  wild.     To  them  the  loss  of  a  lift' 
was   insignificant  compared   to   the   loss   of  a   s<>ul. 
Teaching,  as  they  did,  with   the  doctrines  of  tin  ir 
faith  the  arts  of  civilization,  these  missionaries  m.  rv 
in  the  strictest  economical  si'use  productive  labor*  is. 
In  their  mission  were  united  all  the  utiUties,  material, 
moral,  and  ideal.     And  every  opportunity   is  gi\iii 
heaven  to  bless  them;  they  always  leave  a  handle  t'nr 
providence  to  take  hold  of,  as  the  ^[ussulman  hfivost 
upon  his  shaven  crown  a  lock  for  the  angel's  ham  I  to 
grasp  while  being  borne  aloft  to  }»aradise. 


POWER  OF  PROSELYTING. 


tw 


(S  diviiu  ly 
lie  peopU". 
uct  of  liis- 
iglity  t«--in- 
Nvord,  bail 
land-givn", 
^,  what  can 
I  salvation, 
ortal  glory. 
Q<T    (lovilisU 
thou  swi't't 
ig  ttesh!     I 

their  wihlci- 
■lioir  wh«n- 
its,  that  tho 
;  of  the  t>n\- 
tl  of  the  holy 
like  the  gii/o 
such  stron;j; 

holly  UlUiMJ- 

Mamhn»*'V 
evil.  Tluy 
tiey  to  what- 
thcy  hound, 
itlv  into  tho 

[OSS  (»i  a  ''' ' 
of  a  soul. 
ues  of  tli>ir 
lonaries  w  ro 
ivo  labor.  IS. 
lies,  material, 

lity  is  g'l^*'^ 

la  luuulb'  t'-r 

ihnao  hi'^^'* 

■oVs  bau'l  to 


(> 


TTiif.py combination !  Soldiers  for  Clirist  and  soldiers 
fdi-  the  king.  Christ  for  men,  and  men  for  souls, 
tlu!  devil  helping,  taking  his  chaneo  of  securing  even 
some  of  tho  elect  Wc  can  understand  how  the  king 
f  Spain  might  employ  soUlicrs;  but  that  the  Lord 
Christ  should  want  such  sc-rublty  things  as  these  gt)ing 
up  and  down  tho  eartli  killing  savages  for  him  is  past 
the  comprehension  of  all  wisdouK  A  little  learning 
iiiiide  priest  and  secretary  pretenticms,  putted  u|)  with 
])r()ud  sui>eriority.  And  in  their  own  eyes  the  AEexi- 
»;ui  soldiers  were  ever  cool,  gallant,  patriotic,  and  of 
inflexible  coura»je.  Their  hearts  swelled  with  hiijh 
lievotion  to  a  cause. 

In  the  new-comers  were  united  the  attributes  of 
settUr  and  saint.  Like  Ulvsses,  thev  wen;  n>en  of 
pious  ^viles,  tlu'se  missionary  fathers;  they  were  wise 
as  seipents,  though  not  always  as  harndi'ss  as  doves. 
Tluy  knew  how  to  captivate  and  capture  the  wild 
men.  First  tluy  t>ntered  into  intimate  relationshi[)s 
with  them,  material  and  mental,  placing  them.selves 
in  their  stead,  seeing  with  their  eyes,  thinking  their 
tlidughts,  and  weigliing  and  measuring  their  every 
idea  and  idiosyncrasy. 

At  the  outset  their  material  condition  nmst  be  ini- 
inoved.  A  savage  can  understand  that  religion  is  a 
tj^ood  thing  when  it  feeds  and  clothes  him.  In  pro- 
jtnition  to  the  presents  given  will  his  faith  be.  The 
St  Sinionian  soc-iety  of  Jesuits  in  Paraguay,  uniting 
with  religion  a  communily  of  W(»rldly  interests,  brought 
ilie  minds  of  the  natives  under  such  control,  that  not- 
withstanding their  abhorrence  of  work,  they  sultmitted 
tlieniselves  with  reverence  to  the  new  authority,  and 
labored  faithfully  for  the  comnmnity. 

Wealth  is  ever  the  })recursor  of  civilization.  !More 
than  that,  wealth  is  the  foundation-stone  of  religion. 
Of  all  intellectual  and  ajsthetic  culture,  pt»verty  is  tho 
oiieniv.  To  send  missionaries  amoni;  the  savajLjo 
Ileal  lien  with  empty  hands  avails  little.  Abstract  fu- 
ture u<i(xl  they  cannot  uiulerstand,  but  food  and  proxi- 


160 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 


m 


mate  comforts  appeal  to  their  stronjjest  reason,  the 
soiit  of  which  is  the  stomach.  Little  reupiiijjf  there 
will  he  if  with  the  word  there  be  not  ulsr)  sown 
wheat,  corn,  and  barley.  Little  fruit,  if  with  tiie 
fornmlas  of  faith  there  be  not  also  potatoes  planted, 
or  orange-trees,  or  olives.  To  civilize  poverty  is  im- 
possible. To  christianize  savage  ignorance  is  imims- 
sible.  Feed  and  clothe  if  you  would  educate  and 
elevate.  Educate  and  elevate  if  vou  would  christianize. 
Plant  the  valleys  and  cover  the  hills  with  herds;  give 
Siivages  material  benefits  if  you  would  see  them  enjoy 
spiritual  comforts.  These  material  benefits  are  wealth, 
and  with  them  wealth  is  religion.  But  here  the 
blessed  strangers  are  upon  us.  And  the  pathway  of 
their  holy  zeal  is  as  beautiful  as  the  rainbow-bridgf 
let  down  from  heaven  for  a  pathway  for  Iris  when  on 
an  errand  of  discord. 


lis  I 


E't 


k  I, 


mk 


ll'^v 


Ave  Maria!  Santfsima  madrc  de  dios;  vfrgcn  san- 
tisinia !  Bells  wau:  tieir  discordant  ton<rues  and  call 
to  prayers;  prayers  everywhere;  in  the  church  ami 
over  the  hills,  about  the  granaries  and  gardens,  the 
storehouses  and  corrals;  jnayers  by  the  padre,  by  tlir 
blooming  damsel,  and  the  shriv  jHed  old  woman,  by 
comandante,  hidalgo,  and  va<juero.  Pray,  brothers, 
pray!  Beseech  him  who  made  this  universe  to  finish 
it,  and  do  l)etter  work  than  formerly' ;  beseech  him 
who  made  us  bad  now  to  make  us  good,  and  to  ilo  ;i 
a  little  better  by  us  every  way.  Pray,  and  }>eradv»ii- 
ture  the  great  creator  will  change  his  mind  and  )»ur- 
pose  because  we  tisk  it — we,  who  know  so  much  bttt>  i 
what  this  world  should  be,  who  could  make  so  mu«  li 
better  a  W(»rld  had  we  the  power.  Then  pray,  brot It- 
ers, pray  I  and  we  shall  see  come  of  it  what  we  sliall 
see. 

Hail,  holy  virgin!  Hall,  holy  child!  Hall,  fatht  r  nt 
all,  omnipotent  regulator!  One  father  in  heav«>n;  many 
fatiicrs  (»ii  earth — lioly  fithers,  soU*  agents  and  r<  piv- 
sentative.s  of  our  fatlier  in  heaven ;  lathers  of  every 


MEDITATIONS  OF  THE  SAVAGE. 


161 


ason,  the 

llh^)    HONvn 
with    tho 

jrty  irt  iuv- 
is  iin\>«>^- 
[ucate  and 
bristianii'^'- 
icrcls;  giv^' 
them  enjoy 
are  wealth, 
t  here   thi- 
pathway  «'t 
il)ow-brul:4'^' 
ris  when  on 


.  v{r<^en  san- 

iTues  aiul  liiU 

church  aii'l 

gardens,  th«' 

wire,  by  tin' 

woman,  hy 

ly,  brotheiv, 

^.rse  to  fiiiif^' 
Ltesoeoh   h'uu 

ai»cl  to  il«'  :i 
11,1  perailvi  Mi- 
md  and  \»ui- 
>much  Vnttt  1 
mke  so  mil'  1i 
pray,  brotlj- 
,'hat  we  siiiil^ 

[ailfathii-ot 
leaven;  nwinv 
Its  and  iv\'»'- 
liefrt  of  •-•very 


nation,  toni^mo,  and  color;  fathers  of  the  black  gown, 
Au^ustinian  and  Dominican;  fathers  Franciscan,  blue 
and  uray;  Carnu'litc  fatliors  of  the  white  gown,  and 
all  the  rest;  fathers  true  and  fathers  false;  fathers 
jmi'e  and  impure;  fathers  who  are  not  fathers,  and 
t'lilhers,  alas,  too  much!  Twelve  children  crowned 
the  joys  v)f  happy  Father  (;iabriel,  missionary  president 
of  the  two  Californias,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1  HID — 
su  it  is  said,  and  a  wise  father,  he. 

Further  the  red  man  ruminates:  "If  all  that  they 
do  and  say  be  good  for  white  people,  it  must  l)e  go»)d 
for  the  red;  for  we  are  told  if  we  pray  enough,  and 
in  tlio  riglit  way,  the  almighty  will  revise  his  work, 
and  we  shall  all  be  made  white,  and  cunning,  and  have 
ureat  good  here,  and  a  better  place  than  others  in 
heaven;  though  why  a  repentant  sinner  should  be 
luadi;  more  of  by  the  select  society  above  the  clouds 
than  one  who  has  never  sinned,  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand." 

])oul)t]ess  heav(!n  is  a  iiappy  i>lace;  but  earth  is 
more  substantial.  ]3oubtless  tlu-  joys  of  heaven  are 
very  fine;  but  few  care  to  K'ave  eartli's  sunshine  to 
;jjo  theii^  ])oubtless  Christianity  is  a  great  bo(»n  :  tin* 
native  .Vmeiicansare  willing  that  Europe  should  have 
tlu'  whole  of  it.  Doubtless  angels  dislike  having  the 
roinforts  of  the  celestial  citv  to  do  drud"'erv  work  here 
I'll  larth;  but  in  seU'-sacrifiee  there  is  bapiiiness- -in 
wliirh  case  it  is  not  self-sacrifice. 

There  an^  earthly  anufels  as  well  as  heavenlv:  tliev 
aiv  (ilttinies  indeed  of  earth  earthy,  and  not  always 
\i  ly  clean;  spiritually  minded,  but  gr«)ss  and  mattiial 
I'll  the  surface — very.  Two  or  three  hundred  y»ars 
i(>.,'o  there  were  more  angels  on  this  eartli  than  now; 
tin  IV  weie  too  many;  nn-n  had  to  labor  ttM)  hard  to 
tird  and  house  them;  the  way  to  heaven  can  now  be 
noiiit((l  out  more  bricHv  and  with  fewer  wortls :  so 
>"iiii  of  them  went  to  heaven,  while  others  went — to 
Work. 

Tilt  i-e  is  more  to  Christianity  than  monks  and  nuns 

Cal.  1'a.ht.,  Vol.  I.    U 


162 


OPPOSINfl  FORCES. 


IfH; 


ft" 

ii  ;, 


l«K    t. 


': 


J,. ..  J, 
IS*"  , 


— for  example,  the  bell,  invented  by  Paulinus  of  Xola, 
about  tlic  year  400;  the  or^'an,  brought  from  tlic 
Greek  church  to  the  M'estern  one  in  the  seventii  or 
eighth  century;  the  gothic  cathedral,  which  sitrani^- 
from  the  religious  efflorescence  of  the  twelfth  century 
— all  these  were  powerful  aids  to  make  men  tit  for 
lieaven,  to  make  many  fit  for  heaven  who  were  not  iit 
to  live  (m  this  earth. 

The  Franciscan  fathers  who  kindly  came  to  our 
lotos-land,  who  came  from  afar  to  our  lotos-land  to 
drive  out  Satan,  were  astonished  to  learn  that  in* 
devils  were  here  before  they  came.  Why  do  deviU 
so  beset  good  men;  and  why  did  not  these  fatluis 
stay  at  home  and  fight  them  there'  "I  have  set  ii 
and  <lefied  innumerable  devils,"  says  the  truthful  tiiid 
refined  Martin  Luther. 

St  Bonaventura  tells  a  story  of  St  Francis  of  As- 
sisi,  our  San  Francisr  ,  wlit)  died  a  victim  nf  aseeti- 
eism,  of  which  performance  he  should  be  reasoniil)ly 
ashamed.  Raising  liimseL  and  gazing  upon  his  ema- 
ciated limbs,  "I  have  sinned  against  my  brother,  tlic 
ass!"  he  cried;  then  sinking  back  he  fell  into  a  tranc*', 
in  which  a  voice,  attributed  b}-  the  holy  man  to  the 
devil,  spake  to  him  and  said,  "Francis,  there  is  no 
shiner  in  the  world  whom,  if  he  be  converted,  (ioil 
wdl  not  pardon;  but  he  who  kills  himself  by  haul 
p(Miances  will  find  no  mercy  in  eternity."  This  was 
very  kind  of  the  devil,  who  seemed  to  possess  tho 
better  sense  of  the  two.  ^fany  priests  about  this 
time  whipped  themselves  into  eternity,  who  awakini,' 
there  were  no  doubt  surprised  at  their  former  folly. 
Th(!  natives  of  the  New  World  used  to  commit  suicitle 
to  m-t  away  from  these  same  hated  Christians,  who 
could  stop  them  only  by  threatening  to  kill  themsilvcs 
and  follow  them  to  the  next  world.  Significant  of 
sorrow  and  of  terror  were  the  words  dc  iiiiitaliotic 
Chrt'sti,  and  ik  contcwptn  (unm'inii  vaiiitafitm,  breathiiii,' 
as  they  did  the  inspiration  of  medijeval  religion.  To 
the  dogs  with  this  world  and  all  its  beauties  and  bloss- 


f 


RELIfilOX -^rAKERa. 


163 


Iii<4sl  Let  selfishnos.s  Ik;  ivfiiiod  and  .subliiuatcd  I 
I'iirtt,  l>ray,  scourge,  and  sit  in  sackclotli,  for  so  sliall 
the  soul  find  plenty  and  joyous  honors  heroafti  r. 
iruinaii  nature  is  fitting  an  immortal  soul  predcstint'd 
to  eternal  damnation  by  a  beJieficent  creator  only  as  a 
s;u'rifice  to  l)e  offered  up  for  the  subse(|uent  bemfit  of 
the  spiritual  nature.  Hence  the  holy  fathers  ciy,  hv- 
ware  of  the  devil!  and  Dante  revels  in  purgatorial 
pictun's. 

To  tlie  church  and  clergy  of  Spain,  America  is  in- 
ilthttd  for  woes  umiundured.  The  strujjf'dc  against 
the  ineradicable  |>rinciple  of  evil  within  the  heart, 
aL;ainst  the  fascinating  demon  of  wrong-d<iing,  began 
witli  tlie  race.  Grecian  philosophers  attempted  its 
analysis,  and  formed  codi's  of  ethics,  l)y  which  tlu* 
l.igliest  destinies  of  man  were  attainable;  but  with 
tlie  advent  of  christianitv,  asceticism  found  a  richer 
soil.  In  order  to  crusli  out  natural  j)assions  to  free 
t!ie  mind  from  bare  and  material  things,  and  restore 
the  (»rit;inal  puritv  of  the  soul.  Christians  souuht  in  the 
siihtude  of  the  ilesert,  or  apart  u|)on  the  mountain,  or 
in  the  close  seclusion  of  the  monastery,  the  companion- 
ship of  God  and  holy  angels.  Or  it  may  be,  a  van- 
<(uishe«l  warrior  in  life's  battle  retires,  heart-sick,  for 
jtiiiitence;  it  matters  not  whither  so  that  he  be  alone 

alone  to  lay  bare  the  secret  workings  of  the  heart 
htfore  the  intelligence  that  created  it.  Thus  the  j>ath 
el'  the  believer  was  a  Jeremiad,  a  lamentation,  a  tah- 
el"  \V((e.  Hating  life,  the  body  a  loathed  encumbiance, 
li''  Would  anticipate  death  and  enter  at  once  a  gl(»ritied 
existence 

I''iM\ulation  is  excited;  admirini^  crowds  j-athei- around 
the  hermit's  hut;  Mionasti-ries  are  built,  and  thus  the 
inward  spiritual  lite  finds  outward  expression  Aus- 
triity  and  discipline,  having  attained  perfection,  grow 
l.aiiglity.  The  humble  saint  bcccmies  proud  of  his 
liuniility.  For  a  time  he  still  denies  himself  sensual 
indulgence,  but  only  in  order  the  better  to  gratify  the 
nioio  subtle  vices  of  pride  and  power.     He  accepts 


164 


OrPOSIN(;  FORCES. 


m 


|>i(tflri'r('(l  nduUition,  aHsunu's  autliority,  levies  trilmto 
for  his  ;4<)illiness,  waxes  fat,  and  enjoys  relij^iou.  No 
more  caves  or  shaky  huts,  or  inidiiijjht  vi^il,  fast,  or 
jK'iiaiioe ;  hut  stately  castles,  hroad  fields,  ami  well-filled 
larder.  Crowds  now  tlock  for  admittance  to  the  churcli 
that  <^ives  her  votaries  both  sensual  an<l  celestial  joys, 
^[endica!lt  orders  overspread  the  land  like  locusts. 
To  escape  starvation  or  violence,  jiaupers  become 
monks.  The  lean  and  ghostly  hermit  is  now  a  portly 
abl>ot,  and  in  place  of  stony  cavern  and  scanty  Iierbs, 
rich  viands,  generous  wines,  voluptuous  revels;  and  to 
grace  their  jileasures,  if  we  may  credit  Draper,  **  visions 
of  loveliness  .  ere  converted  into  breathing,  blushing 
realities,  who  exercised  their  charms  with  better  ett'ect. 
than  of  old  their  phantom  sisters  had  done."  Behold 
the  end  of  ri«rhteousnes8  overmuch:  so  hard  it  is  for 
man  to  re-create  himself  1 

Is  not  the  philosophy  of  living  to  avoid  extremes' 
The  golden  mean  is  the  rosetta  st<nie  of  social  hiero- 
ulvi>hics.  The  man  who  throui;h  all  the  waves  of 
passion,  by  the  craggy  walls  of  prejudice,  and  through 
the  tortuous  paths  of  reason,  holds  nearest  a  medimu 
coursj',  live'S  nearest  a  perfect  life,  and  nowhere  dors 
excess  appear  more  ott'ensive  than  in  religion.  In  tin- 
earlier  stages  of  the  church,  many  of  lu-r  votaries,  iii- 
sjtired  by  the  examples  of  the  apostles  who  lived  with 
simplicity  and  sutfer-ed  with  resignation,  labored  t<> 
out<lo  their  exenijilars  in  virtue,  and  render  tin  ir 
lives  yet  more  simple  and  self-denying.  To  such  ;iii 
ixtent  was  this  conceit  carried  that  self-abnegation, 
which  in  the  first  instance  was  a  necessity,  became  in 
the  eyes  of  enthusiasts  a  positive  excellence.  If  iii- 
dirt'ereiice  to  wealth  is  conuneiulable,  abject  poverty  is 
mon^  praiseworthy;  if  fortitude  under  trials  is  well, 
self-Hagellations  and  bodily  torture  is  better. 

Christ  inculcated  on  the  mind  of  his  followers  •  s- 
trangement  from  the  world,  fasting,  meditation,  prayer. 
The  earlier  zealots  went  further,  and  for  meditation 
retired  to  hermitages,  built  monasteries  for  prayer, 


EVOLUTION  OF  SAINTS. 


105 


trU)uto 

on.     ^'" 
,  fast,  or 

10  chunU 
itial  joys. 
3  locusts. 
.    becouu' 
V  a  portly 
nty  bev\)s, 
;\s;  au«l  t«> 
,|.  "visioiis 

r,'\)\usl»ii>'^ 

ii'ttfi-  I'tt'*''^' 
"     Boholtl 

rd  it  is  *"•'»■ 

1  cxtroims '. 
social  hiev»'- 
10  waves  ot 
and  t\iro*»:-i^' 
st  a  mcdiuiu 
.owlierc  (.U»«  s 

ion.     l»t)"' 
votaries,  m- 

,vo  Uvocl  witU 
,,  la\>orea  <" 
render   tlu  »»• 
To  sucli  iiu 
f-abncj^atioM, 
•V.  bccan\e  >i» 

.onco.  K>'!- 
loct  vovei-ty  i> 
trials  is  ^vtH. 

tor. 

ti  foilowcrs  '  >- 

Itation,  pray;  v. 

\,r  nieditatio" 

■a  for  vray'' 


and  sjient  their  lives  in  koo|>iii«^  their  body  at  deatli's 
tl.M.r  \)y  starvation  and  tornicuts.  These  anchorites, 
h\  rigi«l  tasting  and  sloopUss  and  incessant  contenipla- 
tinii,  wrouglit  tlieir  imagination  into  a  frowzy  not 
unlike  tlic  dehriunis  of  o[)iun«,  of  alcohol,  or  of  fovor. 
'i'lu'V  saw  visions  and  dreanud  dreams.  Thi'  sensihil- 
ity  of  the  body  was  blunted,  and  strange  phantasms 
llo.ittd  through  the  brain.  Thus  the  ai)paritions  and 
niiiaelos  of  the  church  arc  not  in  every  instiinco  a> 
Mtnie  would  have  them,  inventions  of  designing  priists. 
Xumborlcss  instances  are  recorded  of  strui'i'les  with 
« inissaries  of  Satan,  of  fierce  wrestlings  with  imps 
.ind  diabolic  monsters,  of  visions  and  rt;vcIations  of 
liravcnly  or    hcUisJi    import,  in  which    the   sincerity 

•  if  the  visionary  was  bevond  <|Uestion.  The  victims 
ul"  these  liallueinations  may  have  been  insane,  but  they 
wnc  not  impostors. 

Tit  doubt  till!  sincerity  of  the  monks  and  fiiars  who 
cumo  as  ndssionarifs  to  the  Now  World  is  to  doubt 
nligion,  and  give  the  lie  to  humanity.  Schooled  in 
till'  discipline  of  the  cloister,  the  old  nature  with  the 
nld  life  is  eradicated.  By  their  vows,  the  world  with 
its  passions  and  andiitions  is  forever  denied  them, 
iiiiying  aside  their  apparel  and  a(loj)ting  that  of  their 

•  mlt  r,  giving  up  their  very  name  for  some  simple  or 
siiiitl}^  appellative,  identity,  personality,  that  which 
Utnrious  minds  most  hiufhlv  prize,  and  which  consti- 
tiitt'stho  most  powerful  incentive  to  noble  actions,  is 
iii>t.  Honors  and  rewards  await  them  not  hero  but 
li<  itafter.  They  have  nothing  to  hope  for  from  man, 
iMiiliiug  to  fear;  for  earthly  ignominy  and  pain  only 
add  to  their  future  joys,  and  death  itself  is  but  a  re- 
Itaso  from  toil  and  sutferiny:  to  the  eternal  jovs  of 
liaradiso.  Nic«)lini  tells  us  that  when  the  citizens  of 
\  it'ima  threatened  to  throw  Legay  into  the  Danube 
ti'f  |>n>mulgating  the  reforms  of  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  he 
>'oiiifulIy  replied:  "What  care  I  whether  I  enter 
111  :i\(  II  by  land  or  water?" 

And  Motley  says:  "Priesthood  works  out  its  task, 


'H  ^\-^:i 


:  i: 


-^'i 


mi-'-    '■■ 


m 


!'? 


I 


i: 


'l  I. 


166 


OPI'OSINCJ  FORCKS. 


aye  after  a<^e;  1U)W  Hiiioothiii^'  ponlteiit  death-bedt*. 
roiiscciatiii^'  <Xravcs,  feedin«^  tin;  liiuif^ry,  clothing  tlic 
naked,  incarnating  tho  Cinistian  precepts  in  an  a^T 
of  rapine  and  lioniicide,  dt)iug  a  tliousancl  dt'cils  of  love 
and  charity  anjonv;  tho  ohscuru  an<l  forsaken  deeds 
of  which  thi;ro  shall  never  ho  a  human  chroni«'le,  hut 
a  leaf  or  two,  perhaps,  in  tho  recording  angel's  Ixtok; 
hivuig  precious  honi'}'  I'roiu  tho  few  Howers  of  gentle 
art  which  hlooni  upon  a  howling  wilderness." 

The  power  of  the  priesthood  is  invariably  in  propor- 
tion to  tho  ignorance  an«l  8Ui)erstition  of  the  peopl. . 
The  ureater  the  ignorance,  the  ureater  is  the  honestv 
and  sincerit}'  in  nhgion,  and  conscipusntly  the  uKHt 
easily  is  the  n)in<I  led  to  perceive  a  special  interjiositinii 
of  su[>ernatural  powers  in  human  events.  To  tlic 
forces  of  nature,  and  the  apparent  prevalence  of  chamc 
in  human  affairs,  a  cause  must  he  assigned,  ainl 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  true  and  natural  caiiM . 
extraordinary  events  are  attributed  to  supernatui.il 
agencies.  As  the  causes  which  govern  natural  |i1m 
nomena  are  known,  th.it  which  before  was  supernatui;il 
in  nature  disappears.  Eclipses,  comets,  and  eaitli- 
•  juakes  are  no  longer  evidences  of  divine  displeasun . 
13ut  so  long  as  the  people  remain  in  [)()verty  and  igno- 
rance, so  long  will  they  blindly  follow  their  religious 
teachers. 

At  this  time,  not  only  were  men  taught  to  belicvr, 
but    forced   to   btslieve.      l*roselvtism   is  an   esseutial 
element  of  every  religion  ;  anil  as  te;'.chers  are  possessul 
of  power,  so,  whether  priest  or  puritan,  will  they  en- 
force their  teachings.     To  persua<l(>  if  possible,  if  not 
to  coerce;  to  win  by  love,  or  teirify  by  puJiisluiunts: 
to  compel  the  intellect  to  receive  what  reason  rejects: 
to  make  men  believe  to  be  true  what  they  know  to  !»• 
false;  to  constrain  to  a  life  of  hvi)ocrisv   or  doom  t« 
martyrdom;  to  force  by  violence  convictiotis  that  <  iui 
not  be  carried  by  arguments;  to  torture  men  in  act  <  pt 
ing  forms  and  creeds  which  conscience  teaches  tin  ni  t( 
reject — or  fjiiling  in  this  to  kill  them.     These  ys'vix 


SrANISH  CHRISTIANITY. 


tlie  iri.struiuents  with  whicli  religion  wrought  in  the 
tiltt'onth  coiitury. 

Thu.s  it  wa8  that  not  uUine  nobles  and  prelates,  hut 
tlio  illiterate  dregs  of  old  ^ 'astile,  were  lofty  in  their 
li»yalty,  exalted  in  their  piety,  fearless  of  any  danger 
Nivo  the  i^ods  and  devils  of  their  own  ereation.  As 
adventurers  to  the  New  World,  without  a  murmur 
tlit-y  would  encounter  the  inhospitable  climate,  inhale 
the  nmlarious  air,  wade  through  tangled  morasses, 
(Tniilt  rugged  mountains,  swelter  under  a  tropical  sun, 
and  all  for  the  love  of  CJod,  and  gold,  and  glory; 
traversing  the  trackless  wilderness,  scourging,  bap- 
tizing, working  miracles,  scorning  pain,  disease,  and 
dtath  in  their  mad  eflbrts  to  save  from  hell  men  not 
lialf  so  near  that  place  as  themselves.  Carried  away 
by  a  ferocious  enthusiasm,  they  became  devilish  in  their 
(lisiri's  to  make  men  Christians;  butchering  their  fel- 
iiiw mm  by  scores,  thousands,  converting  and  killing — 
int  anwhile  ravisjiers  of  maids,  jnurdi'rers  of  old  men 
and  children,  j>erfidi«)us  liars  and  cheaters,  laying  a  fair 
l;ind  waste  in  the  name  of  peace.  Their  heroism  was 
as  higli  for  [)lunder  us  for  piety;  for  lands  and  captivi; 
.slaves  thi'V  I'ould  wrestle  as  fervently  as  for  S(>uls,  and 
thiir  unscrupulous  severity  in  the  accomplishment  of 
tht  ir  desires  was  only  e(|ualled  by  their  versatility  in 
the  clioice  of  means.  Why  they  were  so,  what  made 
tlirm  so,  it  is  easy  enough  to  see  in  the  ign<»ran<'i'  and 
hlind  fanaticism  growing  out  of  their  religious  teach- 
ings, and  in  their  social  maxims. 

Nor  were  these  heterogeneous,  di.set)rdant  elements, 
though  thrown  together  by  a  conjunction  of  clas.ses 
and  clans,  destined  to  remain  apart,  some  in  one  and 
siiMic  in  another;  on  the  contrary,  they  cond>iiicd  in 
gitatcr  or  less  degree  in  the  individual,  an«l  formed 
till'  hasis  of  Spanish,  more  particularly  of  (\istilian, 
cliaracter.  In  the  same  person  wo  see  united  enthu- 
siastic piety  with  cruel  avarice;  indeed,  we  need  not 
';.'>  l>U(k  four  centuries,  nor  look  alone  up«)n  the  Span- 
ish IVuinsula,  for  unions  of  ill-assorted  and  badly  min- 


}n 


i'l« 


1 

1- 

';    1 

i. 

i 
i 

^ 

i 

'■ 

108 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 


gle«l  traits  of  human  cliaractor ;  for  even  now  in  Anjjjlo- 
Stixon- puritan  stock,  in  every  u<lvt;nturous  crew  turiud 
loose  iiit<»  a  wilderness  in  seareh  of  j^oUl,  away  from 
the  in(|uisitorial  inllucnees  of  social  life,  may  be  seen 
ei-o|»|»iiiir  out  the  fruits  of  excessive  liberty,  the  saiiir 
lustful,  venal,  infernal  spirit  wliich  possessed  the  Span- 
ish coiHjuerors  of  the  New  World. 

Father  Juni[)oro,  blessed  and  justl  While  on  the 
Atlantic  side  of  our  present  domain  An^jh (-Ameri- 
cans were  fighting  for  deliverance  from  tiie  imtcrn.il 
chains,  Hispano-Amcricans  on  the  l*aci(ic  were  brinu- 
ins4'  to  a  benijj^hted  thou<;;h  ha[i[)y  race  tiiat  civilizatidii 
an«l  Christianity  which  always  sends  native  nations  td 
earth.  Th(»se  first  puie  pri<!sts  who  came  hithrr. 
devoted  ministers  of  tlie  liviiii;  God,  who  reallv  di- 
sired  the  welfare  of  the  abori^^inals,  desired  tluin  U> 
live  and  n'>t  die;  these;  with  their  cond'orts  and  tin  ir 
kindness  kill«'<l  as  surely  as  did  Cortes  and  IMzarid 
with  their  ifunixiwder,  steel,  ami  pit'ty. 

Scion  of  the  coiujuerors,  a  coiKjueror  liimscif;  tht  y 
fit^htinj^  naked  sjivaj^cs,  he  fiLrhtinjjf  tieiuls;  they  ctm- 
((uerinLT  for  Charh's,  he  for  Christ;  (^hrirst  and  Charit  s, 
both  all-powerful,  y<'t  both  needing  fighters;  both  iti - 
nignant,  yet  both  re<(uiring  the  slaughter  (»f  some 
millions  of  (jod-made  men  to  add  to  their  genciil 
glory  and  j>articular  comfort  and  happinessi  So  tluse 
saints  and  soldiers  would  have  us  believe. 

.lunijM'jo  was  a  <'on(pit'ror,  and  his  g»«'atest  achicx'  - 
ment  was  the  compiest  of  self;  as  I'ublius  Syrus  iisi  >\ 
t(<  say,  "IVis  vincit,  (jui  se  vincit  in  victoria"  -  he  coii- 
qui'rs  twice  who  coiKjuers  himself  in  victory.  Thoiijii 
outwardly  mild  and  humble,  a  fii'e  of  devoted  entliii 
siasm  burned  within;  butwitii  self  sacrificed  so  suli- 
onlinated  that  he  envied  his  divine  mast<'i"  but  one 
thing,  cru<*ifixion — this  fire  shot  forth  occasionally, 
when  he  fancied  his  redeemer  slighted  or  insultnl, 
but  never  for  slight  or  insult  placed  ujion  himself 

Hear  how  a  brother  I'riar  tells  in  orthodo.x.  terns 


THE  PADRK  I'UKSIKENT. 


109 


,  Anglo- 
V  turmtl 
ay  iVoiii 
be  sc'«u 
lio  saint' 
be  Span- 

Ic  on  tl\i' 

(>-Aui«ii- 

|>iiti'rniil 

L'l'o  ln'iii;.;- 
iviruatioii 
nations  \'< 
Hi  hitlifi'. 
rt-ally  (K- 
l  tlMin  to 
anil  tlitir 
nl   I'iwuio 

iscll";  th<y 

tlu'V  t'""- 
(U'durl.s, 

\)otll  1" - 
If    ot"    StlllK- 
\y     rri'lK  nil 

tSo  tli*>^' 

1st  JU'lii*'^"  - 
iynis  US-  'I 

-]\V  i'oll- 

Thoujh 
Led   i-ntliU 
,1    _..Sl)  Huli- 
IT    but    ii^'' 

[(•as'n'iii'l'^  • 
Ir  insult'  ^, 

iumclt. 

uluX.   toUiS 


tlio  story  of  his  lifi":  "Juniju'ro  St-rra  was  born  on 
the  li4tli  of  Xovcnibfr,  I7l;{,  at  tlu;  villa  d»;  IVtra, 
i>laM(l  of  Mallorca,  lu'lonoini^  to  jMcditrrrautan  Spain. 
His  parents  wwe  pi'ojdf  in  liuniblo  circunistancrs,  but 
lit'  (Irxout  and  pious  faith  accordin*^  to  the  c.-itiiolic 
(liurrli.  Jlis  liithor's  name  was  Antonio  Srrra,  liis 
iiii>th«r  Mart^arita  Ferrer.  Fi'oin  liis  cliildlKMid  ho 
w.is  (tf  a  iLfrave,  benevoh'ut,  serious  <'haraeter,  and  liis 
^iv.itest  j)U'asure  was  in  attentlinj.^  the  church  of  San 


jlciiiardino  in  liis  native  town. 


T\ 


lest 


habit: 


M' 


s  nnnressed  uiion  nis  nn 


h 


ind  tl 


«   dutv  o 


(livotinjjf  liini.self  to  the  si  rvice  of  the  church,  and  Im 
•rdinyly  assumed  the  habit  of  a  Franciscan  fi  iai- at 


a«'i'i 


tlic  ai^t'  of  sixteen.  ilis  zeal  and  exemplary  conduct 
iiidcared  him  to  hi-(  supej-ior,  and  thi!  brethren  of  the 
tinier,  who  vied  with  each  other  in  forwardin:LC  his 
\ii\vs,  and  perfcctini;  his  theoloLjical  studies.  His 
atlrctionate,  earnest,  and  devout  spiiit  led  him  to  seek 
tiie  conversion  of  the  American  In«lians  to  the  faith 
•  it"  ('liiist,  and  he  accortrm'';lv  became  a  missionaiv  of 
ilir  Societv  I'oi*  the  I'ropaLjation  of  the  I''aith.  In 
ill  rdidanee  with  the  linietious  ol'  his  new  otlice,  and 
with  the  lienetlictions  of  ilis  friends  and  th 


o.se  «) 


f  tl 


le 


111  it 


ht  rhood  of  San  Francisco,  he  proceedtd  to  Mex- 
ii ".  and  for  many  years  ollieiated  in  the  Indian  mis- 
^Imis  of  the  Siej'i'a  ( Jorda,  an<l  of  Saha  on  the  frontiers 
•  ittliat  countrv.     iUit  moved  'iv  the  accounts  received 


iiiiiii 


It  this  time  t»f  the  expulsion  of  the  dtsuits  ft-oin 
b"\\ii'  California  by  the  Spanish  i;o\  (•iiiiiicnt.  his 
li'  lit  was  drawn  by  th»  ar(i<)r  of  a  I'ervent  zeal  to  de- 
\'it''  his  life  to  the  convi'rsioii  of  the  Indians  of  tlii'se 
i<  iimtc  iT'^ions,  who  lie  believed  were  now  aWout  to 
I"  iiiandoiicd  to  their  savage  and  brutal  habits.  Ac- 
niidiii^ly,  eiicourai^rcd  by  the  viccioy  and  authorities 
"t  Mexico,  and  with  the  assistance  of  many  de\(nit. 
•:n!iMlics  of  that  country,  he  embarked  with  a  hand  of 
I'l'itiicr  missionaries  of  the  I'ranciscan  or<ler  at  San 
I'lli-.  iiieitino;  at  that  port  the  exileti  Jesuits  from 
h '\^- r  California,      .\rrived  in  that  distant  ]^>rovince. 


i 

m 


m 


170 


OPPOSING  FORCES. 


aiul  fintlinj^  tiie  religious  ostaldishiiieiits  there  placetl 
under  the  eoiitrol  of  the  ]Joiniiiicans,  with  the  ui<l  (»f 
the  officers  of  the  Spanisli  goveriunent  at    Loreto  h 


1 


(■>.S 


irojeeted  two  expechtions  to  Alta  Cahfornia,  one  l)y 
iiid  on  the  sliore  hy  tlie  gulf,  and  the  other  hy  sea. 
The  one  hv  land  hrouufht  tlie  first  livc-stoek,  altout 
GOO  in  nunilter  of  all  kin<ls,  t«>  tliis  eountry;  and  in  ;i 
coniparativelj  short  space  of  time,  from  the  finen 
ot  the  climate  and  richness  of  the  pastures,  they  were 
numhered  hy  tens  of  thou8an<ls. 

"At  San  ])iego,  on  the  niei'ting  of  the  two  compM- 
nies,  was  founded  in  17<>1)  the  first  mission  of  Ah.i 
California.  ]n  the  year  following  was  founded  the 
presidio  of  ^[onU'rey,  and  the  mission  of  Carnielo.  Ily 
the  year  1784,  he  had  foundetl  and  settleil  with  priests 
the  estahlishments  of  San  Fiancisco  ])olores  and 
Santa  Claia  in  the  north,  and  tho.se  of  San  liuis 
()l>ispo,  San  Antonio,  San  Jiuenaveiitura,  San  ( lii 
hriel,  and  San  Juan  Capistrano  in  tin*  south;  at  each 
of  which  places  weie  also  retained  small  companies  ut 
tin'  king's  soldiers. 

"(jlradually  the  [»ri«'sts,  under  the  enorgt;tic  hut 
paternal  dirt-ction  ami  care  of  the  veneraide  president, 
gatiieri'd  into  their  missions  the  wild  Indians  of  the 
valleys  of  the  coast.  H  is  and  their  lives  wi're  of  gr<  at 
exposure,  lahor,  and  jierpetual  risivs  and  disadvantaue>, 
thinui'h  which  tliev  persevered  with  an  ind»'lat iua''lf 
zeal,  kiKtwn  only  to  men  ind)ue(l  with  direct  [iurp«>-es. 
ami  a  lively,  ardent  faith,  which  knew  no  ([ueiichiu.; 
m  a  new  field  lor  the  rea[K'r's  sickhs  and  lal>orei-s  dis- 
jiroportioned  to  tlie  work.  They  huilt  housts,  conse- 
crated churches,  planted  vineyaids  and  or<'hards,  sowed 
fields,  stocki'd  the  j>asturi'S,  taught  the  gentiles  lalmr 
and  the  consolation  of  Christ's  religion,  and  finally 
triumjihed  over  all  difficulties  of  the  first  settKim  lit 
of  a  frontier  wikh-i-ness,  which,  after  th«ir  saciil 


Id 


and 


sound  as  the  rosi; 


j>rivations,  sprung  to  lite  and  Idooniei 


1  and 


liut  this  was  not  the  oidv  reward  of  the  devottii, 


DEATH  OF  JUXiPEUO  SKUUA. 


171 


c  placed 

10  aul  *'^ 

t)10tl)    1'*^ 

L,  one  l>y 
r  by  ^*'  :>• 
oU,  al«>ut 
and  in  a 
.  lini'niss 

Llu'y  vvi-'i'^^ 

,V()  coniv;*- 
u  ot"  Ait;i 
viuded  tli> 
nielo.     I >y 
/ith  priests 
olores    aii.l 
San    l^viU 
t,  San  *;;' 
tU;  at  *-a«li 
i)nJl>anic-  "I 

I'trctic     b"t 
u  president. 

liaiis  of  tli<' 
riv  ol'  ;j;n  !it 
.nlvanta-o- 
idrliitij^a*'^"' 
|(.t  \nuv"-;^- 
,)  (jiicnt'i'ii'- 

,.Urti-S,  eousr- 
uir*ls.s..\\.(l 

irntUrsb'"'!' 
ar.d  linalK 

•ir  sueriti*'' 
I  and  I'l"- 

llhi"  dr\"i"*' 


( nii^t'tlc,  and  pious  lilV'  of  the  founder  ot  our  state. 
His  aim  was  the  crown  of  j^lorv,  tht^  jutssission  of 
whieh  aniniat(\s  the  devoted  eatlioHe  to  lav  tlown  his 
lite,  if  neci'ssary,  when  he  remcMuhers  for  all  trials 
and  sulferinjjjs  that  lie  that  e(mvorteth  a  s«)ul  to  God 
shall  shine  as  a  star  in  the  Hnnainent  of  heaven. 

And  now,  ai^e  creepiuij  on  apace,  and   privations 


ami 


Irauie 


I  exiiosures  haviuLT  had   their  natural  eUe«'t  on   his 


CI 


le  was  taki'ii  sick  in  the  month  of  Aui;ust, 
with  a  severe  <'omi>laint  of  the  throat  and  lun^s,  at 
tin'  mission  of  C'armelo.  Loni(  and  an.xiously  did  the 
iVieiids  and  companions  of  IJic  venerahle  foundei-  ol 
California  nurse  and  attend  him  witii  tlie'  m<»st  tender 

iv;  but  ju!  told  them  from  the  first,  with  serenity 
aii<l  calmness,  that  ( Jod  was  ai)out  to  call  him  t»»  hini- 
S(  It",  and  entreated  their  prayers  tor  the  salvation  ot 
liis  soul,  aiwl  that  he  mij^ht  he  permitted  through 
('liii.-t  to  ent»'r  into  the  jMijoyment  of  lieaNcn.  aii<l  ot 
tli>  -t  who  had  devoted  tiieil"  lives  to  the  '>'I<»>'N'  of"  (Jod 
Mild  the  conversion  of  tlu-  gentiles  His  Indian  chil- 
tlivn  heuailed  with  ijroans  and  tears  the  melandiolv 
ii|i|iroach  of  the  time  which  was  to  separate  him  t'or- 
(•\if  from  their  si^ht,  who  had  left  all  to  rescue  tli<  ui 
tiHiii  liarliaiisni  and  the  lives  of  hrute  heasts. 

"At  last  jiis  body,  spent  with  exhaustion  and  wi  ak- 
in >>,  but  his  mind  eleai-  to  tlu'  last,  the  fatlier  of  (';  I- 
it'Hiiia  sank  to  j-est  in  the  ai-ms  of  his  beloved  iVirud 
ami  disi-iple,  Francisc(»    l*alou,  as  i^cntly  as  an    iiit'nit 

•  «ii  its  mother's  breast. 

'"Tins  event  took  place  on  the  dav  of  San  Au'jiis:iii 
fit  the  mission  of  Carnielo,  near  ^^onte•rl  y,  in  the  yeir 
17>  I,  at  the  ai.^e  of  seventy -one,  lacking-  a  few  wcek^, 
I'llty-four  years  of  his  life  had  he  olliciatt  d  a>  ,i 
I'l'i'  st,  thii'ty-five  of  which  were  spent  amoiii;;  the    ln- 

•  liius  of  Cahlbrnia  and  Mexico,  as  a  missionary  ot'tlie 

•  itliolic  church.  liis  body  was  biuied  near  the  last- 
iii'iitioned  nussion,  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  vales 
"•  (  alilnniia,  within  S(»nnd  of  old  ocean's  soh  nm  le- 
'I'i'  III,  and  amid  the  tears  and  niourniuirs  o|   the  <<>n- 


172 


orrosix;;  FOnCES. 


M'ltod  heathen  wlioin  lu-  aixl  his  oonipanuuiM  luul 
tijiinod  to  the  enjoyiiitut  (tf  Christian  hahits  ami  coii- 
scdations.  Great  was  tlie  sorrow  felt  l>y  the  mission- 
aries and  sinipki  pijoph:  of  thosi!  days,  in  our  th(  ii 
rciiiote  eountry,  at  thi;  luss  of  tlie  veiirrahlc  fouiMlrc 
and  presi(Umt  oi'  tlie  missions — a  ftrHnu-  which  ex- 
tended even  to  Mexico,  where  his  memory  was  nvcn  d 
by  all  elasses  of  piiopK-, 

"Junfpero  Sena  was  a  man  of  i;nat  henevokiu  * 
and  amiability  of  ciiaracter,  charity,  and  <^cnerosity, 
combined  with  a  fervent  zeal  in  his  iii^h  duties,  wlurli 
attaehetl   to  him   with  sti'oUL''  atlection  all  who  caiih 
within  the  s|)herc  of  his  inlluence.      ]|e  was  a  man  i  I 
the  most  in(lefatiij:al)le  and  industrious  habits,  ot'<>;re;ii 
persevtrance,  enter[jrisc,  and  personal  couraj^c ;  and  it 
may  be  said  that  no  man  with  a  diiferent  chariictf  i 
c(»uld  have  accompiished.  in   those  days,  obje<*ts  sdi 
roun(le<l   with   su«'h   perverse  ditticulties.      Betbre  hi- 
deatli,  after  fourteen  vears'  labor,  he  had  founded  tin 
jiresidio  of  Monterey  an<l  pueblos  of  San  iloso  and  L"> 
An-icles,  and  ijaihered   nearly  <i,<>90  savage   Indian- 
ini-o  nine  of  the-  [afterwards  j  wealthiest  miss'otis  of  tin 


eo 


untry 
His  o- 


overument  was  fru''Jii, 


thrifi 


an< 


J    fi 


W(  ll-dirtieted  eiiei-uv;   for  at  his  death   the  live-st 


(M> 


o 


f  the 


-tablishni'iits  number*  d  nearlv  20.000  hea. 


and  the  tiacliinu  of  tlu'  ]»iiests  was  takitijf  deep  m  <i 
in  the  minds  of  the  wild  linliajis  who  had  not  yet  .n  - 
knowled_L(ed  tlie  sway  of  the  S[>anish  «i;ovci'mni  lit.  I  i  i- 
life  was  ])ubliNh«'d  in   Mexico,  in    I7."7.  undi-r  th 


lowniLT    title 


a  I 


id    a   liiiililv    curi 


«»u.« 


a!  Ml 


( 


interest 'II'' 


book    it   is  to   those   wh(*-e   Kouh-,  are   not  »lto<j^i'tl 
oixcn  t(»  jiain.      Ihhiriini   Jll.shinra  «lr  hi  Vnia    1/  .1 


hT 


''    '/ 


tulictts  Tanaailrl  Votcnihlr  I^mhr  F.  J(inq)ero  .S  r/' 
(!<•  Idft  MI^Hioiirs  que  fniulo  ni  hi  f'tilijoritla  acpteutri""*'^ 
y  Anevos  K.stuhlcviitiicithm  ih'  .}f<iti(rn  ij:  en'r'Ui  jkh"  If. 
Frintn'sra  I'dhm.      linprti'd  ii>  M/'xivit,  pur  I>int    l-'il'jx' 


U  Yj 


tu: 


'",'/"  .'/  ^htiiviro^. 


I7b7 


T<j  one  great  miml,  imi)Ued  with  the  loftiest  pi  la 


XIISSION  OF  SAX  cXRLOS. 


173 


lUitl  roll 
inissioii- 
>ur  tl\<  u 
t'ouiul'i' 
bich   i'^- 

lU'VoU'li*'*' 

I'lifrosity. 
■„.s,  \vM«ii 
who  ciiii'^ 
*  a  mail  'I 

i(r(« ;  and  it 
■   rliavi»«'t'  » 

Bcfoiv  1;'- 
ouutl'd  t'" 
>so  aiul  1' "' 
crc   Intliiiii- 
cvtons  oi  til' 

laud  l"uH  -* 
le  iivc-st<"  i" 
lo.OOO  lua.i. 
If   ill  r\»  >■•'  '' 

not  y'  ■';  ■ 
l„Ur  til.   '  •'■ 

illtrivsl'ii.: 

jlltO'^^'^^"'' 

\i<la   H  ■'.'' 

[sfp/r/i/n-""  ' 
■r'/(»  J""'  '. '• 

Laiest  I'll" 


Inn 


( iplrs  of  «'f>iulu(t,  and  (lirectetl  with  «^roat  rlroinnsjH'c- 
titpii  and  cncrixy,  di>  wu  owe  th(;  t'oinahitiou  of  tlio 
structure  of  our  Pacitic  enipirr,  wliicli  has,  within  lour 


\  ca 


IS,  sliakcn  to  the  roots  old  system 


an< 


•nncMilrs. 


iii>tfd  and  hardened  by  the  past  «;,0()0  vi  ars.      I!) 


Si>\\l(| 


the 


secti 


1,  and 


wo  reap  the  fruit;  hut  who  can 
t.  II  wliat  a  dav  will  hrinu-  forth  ^ 

■  We  now  concludi'  a  fcrhlc  atten)])t  t<»  s]<rtrh   the 
lil'i   of  a  iX''»'at  and  y;(»od  man,  but  at  the  same  time  an 


lill! 


!ui>l,'   eathoMc    missionary. 


To  1 


tim    is  {'alifoniia 


!wii  \{>i'  indel>te<l  for  a  perju'tual  monument  in  the  at- 
t'letioiis  of  lier  people;  lor  thouj^h  hitlu-rto  known  hy 
fame  to  hut  few  of  the  present  new  raei  ini!a!Mtin<^^ 
lifP  lieautii'ul  valleys,  and  dij^vini';  in  her  snow-e;ipj»ed 
iiieuntains,  and  scareely  heard  of  out  of  the  records 
nf  the  Sj)anish  ratholie  church  of  Mexico  ami  ('a!i- 
r'oniia,  the  )iiore  necessary  is  it  to  hold  up  to  men,  in 
these  -greedy  times,  the  imitation  of  so  rai-e  a  person. 

"Siiwt'  the  jiresent  hislMtj)  of  Monterey  lias  assumed 
hisiiUice,  search  has  he»  IT  made  iu  the  ( 'armelo  juissinn 
t'»r  thi  place  where  the  l»ody  n{'  Junipei-i.  Seira  wiss 
l.iid  :  liiit  from  the  loss  of  nian\'  of  the  mi>sifin  i'ect't(!>. 


lUiu   none   now  !i\  mil,'  in 


Mont 


er«'V  who  Wel'e   ah\e  at 


tlie  time  of  his  death,  it  has  heen  without  su 


ccess 


In  lh(    present  period.         Ihe  spot  when-  our  Xelielalih' 

f'lUiiiler  first  said   mass  in    Monterey  in    I7()ti   is  still 
traditionally  pointed  out  hy  the  old  Sj»anish   nati\<s 


y  »!, 


town 


Tim- simply,  though  not  win  illy  without  redundancy 


\ni|  III n I iir  assumption, one  bnitm  r  recites 


the  I 


I'aisi  s  o 


uMiitlier.  It  was  i»i  ISj2  that  this  sketch  was  printed 
in  t'n  San  Fraii'isco  llcroUI.  •■dite<l  hy  that  hriLjht 
little  [risli  catholic,  .Tohii  Xu^ent.  t  )ne  hnmlted 
\tars  ai'ter  Serra's  death,  his  devoteil  hrethien  are 
:it\\utk  eiideav()rin'_j  to  restore  th(>  old  mission  church 
"t  San  (  arlos,  in  the  ( 'armek)  \alley,  iindei-  whose 
^l''lli  tlae;s  the  hody  of  the  Xtiieiahle  plcsidi  lit  v'.as 
liiiii  at,  rest. 
'■' M' the  tw''n'^\-<inc  missioii-."  t!iese  brethren  ^o  on 


ill 


i 


i:t 


orr()si\(;  FoiicES. 


i!  i 


to  sjjy,  ''c'staMlsliocl  in  C'alifonila,  n  I'lW  iivc  well  prc- 
sorv('<l,  otluTs  art'  in  ruins,  and  ui'  sonit;  nut  a  vcstiii/o 
is  lelt  to  mark  tlic;  sjiot  wlicrc  tlioy  ont't-  .sto(»»i,  T!if 
nK)st  pi('tur('8(|no  and  poetic  of  tluse  lii.stoiic  l.uitl- 
niarks  of  »»ur  state,  ami  tlu-  nohlcst  work  of  I*adn' 
Serra,  is  tlio  old  stone  eliurcli  of  San  Carlos,  at  Car 
nulo;  and.  it  is  a  sad.  speetaele  and  a  reproaeli  to  Cali- 
fornia to  see  tiiis  veneral)l»'  pili."  sharing  the  coinnniii 
fati'  and  slowly  cnunhlini;  into  dust." 

Sena  was  a  o-o<»d  and  great  man  ;  s<»me  oi"  his  sur- 
cesso's  were  <4ood  men;  sonu;  of  them  were  not  -n 
ijfoud.  The  ehmate  of  Califortiia  is  dati_L;<  rims  to  jwi- 
sivc  piety.  Th«!  <jf<»ld  o\'  California  is  ne\er  fnunfl 
jH  rfei  tly  pure.  I'here  was  no  mistakin«j;'  the  mate  ii:il 
of  which  Sei'ra  was  made.  A  I'uniaee  cannot  emit  a 
iervent  heat  and  not  lie  ^liowini^'  hot  within.  1  lowt  \ .  i' 
mill!  his  h<art  an<l  mind,  in  his  veins  i-an  imt  altuMcihi  r 
milk  and  hoiuy.  Early  Jiict}''  is  not  always  the  n^-t 
lastinu".  Thouuh  he  could  not  hoast  a  life  sanetith d 
by  yovithful  sins,  oi-  even  youthful  suH<  rini;s,  tin  i< 
was  somethin«_f  nxtre  than  piety  in  Seira's  Califoiii  a 
life — there  was  wtalth  and  power,  powir  and  weahii 
tor  tlic  church,  of  course  the  almiL,dity  n<»t  having 
retrtin<d  a^  nuieh  jn'opei'ty  on  this  planet  when  !■ 
nuMJe  it  as  he  now  desired  to  have — and  lor  Jumi"  !■• 
liim-<lf.  Hie  piumised  transformation  into  (»oo  linna- 
nn  nt  .-"tars,  t»r  one  of  the  hest  positions  in  h«aven.  at 
his  option. 

T!io  indifleri-nce  of  tln^  S{)aniar(ls  early  in  .\m'  rira 
to  8uff«'rin<j;,  an<l  to  w«»men,  may  he  traced  din  etlv  to 
their  loiii;  reliL^dous  wai.  Tiny  nuisf  accustom  tin  ni- 
selves  to  cruelty,  War  liein^-  so  ci-m  i;  and  aei  u>toii(. d 
to  iiitlict  cruelty,  they  mu.^t  aeeustom  themselves  t" 
hear  it.  And  as  for  women,  tame,  indeed.  mu>t  !• 
earthlv  forms,  fit  only  lor  t-arthU  use,  heside  hei-  w  loiu 
they  w«jrship  in  hea\en      her  for  whom  they  fi'^ht  a'nl 

die,  .'.,'. 

hut  this  i-efiLjious  loyalty.  whi<h  in  California  was 
of  the  first  consetpu'uce  HI  pi-omutiny  the  diaciphni- "I 


JUNII'KIU/S  SL'»  clXSi )US. 


17ft 


wA\  I'l'o- 

)IU'  l.iutl- 
ot*  ra«i»c 
s,  at  C 'lu- 
ll to  Cali- 

,,r  \iis  su' - 
iir    iK't    ■" 

I, not  i'Uiil  :i 
llowt  \>  r 

italto-til"  r 
ys  tin"  lU'-t, 
tV'  sauftiti"! 

s  Calit*'vn.;i 

11.  »t  buM  ••-: 
,  t  wli«n   1 
r,.r  Jumi"    • 
o  COO  liviiia- 

11  hi  av.  n,  at 

•  ill  Aii\'  1  '  ' 
id  iliit •«•'''> 
uslt'in  111'"' 

Iht'insi'lv"^  ' 
c'.l.   nivi-'   ' 

L.y  ti:j;\.t  "■"' 

hilifornia  wu^ 


botli  pru'sts  n\u\  snklii-rs,  :tiHl  so  stTuriiiLj  uiiaiiimity 
of  j>ur|n)st'  an<l  unity  of  action,  \w  would  Imrdly  look 
\\,r  it  f"  contiiuu'  tlii"ou;;,liout  tin- <-«'iituiT.  Ixiu^;  so  liir 
K  ni'Afd   fVoiM   tlic  Houicc  of'  sujiply.  and  tin-  authors 


ol  .111  tins  wildfi'iu'ss  n»a<4nilu'<'iirt'  Ik  inj^  • 


dead. 


T 


nil'  was  wiicn  a  mans  nioials,  or  ins  it|iij^u»us  Im 


I. 


I. 


lit  I",  jifU't'tctl  liis  jMCuniarv  endit,  and  >till  iiioic  liis 
jilillity  to  hold  oHicf;  hut  now  tin*  Itankt  r  thus  not 
;i-k  of  his  custoiniT  who  wishis  to  hoirow  iiiomy  what 
his  opinion  may  l»r  in  i\'i;ard  to  thf  immai-ulatt'  con- 


>tion. 


hi 


d  I 


I  Voiced    i)V  science.   iciit;ioii   iind   i^ovirn 


iiniit  arc  no  lonurr  aiiic 


M 


oialit  V  an< 


I  iclii; 


ion  Were 


.luiiipero's  stock  in  trade;  and  e\t  ry  tihie  ot'  his  nafuic 
was  so  imhued  with  them  that,  in  the  suhju"u;ation  oj 
the  wilderness,  a  handiul  of  men  under  jiis  o-uidance 
was  c(|ual  to  an  army  under  tin  direction  ot'  aimther. 
Xoitliward  he  marched,  hi<;'ii,  holy,  and  Hcreiic,  hi.- 
inind  and  attitude  as  (iod's  (Jahrii  1.  j'l.intin;^  at  intei- 
\  lis  those  i^reat  nKMiuineiits  to  hi>  laith.  which  hence- 


Initji  Were  to  stand  there  in  tlcir  monotonous  inllueiice 

like  the  lireakillLf  ot'   time   Wa\«'S  on    the  shore  of  ete|-- 


liltV 


yreat 


ocean. 


\e 


llul  alas!  .lunfperos  succ«'S.sors  were  not  all  lil 
liiiii.  As  a  lule.  they  could  not  Ik-  called  liaii«lsome 
iiieii.  or  men  of  reline<l  f«-elin</s,  or  ureat  intellect,  er 
sujMrrmc  morality.  Hut  in  the  eye>  of  thiir  tloek 
w'liitl  Well'  they  \\  hateVer  Iheycliose  to  he.       (  )\.r 

liH'ir  whitewashed  wild  ones  they  e\ei-ci>ed  a  too 
I'lU  I'ful  inllueiice.  in  theii-  features  earths  defor- 
mity and  heaven's  «li\  inity  met :  so  that  althoU'^h  they 
iiii'jlit  1)0  the  most  ill  favored  of  men.  tiny  ueie  yet 
till'  most  iuautil'iil  of  heiiiLj.^.  I»y  their  looks  and 
lite  arul  teachinLjs,  and   hs   these  alone   in   (he    minds 


tl 


k;  hunple  .savaefes,  must   he  shaped   hcaxciis  eter 


ale  si  I  ill  MX 


I' 


lull  '4lory,just  as  cosmoMdnie  coiic«'piioii.- 
''V  .innate  ami  conliouration. 

.luiii|iero  was  a  man  of  ^^reat  wiii-powtr  and  enei'^fy 
N't  who  could  not  exercisi-  will  and  ener<_ry.  knowing' 
tliat  the  almi''litv  walkid  l>v  his  sitje  to  hear  him   up 


\i->.i 


i  ifl 


1 


170 


Ol'POSlXt;  FORCES. 


or  pitcli  liitn  into  ]i<>av<'ii  in  case  hv  fill.  Ch-ii'Dud 
ami  awt'd  as  wc  arc  l»y  tlu'  artivc  nianifcstatioiis  ot 
tuicc  ill  iiatuiT,  We  an-  none  tla-  l«ss  iiiturustcd  in 
watcliin^'  tlic  »ii('i';/y  <»t'  artinfi  in  num.  EhxjiU'Mco  is 
iiitrllcct  al»la/o;  aiul  wliat  is  lafkiiijL,^  in  intellect  may 
oi'ttii  Im>  mad*'  11)1  in  doL^matic  dtM-lamation,  in  l(>u<l- 
niuntlicd  notliinL(s,  aial  \vliinin<^ly  wimiin*^  NvayH,  at 
tfnd»d  i»y  nnisi'ular  ontspiLJulinj^,  air  Kcatinj^,  aixl 
.swratinj^.  Boys  will  nui  to  we  a  doji^.tiirlit,  and  mm 
and  wonu'ii  will  tlork  to  stc  a  man  tiulit,  cvtMi  tliouuh 
lir  liavr  no  otluT  adviisai-y  than  an  imaginary  dcx  il. 
Xcvcrtlu'K'ss,  tlicy  ucif  ]»rlic.uis  in  tli«'ir  i>ii'ty,  tlitsc 
siU-.sacTiHcinj^  ratlurs  of  the  cliunli,  and  were  always 
ready  if  auccssaiy  to  t'cc'd  their  young  with  tluir  own 
i)lood. 


I'litsts  and  |iiety,  as  a  suhject,  must  ever  present  i 
ehaptt  r  of  e<»ntiadieti<»ns.  lniat;ination  is  nnn'«'  oft  in 
powcit'nl  than  reality.  The  lathers  were  sehooled  in  thr 
invsteries  of  the  iina<4ination,  and  now  thev  must  tem  li 


tl 


lell'  (liselples 


l»V  till!  o\-erheat«'<l  /eal  of  the  ('liii> 


tian  li^lit  tin  ir  souls  were  setii'ehed  fis  tilt  ii"  skin>  l.-nl 
heen  liy  the  gloi-i(»us  sun's  ellidjijent  hi'i'^htiiess.      ,Miii 
gled  ^^  ith  his  prayers  weiv  <j^i-oa,ns,  tears,  eon\  ulsion-. 
('|osin<^'  his  eyes  to  this  woild.  h."  opened   them   n| 


a  world  of  ilhisioi 


IS. 


n  jipoealyptic  vision  was  t 


ii  ward  of  e\riy  fastin;jr.  Ilrll  and  liravi-n  opened  tn 
them;  anj^els  tunecl  their  lyits  to  earthly  strain.s,  and 
Hunds  whis|)erfd  in  their  ears.  Paul  and  J»»hn  and 
their  |i;itron  father  appeai'ed  ;ind  hijd  eonvi-rst*  w  itli 
thein.  The  hopping  of  a  toatl  was  as  signitieant  tn 
them  of  ( Jod's  will  as  was  the  kneeling  <A'  hise.initl 
to  .Mohammed.  The  laws  of  (Jod  they  could  inli  r- 
piet  and  act  upon  as  they  pleased;  heiico  it  was  (lie 
law  of  exigency,  and  the  laws  of  nature  held  gre.itir 
sway  o\er  the  actions  of  the  missionaries  than  tin 
laws  of  Spain  «ir  Mexico.  Tlu'  history  of  that  civili- 
zation to  which  We  hclong  is  a  !ii>tory  of  scculaii/a- 
tions.     The  church  wraps  ancient  learning  in  a  luipUii 


rHAU.UTKR  OF  TIIK   MISSIOXAUIKS. 


177 


ltio»\s   oi 
estr«l    in 

Irct  u»»y 

\\\  lovul- 
ways,  at 
tin;^',    at»<l 
,  ami  iu»  II 

lary  tli'^'^ 
\oty,  thi^-*- 
i-ri'  alway-* 
I  tlu'ir  own 


Uiol't'  "**'  " 
lOol.'tllHtli'' 

f   ill.-  r^"'^- 

urss.       M>"- 
,.,,\iviilsi<'ii- 
tluni  u\«'Ui 
i,.n  was  ll" 
■  11  o\H'»»t  'i  '" 
strains,  :iii'l 
a  John  i>'"l 

UlVi'VSr   NVltl' 

of  li'iH  raiii'l 

colllil    >'>'''■ 
.  it  was  lilt' 

\u>l.l  K'''''V'" 
..s    tUiin   il'y 

,r  Ihaf'^'^'- 
I,f  in  a  niM'l^>» 


;iii(l  lavs  it  awav;  sint-o  wliicli  tiino  tlu'  iM<'i'nuitv  of 
iii.iM  lias  Im'cij  t'in|>l()y«'«l  to  .strip  oft' the  rovniii^s,  anil 
|i  t  tin-  lit^lit  sliino  forth.     All  things  <lfsirahlo  lia\  iiit; 

1   atid    ai»|)roj)riatt'«l     hy    tlu! 


.11    j»n»iioun('(' 


sacrci 
.  1'  iLTy.  tlitiT  must  he  rostitutn)ii. 

S.cU 


J[ 


L'lH't! 


WV   1 


ia\(!  tin 


th 


larizatiou    of  i'vcrvthini;,  from    tlu;    couvi-nts   of 
iliiitiju'  to  thr  missions  of  Alta  California. 

Tlic  niin<ls  of  (hxl's  nuiiistrrs  w«ri'  constnu'trd 
u\fi>\\  tin*  <;hastly  skclcttui  of  ahstra<'t  r«li:^ious  coii- 
t<  iii]>liitioii  and  <'«>n>monious  homage  as  ])ro[>itiatory  (>i 
otl'i  ruled  dtitv.  As  to  r«'al  knt)wledi't',  tla-v  ha<l  none. 
Tin;  orarh's  of  this  ehiiri'h,  tlic  j)rt.'cci)ts  of  th»'  fatlu-rs, 
rt'  to  tla-m  portry,  philosophy,  and  s^'itMuc.  In 
rldlv  wisdom  tlit-v  wtrr  wist-  to  salvation.      Poor  in 


t'S. 


Wet 

this  wcdld's  ijoods  thry  wrvv  rich  in  heavenly  tirasui 
N'nr  wrr»'  tlii'V  without  a  <'odlv  prido.  Tlu-v  wt-ro 
|iii'ud  in  tlu'ir  hujnility,  ])ioud  <»f  their  sclf-ahascmont, 
^i;it<'ful  in  their  <-ontemplati«)ns,  inllexihl»>  in  their 
|ii  iiitcnce,  and  sa<j^a<'ious  in  their  passion.  Soft  as 
Ar.iliy  s  air  htlojc  tlieir  maker,  tluy  were  cruel  as 
lili'.Ml-liounds  to  his  disol  t'dient  suhjt'«-ts.  ( )f  the  lij^ht, 
iiiiiil>t(  I  nii,'  an_i,^ls;  of  the  darkness,  fiends.  They 
\\'\,'  <-ruel  to  he  kind,  at  least  so  they  fancied,  us 
kitidly  (  ruel,  tluiso  soul-savris,  as  the  sui%'eon  who 
<in>!iiid  kills  his  victim  in  no  hlood-thirsty  or  riv«  n^e- 
t'lil  iiiood.      And  to  this  end  emotion  must  he  sacrilieid 


tn    motive 


ll( 


erou!   and    couiaL,''fous   as    tliev    wtii 


t!n.>e  (jU.llities  Were  often  seen  to  fade  hefore  the  svill- 

|>:itlictic  and  humane 


riit'V  hail  come   from  afar,  and   liv  a  toil.soi 


Me  w;i\' 


iH  \'  r  nu'U  struggled  .so  hard  to  acliieNt'  martyi'doni. 
\\ '  t'  there  no  anijels  at  their  own  dotus  to  ent<  ilaiii, 
ii"  whiter,  nearer  souls  to  nawf  ()r  is  it  that  the  re- 
ward is  in  propurtion  to  the  elfort  rather  than  to  ,suc. 
'■'"^-'  Surely  there  Were  Worse  men  ill  Sp;iiii  for 
wli  '111   Christ  died   than    these    harmless    lote-eaters. 


1! 


>iit  111  Spam  every  man  who.se  soul  was  woi-tli  s.i\ m^ 
iii.;l  I    hiive  a  priest  of  his  own   if  he   liked.     They 
VMv  plenty  en<»UL,di,  and  idle  eiKamh.      Hut  tliiit  was 
(  u.  r\HT.,  Vol..  I.  r; 


!|'l 


in 


Ori'osiXi;  FoHChS. 


}.J 


t<»<>  rasy;  i]\vuy  Wi'vr  lands  wlicro  cliristiaiiity  v.as 
not  sn  (i\(T«l(»ii«'.  Too  Ljfcat  pro  .|M'rity  is  a»H't»uiitt  i| 
ratlur  ail  <'vil  than  a  Mcssini;;  ,  ir(MKl  dot-s  not  )»uni>!i 
lie  Is  nui'snij^  his  wralh.  I^iki;  I^Ml^i;.^),  kinj^  «it 
Spain,  wlioni  hy  way  of*  prnanc*;  tiio  hermit  consi^^m  ,| 
to  a  cavo  filled  with  snukrH  and  li/tmls,  which,  niiiar- 
uIon>iy  restrained,  tor  days  would  not  toueh  liiin; 
(lod  would  n(»t  a«cej)t  the  sacrifice,  would  not  (\iii 
permit  his  servant  the  pleasure  of  hein^;  eaten  hy  holy 
nptiles;  hut  finallv  one  day,  as  the  hermit,  who  h.i'l 
heeii  jiassin;^  the  ni:j;ht  in  prayer,  <'ame  to  him,  he  juy- 
f'ully  e\t  lainied,  "Thtyrjit  mcnowl  they  eat  me  now  I 
I  f'rrl  the  adder's  hitt;!"  And  so  t'orj^iven,  his  sins 
atoned,  rejoic'inj^dy  lit^  dies. 

It  was  the  AuLTUstan  a;^c  of*  missions,  this,  when  the 
Ljood  tlun(pon>  lived  and  died;  all  savaucedom  must  l-r 
placed  on  the  sto(tl  <tf'  re|»entance.  An<l  theirs  w  i> 
the  JiiMM  (lictine  nmtto,  ( tra  if  UOiunt.  I*ray  ainl 
woik  -especially  pray.  If*  work  was  too  fatii^niinj. 
prayer  was  tiasy  and  always  effectual ;  for  if  it  hrou^l.t 
not  the  <lesir<'d  hlessin:^,  it  seemed  none  the  less  satisl\  - 
in<4;  to  the  sup|)liant.  They  wlu>  invoked  the  aid  nt 
luaven  aNcrted  «*alamities,  and  htouj^ht  tlown  \<ii- 
L',eance  upon  the  enemies  of  tlu;  nati»tn.  It  was  tiny 
who  soothetl  the  <lyin;^,  l»r<>u;.;ht  paidon  for  sins,  .iml 
pi-ocure«l  eternal  happiness  for  the  soul.  liut  iiiiitllil 
he  \  <>ui'  j(»v,  let  vour  triumph  he  low  toncil,  yom-  li'  lU 
rin;4  out  their  peals  in  whisp«'rs,  and  yourifuns  ImIImu- 
ill  noiseless  puffs,  for  the  souls  that  here  should  nn'st 
rejoice  have  shot  lu-yond  the  ether  1 


ulty  \v:m 
ri'i>uut»  <l 
»t  |mMi>li 

•h,  miiat- 

UfU    liiiii; 

not  (N'll 

'II  liy  li"'iy 
,  who  liail 

m,  ii»' .!">- 
II,  lii>  ^^n'"* 

I,  wIh'M  tlir 

iin  must  I"' 
tlicifs  w.i- 
l>niy    iniil 

>  t:iti';,'uiii'i. 

f  it  l»v<Hi:j,l.t 
l^.ss  siitis'.'y- 

i\\v  iiitl    "' 

Jown  \>"- 
It  was  til'  y 
'nr  sin>.  "'"' 
I5ut  iiiulll"l 

.^iiiis  IhII'iW 
JiuiuUl  in">t 


CHAPTER   VI. 


COLKKN   A<;K  ok  rALIIORNlA. 


Ami  ('%'(!!■  aKiiiuMt  isttiii;;  caruii 
Litjt  MIL'  ill  ttiift  Lytliiku  iiira. 


—  1,'AUnjm. 


First  tlio  fJoldtn  A<;t',  and  tluu  tlio  \\fv  ot'dold. 
11<»\\  dilKr«ntI  And  yi't  Itctwcfii  tlu'  end  and  ln-- 
'^iiiniii":;  <»f  a  drcade  Caldornia  j^ivis  us  a  s|K'('inM  n 
lit'  each,  Nvliirli  brii'f  ptilttd  jin'scnts  two  I'pisodt  s 
nt"  society  till'  history  of  tlio  world  cannot  parallel. 
Ilotli  wt'ro  oi'i^inal,  hoth  |»h('nonn'nal ;  and  so  dostly 
ii|ion  the  Im'cIs  of  one  follow»>d  the  otlu-i",  that  lor  an 
iu>tant  hoth  wvxv  on  tho  t-roimd  at  the  same  time, 
iliit  onlv  lor  an  instant.  The  lamh  may  1k'  di»wn 
with  tilt!  lion,  and  j>eratlventiii'e  escape  heint^  eaten; 
ii'it  so  with  tho  mild  find  ni'rveless  inhahitant  of 
SHiitherii  ( 'alifornia,  and  the  wild,  tigerish  jLTold-seeker 
scenting;  the  metal  iroin  afar. 

It  was  when  the  j^old-seekeis  canu'  that  tiiis  t^olden 
aire  of  California  wasdestinetl  to  he  alloyed  with  hras>  ; 
I"!'  not  tho  ii\f{i  of  »^old  was  ( 'alifornia's  trui'  Ljolden  a^e. 
Tlit^  ai^(!  of  1,'old  was  tho  'a\*v  of  avarico,  tho  ago  of  hiii- 
t.il  iMurdi'rs,  of  wild  nuloness  and  insano  revellinus. 
More  riearlv  resemhlin;'  the  <'Uthanasia  of  the  ancients 

as  the   pastoral    lifo   precetling   the   fimling    of   th 


Sit  ria's  treasures.      Xover  hofor 


o  or  since  was 


thel'i 


a  pi't,  in  America  whore  life  was  a  long  liappy  holi- 
•  lay.  where  there  was  less  lahor,  less  care  or  trouhle, 
>ii' li  as  the  old-tiino  jrolden  aije  under  Cronos  or 
Saturn,   the   gathi'ring  o{   nature's   fruits    heing  tin 


'  ^1 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


IIM    1112.5 


'i^  IIM    IIIII2.2 


m 


2.0 


1.8 


1.25      1.4 

J4 

.4 6"     - 

► 

Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WES  rMAIIl  STREET 

WEBSTEIi.M  Y.  14S80 

(716)  873-4503 


? 


«? 


6 


h 


;\ 


\ 


.  -& 


^> 


180 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


chief  burden  of  life,  and  death  coming  without  decay, 
hke  a  gentle  sleep. 

To  constitute  a  true  golden  age,  there  must  be  pres- 
ent certain  conditions.  Though  there  need  be  no 
great  riches,  there  must  be  enough,  so  that  all  may 
live  in  plenty.  Never  were  so  many  men  in  America 
so  rich  as  now ;  yet  no  one  would  think  of  calling  this 
a  golden  age.  We  lack  the  true  sources  of  happiness — 
innocence  and  contentment — essential  to  a  golden  age. 
We  indulge  too  much  in  luxury  and  vice  to  please  the 
gods,  and  so  we  are  cursed  with  crimes,  political  and 
social.  A  golden  age  must  be  a  time  of  truth,  of 
right,  and  reason,  and  universal  moderation.  Men 
must  be  satisfied  and  women  virtuous.  Women  must 
be  satisfied  and  men  honest. 

Half-way  between  savagism  and  civilization,  Cali- 
fornia's pastoral  days  swept  by,  midst  the  dreamy  rev- 
eries of  a  race  half-way  between  the  proud  Castilian 
and  the  lowly  root-digger  of  the  Coast  Range  valleys. 
How  much  of  culture,  wealth,  refinement,  morals,  and 
religion  does  it  take  to  make  men  the  most  miserable  ? 
Gold  fi  r  use  must  have  alloy ;  in  the  golden  age  there 
is  no  alloy.  It  is  not  for  use,  a  golden  age,  but  for 
enjoyment.  Savagism  suffers  too  greatly  from  heat 
and  cold,  from  hunger  and  a  too  deep  debasement. 
Savagism  has  no  golden  age;  if  it  had,  it  would  not 
be  savagism;  yet  the  naked  wild  man,  when  he  is 
happy,  is  very  happy ;  he  has  his  periods  of  heavenly 
bliss,  but  they  are  too  short  and  fitful,  and  the  inter- 
vals are  filled  with  a  too  deep  despondency. 

But  let  not  civilization  boast  overmuch.  What 
though  savages  are  ignorant  and  lazy  lotos-eaters, 
there  is  not  a  fancied  benefit  civilization  has  that  is 
not  dearly  paid  for.  As  for  ignorance,  there  is  plenty 
of  it  left;  they  who  read  writings  in  the  sky  are  not 
half  so  learned  as  they  fancy.  And  as  for  energy, 
had  we  less  of  it,  smaller  penitentiaries  would  answer, 
and  there  would  be  fewer  people  at  large  who  ouylit 
lo  be  in  them.     A  man  rolls  up  his  five  or  fifty  million 


WEALTH  AND  WISDOM. 


Ifl 


t  decay, 

be  pres- 
[   be   no 
all  may 
America 
ling  this 
>piness — 
Iden  age. 
lease  the 
itical  and 
truth,  of 
)n.     Men 
naen  must 

bion,  Cali- 
eamy  rev- 
[  Castilian 
[Te  valleys, 
lorals,  and 
miserable  ? 
age  there 
re,  but  for 
from  heat 
basement, 
would  n(»t 
hen    he  is 
f  heavenly 
the  intei- 


and  dies;  what  is  he  the  better  for  it  all,  or  any  oue 
else?  Peupeumoxmox,  the  savage,  struggled  nobly 
for  the  welfare  of  his  people,  and  died.  Peter  Funk, 
tlio  millionaire,  struggled  bravely  for  himself,  for  Mrs 
Funk,  and  the  little  Funks,  and  they  all  died.  There 
are  many  Funks  abroad,  and  they  are  getting  thicker 
and  less  worshipful  every  day;  but  only  once  in  a 
lifetime  do  we  meet  with  a  Peupeumoxmox,  either 
savage  or  civilized. 

The  human  race  is  yet  in  its  childhood.  This  planet, 
which  for  thousands  of  ages  has  been  preparing  for 
man,  is  but  just  now  ready — is,  indeed,  not  wholly 
finished  The  six  thousand  or  sixty  thousand  years 
of  infancy  have  barely  sufficed  to  rid  the  best  of  us  of 
our  swaddling-clothes ;  a  large  portion  of  mankind  yet 
wear  them,  or  wear  none.  Manhood,  with  its  earnest 
labors,  is  dawning  upon  us;  the  mind  is  just  beginning 
to  think,  and  the  hands  to  work.  Nature  in  some 
slight  degree  is  being  laid  under  contribution;  already 
we  annihilate  space,  walking  by  steam  and  talking  by 
electricity.  Yet  everything  to  man  is  crude,  unde- 
veloped, and  ill  defined.  Our  religion  is  mixed  with 
superstition,  our  politics  with  selfishness,  our  morality 
with  fashion,  and  of  science  we  know  next  to  nothinjr. 
It  is  only  in  a  simple  and  quiet  life  that  the  soul  finds 
ail  antidote  to  the  materialism  of  engrossing  intercourse 
with  the  world,  and  is  able  to  place  itself  en  rapport 
with  nature  and  the  supernatural. 

After  California's  golden  age  and  age  of  gold  comes 
tlie  age  of  silver,  into  the  mysteries  of  which  we  will 
not  attempt  at  this  time  to  penerate.  What,  then,  is 
there  here  a  deterioration?  In  many  respects,  yes. 
Men  have  enough  in  the  silver  age,  but  they  are  not 
satisfied.  The  bronze  age  is  a  time  of  violence,  of 
wars  and  misdeeds.  Is  it  progress  when  social,  poli- 
tical, and  commercial  morals  sink  into  the  depths  1  Is 
it  j)r()gress  when  men  rise  from  the  ground  and  through 
lying  and  chicanery  get  hold  of  the  people's  money, 
organize  iniquitous  and  grinding  monopolies  for  tlie 


we-  GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

purpose  oi  extorting  from  a  too  long  suffering  and 
patient  people  more  money?  Is  it  progress  wlien  all 
tlie  world,  like  silly  sheep,  rush  to  the  gamblhig  pools 
of  swindling  manipulators  of  shares? 

The  heroic  age — none  such  has  yet  appeared  on 
those  shores.  We  have  had  heroes  enough,  braver 
and  better  than  any  who  lead  armies  to  battle,  or  in- 
dividually excel  in  the  art  of  manslaughter — heroes 
who  conquer  self,  who  put  under  foot  their  baser  pas- 
sions, who  toil  on  all  through  a  weary  life,  self-denying, 
self-sacrificing  for  some  good  and  worthy  object,  for 
wife  and  children,  God  bless  them,  for  the  right, 
for  humanity,  for  something  better  than  the  mere 
heaping  up  of  money  as  a  soul-substitute.  An  age  of 
heroes,  yes;  but  beware  the  age  heroic;  likewise  the 
brazen  age,  still  more  the  ages  of  iron,  stone,  and  clay, 
ages  of  deep  debasement  to  w  ich  we  know  not  but 
wo  may  be  unconsciously  drifting. 

The  shepherd  of  the  pastoral  age  is  not  the  shep- 
herd of  to-day.  On  the  gently  sloping  hillside,  under 
the  outspread,  bearded  oak,  sat  the  shepherd  of  pastoral 
(lays,  gazing  out  upon  the  liquid  crystal,  and  watching 
his  Hocks  as  month  after  month  they  continued  to  wax 
fat  and  increase.  Serene  his  thoughts,  and  some- 
times mighty ;  mighty  and  serene  as  those  of  tiieir 
herds,  as  they  lay  upon  the  warm,  dry  grass  ruminat- 
ing. The  shepherds  of  to-day  are  wolves;  the  people 
are  their  silly  sheep,  which  they  fatten  but  to  devour. 
Shepherds  of  the  pastoral  times  knew  something  of 
astronomy,  and  were  full  of  piety  to  the  gods.  The 
shepherds  of  to-day  know  how  to  salt  a  mine,  how  to 
discriminate  in  freights  and  fares,  how  to  keep  up  the 
price  of  sugar,  of  flour,  how  to  swindle,  cheat,  and  lie; 
they,  too,  are  full  of  piety;  there  is  no  god  like  their 
god,  and  his  name  is  Mammon. 

It  was  in  rather  humble  guise  that  church  and 
state  came  marching  hand  in  hand  up  along  the  ocean 
border,  two  or  three  priests  representing  the  one,  and 
twice  or  thrice  as  many  soldiers  the  other.     It  was 


MISSION-PLANTING. 


183 


enough,  however,  considering  the  power  behind  and 
the  impotence  before  them;  not  to  mention  the  al- 
mighty maker  of  the  universe  and  the  king  of  Spain, 
or  their  legions  in  heaven  and  in  Europe,  there  were 
colleges  and  convents  enough  in  Mexico  to  quite  con- 
found Satan,  who  flourished  in  a  mild  form  in  these 
parts.  There  was  the  college  of  Zacatecas,  with  mis- 
sions in  Chihuahua  and  Durango;  the  college  of  San 
Fernando  in  Mexico,  with  missions  in  Alta  Califor- 
nia. The  Franciscans  also  had  missions  in  Sonora, 
Slnaloa,  and  Texas;  the  Dominicans  in  Guadalajara, 
Durango,  and  Zacatecas ;  and  the  Augustinians,  Car- 
melites, and  Mercenarios,  with  the  others,  over  nearly 
all  Spanish  America. 

After  several  expeditions  by  water  and  a  thorough 
examination  of  the  country  along  the  shore,  sites 
al)out  fifteen  leagues  apart  were  selected  for  missions, 
which  should  be  heavenly  mile-stones  and  temples  of 
God  in  the  wilderness,  resting-places  of  hospitality  and 
devotion  for  the  wayfarer;  and  for  the  fat  padres  who 
should  dwell  therein,  acting  as  middle-men  between 
(iod  and  his  creatures,  they  were  marks  of  merit  for 
stripes,  humility,  and  services  rendered,  and  foretastes 
of  heaven.  Thanks,  cowled  priests;  but  ages  before 
you  brought  hither  your  not  too  lc)vely  persons,  there 
was  not  a  foot  of  this  lotos-land  from  San  Diego  Bay 
to  San  Francisco  that  had  not  its  living  temple  to 
God,  be  it  a  pebble,  a  flower,  or  a  horned  toad. 

In  the  selection  of  mission  sites,  care  was  taken  to 
be  not  far  from  a  landing  for  ships,  and  yet  not  so 
near  that  their  Indians  would  be  contaminated  by 
the  evil  influence  of  soldiers  and  sailors.  There  must 
be  water  at  hand,  some  tillable  land,  and  a  fair  extent 
of  pasturage. 

The  work  of  conversion  was  quickly  begun  and 
went  bravely  on.  In  due  time  mission  buildings  were 
erected,  and  settlers  came  in  and  clustered  near  the 
presidio,  thus  forming  towns,  many  of  which  remain 
to  this  day,  some  having  grown  into  respectable  cities. 


m 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA, 


hi 


1'^ 


To  the  first  one  built  in  this  northernmost  section 
of  Spain's  heathen  fields  was  given  the  name  of  San 
Diego,  probably  in  honor  of  San  Diego  de  Alcald, 
who  was  a  saint  sprung  from  the  Franciscan  order. 
It  was  founded  on  the  IGth  of  July,  1769,  according 
to  the  record  of  the  foundation  appearing  on  its  first 
book  of  baptisms,  "at  the  expense  of  the  catholic 
monarch,  Don  Carlos  III.,rey  de  las  Espaiias,  whom 
God  prosper,  defrayed  under  most  ample  authority 
from  his  Excellency  Don  Carlos  Francisco  de  Croix, 
Marquds  de  Croix,  present  viceroy,  govenu>r,  and 
captain-general  of  this  New  Spain,  by  the  most  Illustri- 
ous Don  Joseph  de  Galvez,  of  the  council  and  clianibcr 
of  his  Majesty  in  the  royal  and  supreme  of  the  Indies, 
intendent  of  the  army,  and  visitador  general  of  this 
Nueva  Espana,  by  the  religious  of  said  apostolic  col- 
lege, San  Fernando  of  Mexico." 

Its  first  ministers  were  the  father  preacher  Friar 
Junipero  Serra,  president,  and  the  father  preacher 
Friar  Fernando  Parron,  apostolic  preachers  of  said 
college  of  San  Fernando  of  Mexico,  associated  with 
the  father  preacher  Friar  Juan  Vizcayno,  appointed 
to  the  foundation  of  another  mission. 

The  book  from  which  these  extracts  were  taken 
replaced  the  originals  commenced  at  the  foundation, 
and  which  were  destroyed  during  an  Indian  revolt 
in  1775,  together  with  other  books  and  papers,  the 
church  ornaments,  sacred  vessels,  houses,  and  uten- 
sils of  the  mission.  It  appears  that  up  to  the  5tli  of 
November,  1775,  470  adults  and  children  had  been 
baptized. 

The  mission  was  first  established  on  the  hill  or 
beach  afterward  occupied  by  the  presidio  at  the  port 
of  San  Diego,  which  the  natives  called  Cosoy.  It 
was  subsequently  transferred,  in  August  1774,  to 
another  site  up  the  river,  two  leagues  distant,  known 
among  the  natives  as  Nipaguay,  where  the  destriK - 
tion  took  place.  The  authors  of  the  revolt  were  gvn- 
tiles  and   neophytes  from  upwards  of  70  rancher las 


MISSION  SAN  DIEGO. 


or  villages,  and  in  overwhelming  numbers  assaulted 
the  mission,  which  they  partly  plundered,  and  mostly 
burnt,  wounding  the  corporal  and  three  soldiers  of 
the  mission  guard,  and  killing  a  carpenter,  Jose  Ur- 
sc'lino,  a  blacksmith,  Josd  Manuel  Arroyo,  and  the 
missionary  Friar  Luis  Jaume;  his  fellow-missionary. 
Friar  Vicente  Fuster,  and  another  blacksmith,  Felipe 
Komero,  miraculously  escaping  with  life.  Fathers 
Scrra  and  Parron  had  charge  of  the  mission  to  about 
tlie  middle  of  April  1770,  when  Serra  departed  to 
found  a  mission  at  Monterey,  leaving  in  his  place 
Friar  Francisco  Gomez,  Father  Vizcayno  having  re- 
turned to  Mexico  via  Lower  California.  Parron  and 
Gomez  administered  the  religious  and  temporal  affairs 
of  the  mission  for  more  than  a  year,  when,  owing 
to  sickness,  one  returned  to  Lower  California,  and  the 
other  went  away  by  sea  to  Mexico.  It  was  then  that 
the  president  appointed  to  succeed  them  Friar  Fran- 
cisco Dumetz  and  Luis  Jdunie,  who  had  recently 
arrived  in  California,  together  with  eight  others,  by 
sta.  Dumetz  remained  there  a  year,  and  was  then 
transferred  to  Monterey,  being  succeeded  by  Friar 
Juan  Crespf,  who  had  been  till  then  Serra's  compan- 
ion at  tlie  San  Cilrlos.  In  September  1772,  Crespf 
was  returned  to  Monterey,  and  replaced  by  Friar 
Toiniis  de  la  Pena,  who  remained  in  the  mission  till 
September  1773,  when  Father  Fuster  took  his  place 
hy  appointment  made  by  the  vice-president  of  the 
mission.  Father  Francisco  Palou,  who  acted  in  the 
}ilace  of  Father  Serra,  absent  in  Mexico.  Jdunjc  was 
murdered,  as  we  have  seen.  It  seems  that,  besides 
tlie  fathers  already  named,  Friars  Pablo  Mugdrtegui, 
^liguel  Sanchez,  Gregorio  Amurrio,  and  Fermin 
Fiancisco  de  Lasuen  had  visited  the  mission  and  oc- 
casionally officiated. 

It  was  the  river  of  San  Diego  on  which  the  mis- 
sion was  placed,  a  brave  enough  stream  when  flushed 
with  the  rains  of  winter,  but  sinking  into  the  simds  of 
humility  in  summer.     If  there  is  anywhere  a  fairer 


186 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


patch  of  earth  and  sea  than  here  extends  for  fifty  miles 
in  every  direction,  it  has  yet  to  be  found.  The  soil, 
though  not  so  rank  as  to  fill  the  air  with  noxious  va- 
p(jrs  arising  from  redundant  vegetation,  is  still  rich 
enou<jh  for  the  breedinjr  of  a  noble  race.     The  ocean 

•  •  • 

sits  here  in  calm  majesty,  unruflied  by  the  cold  winds 
of  the  north,  or  the  sweltering  fumes  of  the  steam- 
ing south,  while  the  sky  above  offers  the  shortest 
open  roadway  to  heaven.  An  area  forty  miles  square 
was  placed  under  tribute,  and  soon  the  flocks  of  the 
missionaries  in  charge  of  the  whitewashed  savages 
covered  the  rocky  hills.  All  was  serenity  hereabout 
for  the  fat  and  sanctified  cattle  until  the  year  of 
grace  1830. 

According  to  the  records  of  the  mission,  the 
number  of  baptisms  of  all  classes  therein  and  in  the 
presidio  to  the  14th  of  June,  18-4G,  of  which  any  evi- 
dence appeared,  was  7,126,  including  those  eftccted 
])rior  to  the  5th  of  November,  1775,  when  the  church 
and  books  were  destroyed;  the  number  of  marriages  to 
April  30,  1846,  the  date  of  the  last  entry,  2,051,  from 
the  date  of  the  foundation.  Friar  Vicente  Pascual 
Oliva,  the  last  priest  at  San  Diego,  went  to  San 
Luis  Key  when  the  forces  of  the  United  States  land- 
ed at  the  port  in  1846;  when  they  reached  San  Luis, 
he  transferred  himself  to  San  Juan  Capistrano,  where 
he  died.  The  last  entry  of  deaths  was  in  May  1831, 
to  which  date  the  number  of  burials  was  4,156;  the 
£-;con']  book  of  the  mission  was  not  in  the  parish 
church  toward  the  end  of  1877,  and  must  have  been 
lost.  The  book  of  interments,  which  replaced  the  one 
burnt  by  the  Indians  in  1775,  shows  on  its  first  entry 
the  following  facts:  "  Of  the  crews  of  said  vessels,"  San 
Antonio,  alias  El  Principe,  and  the  San  Carlos,  alias  Kl 
Toy 80)1,  "  and  chiefly  of  the  second,  many  arrived 
severely  suffering  from  scurvy,  or  mal  de  loanda, 
and  of  them  died  one  half  of  the  detail  of  twenty -five 
volunteer  soldiers  of  Catalonia,  who  with  their  lieu- 
tenant, Don  Pedro  Fdg(!S,  had  come  by  sea  upon  the 


FROM  THE  MISSION  BOOKS. 


m 


said  San  Cdrlos ;  so  that  within  a  few  months  aftor  the 
foundation  of  the  mission  the  account  of  deaths  showed 
tlif  number  of  them  to  have  exceeded  sixty,  to  all  of 
Avlioni,  but  one  boy,  were  administered  the  sacraments 
of  penitence,  communion,  and  extreme  unction." 
Father  Serra,  not  being  able  to  remember  all  the 
iianios,  omitted  to  mention  any,  contenting  himself 
'with  praying  to  God,  our  Lord,  that  the  names  of 
all  of  them  be  inscribed  in  heaven,  and  their  souls  per 
^Misoricordiam  Dei  requiescant  in  pace,  Amen.  " 

Good  men  died  there,  and  were  buried  in  the  mis- 
sion church,  for  all  good  men  die,  though  all  may  not 
l)t'  buried  in  sanctified  ground.  On  the  l*JtIi  of 
])econiber,  1784,  they  buried  Juan  Figuer;  Jaimary 
30,  1800,  Juan  Mariner;  August  29,  1807,  Nicolas 
Liizaro;  July  2,  1812,  Pedro  Panto,  supposed  to  have 
Itfi'ii  poisoned  by  his  cook;  October  19,  1838,  Fernando 
?»Iiutin.  Father  Vicente  Pasqual  Oliva,  the  last  of 
the  missionaries  who  officiated  at  San  Diego,  died 
at  San  Juan  Capistrano  January  2,  1848,  and  was 
.s)l('ninly  buried  on  the  29th. 

I  find  that  on  October  30,  1824,  an  Indian  was  ex 
<('ut('(l  l)y  shootint;  for  some  crime  not  stated.  SavaLi'e.': 
wt'ic  not  usually  honored  b\'"  a  special  shot,  witii  fire- 
lock, powder,  and  ball.  On  April  23,  182G,  an  Indian 
was  executed  who  was  an  accomplice  in  killing  tiiret.' 
8oldi(>rs  and  a  neophyte,  all  of  whom,  as  well  as  the 
ixocutod  one,  were  buried  bv  Father  Fernando  Mar- 
tin.  A  connnander  did  San  Diego  mission  the  honor 
to  die  and  be  buried  there,  namely,  Captain  Jose 
Alalia  Estudillo,  on  the  9th  of  April,' 1830. 

It  was  a  ijfreat  event  at  Mission  San  Dieoo,  the  con- 
f?t'(>ration  of  a  new  church,  the  one  latest  existuig,  on 
the  1 2th  of  November,  1813,  the  day  of  San  Diego. 
Tilt"  benediction  took  place  on  the  12th  by  Father  Jose 
Bai'ona,  Father  Geronimo  Boscana  preaching  the  ser- 
mon. On  the  following  day  were  transferred  thereto 
the  remains  of  the  missionaries  Jiiume,  Figuer,  Mari- 
ner, and  Panto.     The  sermon  was  delivered  by  Friar 


188 


GOLDEN  AOE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


II 


Tomds  Ahumada,  a  Dominican  from  Mission  San 
Miguel  in  Lower  California.  The  ministers  of  the 
mission  at  the  time  were  Friars  Jos^  Sanchez  and 
Fernando  Martin. 

A  maj^nificent  pile  for  one  reared  in  the  heart  of 
savagedom,  and  not  by  the  hands  of  experienced  arti- 
sans, was  that  of  San  Luis  Rey,  north  of  San  Diego, 
and  at  a  little  distance  from  the  sea.  It  was  founded 
by  Father  Peyrf  in  1798.  The  buildings  surrounded 
a  large  square,  in  the  centre  of  which  played  a  foun- 
tain, while  the  gardens  were  filled  with  fruits,  and 
tlie  fields  with  grain  and  cattle.  This  Padre  Antonio, 
as  Peyri  was  called,  on  his  departure  from  the  coun- 
try, took  with  him  two  or  three  Indian  boys,  one  of 
whom  turned  priest  and  lived  in  Rome,  lived  a  sainted 
savage  near  the  Vatican. 

Northward  the  good  men  go,  and  on  the  site  called 
by  the  natives  Sajirit,  and  also  appearing  as  Quanis 
Savit,  found  San  Juan  Capistrano,  Father  Presiticnt 
Junipero  Serra  officiating  on  the  1st  of  Novembei", 
1770,  assisted  by  Father  Gregorio  Amurrio  at  royal 
expense  during  the  rule  of  Viceroy  Bucareli,  yck-pt 
"  insigne  favorecedor  de  estos  nuevos  estableoimieti- 
tos."  Its  first  ministers  were  fathers  Pablo  de  Mugar- 
tegui  and  the  aforesaid  Amurrio.  The  mission  held 
fifteen  leagues  of  and  along  the  seaboard,  extending 
back  to  the  mountains,  which  area  was  interspersed 
with  shady  groves  and  fertile  ravines,  and  covered 
with  herds  of  stock  and  fields  of  waving  grain. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1806,  was  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  God  a  new  church  built  by  the  ne(»- 
phytes  of  stone  and  lime,  with  vaults.  The  con- 
struction was  begun  on  the  2d  of  February,  171)7, 
and  terminated  in  1806.  The  benediction  took  place 
on  the  day  aforesaid  by  Father  Estevan  Tapis,  presi- 
dent of  the  missions,  assisted  by  fathers  Jos(5  de  Mi- 
guel and  Josd  Antonio  de  Urresti,  ministers  of  Mission 
San  Miguel;  Mdrcos  Antonio  de  Victoria  of  Mission 
Santa  Bdrbara;  Jose  M.  de  Zalvidea  of  Mission  San 


CHURCH  CONSECRATION. 


Fornando;  Antonio  Peyrf  of  Mission  San  Luis  Rey; 
IV'tlio  de  1m,  Cueva  of  Mission  San  Jose;  and  Juan 
Norburto  de  Santiay;o  and  Josd  Fdura,  ministers  of 
Sail  Juan  Capistrano.  There  were  also  present  at 
the  inipt)sing  ceremonies  Lieutenant-colonel  Jose  Joa- 
(luin  de  Arrillaga,  governor  of  California,  Muimel 
Jlodriguez,  captain  commandant  of  San  Diego,  Lieu- 
ti'iumt  Francisco  Maria  Ruiz  of  the  presidial  com- 
pany of  San  Diego,  Joaquin  Maitorena,  aHeroz  of 
Santa  Barbara,  besides  a  large  concourse  of  soldiers, 
civilians,  and  neophytes  of  San  Juan  and  the  neighbor- 
ing missions.  On  the  9th  of  the  same  month  were 
transferred  to  the  new  church,  from  the  former  one, 
the  bones  of  Father  Vicente  Fuster,  minister  of  the 
mission,  wlio  died  on  the  21st  of  October,  1800.  He 
\vas,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  companion  of  Father 
Jiiiune  at  San  Diego  in  November  1775,  at  the  tinie 
the  soul  of  Jdume  was  set  free  by  the  natives.  All 
this  was  not  enough  to  intimidate  a  terrible  earth- 
quake, which  cracked  the  walls  and  rattled  down  the 
rafters  and  stones,  killing  forty-three  persons,  and  se- 
riously injuring  a  nmcli  larger  number.  This  mark 
of  tlie  Almighty's  displeasure  occurred  on  the  8th  of 
December,  1812. 

Here  let  me  relate  a  miracle.  No  one  who  ever 
lived  and  worshipped  God  in  California  better  deserves 
a  name  in  history  and  a  place  in  heaven  than  Padre 
Jose  Maria  Zalvidea.  He  was  a  missionary  Martin 
Luther,  if  such  a  monstrosity  could  be  conceived  of, 
eminent  in  talents,  virtues,  and  efficient  services,  par- 
ticularly in  the  development  of  the  material  resources 
of  San  Gabriel  and  other  mission  districts.  He 
greatly  loved  to  engage  in  hand-to-hand  conflict  with 
his  archenemy,  Satan,  at  whom  he  would  scream, 
kick,  and  incontinently  spar  with  his  fists,  until  the 
devil  was  so  frighten^  he  dare  not  come  near  him. 
After  that  he  would  mellow,  like  a  great  l"mp  of  sweet 
cream,  into  the  rich  milk  of  human  kindness. 

(Jnc  day  in  the  spring    of  1841,  while  the  pious 


190 


GOLDEN  AOE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


father  was  blessing  San  Juan  Capistrauo  by  li'is  j;rrs- 
cnco,  he  walked  out  among  the  cattle,  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  his  holy  book,  his  soul  communing  with  heaven. 

**  Have  a  care,  good  father,"  shouted  a  vaqu(!ro. 

"He  for  whom  God  cares,  my  son,  himself  netd 
have  no  care,"  cahnly  replied  the  priest,  as  he  raised 
his  eyes  and  encountered  the  threatening  attitude  of  a 
mad  bull.  Then  lowering  them  to  his  book  again,  Ik; 
continued  his  reading,  turninij  neither  to  the  ri^l.t 
hand  nor  to  the  left.  The  beast  bellowed  lustily;  tlio 
fatlier  began  to  sing  a  hymn.  The  beast  tore  up  the 
earth  with  its  feet,  throwing  dirt  upon  the  sacred  ves- 
tures of  the  priest.  Then  the  animal  charged  upon 
the  padre,  while  all  who  saw  it  held  their  breath  in 
horror,  feeling  sure  that  the  next  moment  the  good 
man  would  be  gored  to  death. 

"Peace,  peace,  malignant  spirit!"  the  father  said 
and  smiled;  "come,  come,  wouldst  thou  throw  dirt 
on  me?" 

The  mad  bull  paused,  then  raised  its  head,  droppt  d 
its  tail,  and  trotted  away  to  another  part  of  the  field, 
overcome  by  the  power  of  God  and  the  magic  of  ti 
good  man's  voice. 

The  mission  San  Gabriel  Arcdngel,  near  Los  An- 
geles, was  founded  at  royal  expense,  pursuant  to  ordii  s 
of  Viceroy  Marques  de  Croix  and  the  visitador-general 
of  New  Spain,  Joseph  de  Galvez,  by  Father  Junii>ei() 
Serra,  president  of  the  missions,  on  the  8th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1771.  Its  first  ministers  were  fathers  Pedro 
Benito  Cambon  and  Joseph  Angel  Somera.  Tlie 
number  of  baptisms  of  all  classes  from  the  foundation 
to  the  29th  of  December,  1850,  was  quite  large,  rcarh- 
inof  9,123.  The  number  of  marriages  is  unknown,  tlio 
record  being  mcomplete  from  1840  to  1849.  After 
October  1850,  the  town  of  San  Gabriel  was  in  charoe 
of  parish  priests.  The  last  qprtificate  of  interment, 
dated  December  28,  1850,  bears  the  number  6.117,  of 
which  1,707  were  prior  to  the  end  of  1800.  Among 
the  gente  de  razon  buried  are  iucluded  those  who  were 


MISSION  SAN  GAinilEL. 


lis  v-rcs- 
es  fixed 
heaven, 
m^ro. 
lelf  need 
16  raisrd 
tiule  of  a 
a;j;ain,  Ik^ 
l\\c  rijJil.t 
stily ;  tlio 
re  up  the 
icred  vcs- 
*Ted  upon 
breath  in 
the  good 

ither  said 
hrow  diit 

[I,  dropp<  d 

the  tield, 

Liaijic  of  a 


iidiahltants  of  the  town  of  Los  Angeles.  Several 
missionaries  of  the  college  have  died,  and  heen  in- 
terred in  tlie  church  of  this  nussion,  to  wit:  tTuly  28, 
IHOli,  Miguel  Sanchez;  October  12,  1804,  Antonio 
Cruzado,  who  had  served  22  years  in  Sierrii  (iorda 
and  33  in  this  California ;  January  15,  18  11,  Fnincisro 
Dunietz;  June  16,  1821,  Konian  Ullil)arri;  Dccendjer 
21,  1821,  Joa«iuin  Pascual  Nuez;  July  0,  IH.'U,  Ge- 
r<')ninio  Boscana;  and  on  July  10,  1833,  Jose  l^crnardo 
Sanchez,  ex-president  of  the  missions.  Thouias  KKu- 
tcrio  Estenaga  died  some  time  in  1847,  wliile  on  tjr 
11th  of  November,  1850,  Bias  Ordaz  breathed  his 
last. 

This  mission  occupied  one  of  the  most  chf  ;  .ling 
spots  in  California.  Its  gardens  abounded  in  oranges, 
grapes,  figs,  j^  Miegranates,  peaches,  apples,  lini'  s, 
pears,  and  citrons,  and  the  air  was  pernnned  with  ifs 
trees  and  flowei-s.  Wine,  brandy,  and  cattle  were 
liere  produced  in  great  abundance. 

I'eople  are  af)t  to  tell  and  believe  great  stories  about 
money.  Large  sums  in  specie  have  been  reported  as 
existing  at  the  missions,  especially  at  San  (ial»riel, 
h'.it  such  statements  should  be  taken  with  allowance. 
Where  was  such  money  to  come  from?  Most  of  the 
transactions  with  merchants  were  exchan":e  of  ijoods. 
Tliere  was  some  coin  in  the  country,  of  course — more, 
indeed,  in  the  northern  missions  than  at  the  south, 
owing  to  trade  with  the  Russians,  who  usually  paid 
for  the  wheat  they  bought  partly  in  money.  There- 
fore, let  it  be  understood  that  when  I  give  the  amount 
of  specie  at  a  mission,  I  only  repeat  from  the  record, 
but  without  fully  believing  it  myself. 

To  drink  and  not  get  drunk;  to  teach  temperance 
and  keep  the  world  sober  while  manufacturing  rum  at 
a  good  profit ;  these  are  vital  questions  alike  for  good 
livers,  priests,  and  political  economists.  tT-^iissens  tells 
a  story  showing  how^  the  liquor-loving  savages  of  San 
(irabriel  used  to  outwit  him  while  making  into  wnie 
and  brandy  the  grape  crop  of  the  mission.     It  was  in 


192 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


i 


1840,  while  Don  Juan  Bandini  was  in  charge.  Jans- 
sens  observed  that  the  Indians  at  work  about  tlie 
stills  were  always  more  than  half  drunk,  and  well 
swollen  out  in  face  and  belly;  the  question  was,  How 
did  they  get  hold  of  the  liquor?  In  vain  was  every- 
thing closely  watched  night  and  day,  and  every  imagi- 
nary loop-hole  kept  under  lock  and  key.  In  vain 
liberal  rations  of  wine  were  dealt  out  to  them  morn- 
ing, noon,  and  night.  The  mysterious  intoxicatit)n 
increased,  and  bellies  and  faces  waxed  bigger  and 
bigger.  Finally  it  all  came  out,  and  no  thirsty  Maine 
man  or  Boston  anti-prohibitionist  showed  more 
shrewdness  in  evading  the  law  than  these  so  lately 
gentle  heathen,  thus  whitewashed  by  civilization. 

It  was  Janssens'  custom,  after  he  had  fed  the  stills, 
to  leave  the  Indians  tendmg  the  fires,  while  he  retired 
to  his  room,  through  which  ran  the  tubes  of  tJio 
brandy  stills  and  the  water,  the  only  exit  tlie  fluid  had 
from  the  stills.  It  was  a  comparatively  easy  matter 
to  watch  the  master,  and  while  he  was  not  lookino', 
raise  the  cover  of  the  stills  and  help  themselves.  TLis, 
however,  was  soon  detected,  and  padlocks  put  on  tlio 
covers,  while  the  offenders  were  ironed.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  neater  trick.  The  wine  was  conveyed  from 
the  fermenting  vats  in  barrels,  with  one  of  the  hea(!s 
off,  the  head  being  carried  at  the  end  of  a  long  stick 
by  the  hindermost  man.  The  burden  was  heavy,  and 
the  poor  carriers  were  permitted  to  set  it  down  and 
rest  occasionally.  "  O,  if  this  stick  were  only  hollow  I " 
sighed  the  hindermost.  "A  cane  would  do,"  answered 
the  foremost,  "and  we  could  then  take  our  turn  carry- 
mg  the  barrel-head."  And  so  it  all  came  about;  after 
which  manifestation  of  the  power  of  mind  over  matter, 
it  were  calumny  to  say  that  these  heathen  could  not 
be  christianized. 

In  a  beautiful  plain  north  of  San  Gabriel  was  tlie 
mission  of  San  Fernando,  founded  in  1797,  where  was 
distilled  annually  two  thousand  gallons  each  of  wine 
and  fine   brandy.     In  182G,  besides  large   herds  of 


I  ii 


SAN  FERNANDO  AND  SAN  BUENAVENTURA. 


193 


Jans- 
)out  the 
.nd  well 
as,  How 
IS  evcrv- 
ry  iiuagi- 
In  vain 
;in  luoru- 
oxication 
yger   and 
ity  Maine 
ed    more 
so  lately 
ation. 
the  stills, 
he  retired 
es   of  the 
e  fluid  had 
asy  matter 
)t  lookin;J, 
ves.   Tl.i^, 
put  on  tli'J 
Then  fol- 
eyed  fri)ni 
the  heads 
long  stick 
heavy,  and 
down  and 
[y  hollow  1" 
'"'  answi>red 
Iturn  carry- 
bout;  after 
er  matter, 
could  not 

iel  was  the 
where  was 
Ich  of  wii»c 
herds  of 


cattle,  sheep,  horses,  mules,  and  swine,  it  had  in  store 
$50,000  worth  of  merchandise,  and  $90,000  in  specie. 

The  mission  of  San  Buenaventura  owned  about 
1,500  square  miles,  sixteen  leagues  north  of  San  Fer- 
nando. Besides  stock,  orchards,  and  vineyards,  it  had, 
ten  years  before  its  secularization  in  1835,  $35,000  in 
merchandise,  $27,000  in  specie  and  church  ornaments, 
and  clothing  to  the  value  of  $61,000. 

Saint  Bonaventura,  cardinal-bishop,  was  one  of  the 
great  doctors  of  the  church,  and  ex-minister-general  of 
the  Franciscans.  This  establishment,  with  the  Santa 
Barbara  channel  at  its  door,  was  founded  at  royal 
expense  on  the  31st  of  March,  1782,  by  the  father- 
president,  Junipero  Serra,  associated  with  Father 
Pedro  Benito  Cambon — both  priests  remained  in 
cliarge  temporarily  until  the  arrival  of  the  royal  ship, 
wliuTi  brought  out  more  missionaries.  A  new  church 
was  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  in  the  mission  on 
the  9th  of  September,  1809,  by  its  ministers,  friars 
Jose  Senan  and  Mdrcos  Antonio  de  Victoria,  assisted 
])y  tlio  clergyman,  Jose  Ignacio  Argllello,  a  son  of  ex- 
jrovernor  pro  tern.  Joseph  Dario  ArgUello  of  this  Cal- 
ifornia, and  subsequently  governor  of  Lower  California, 
and  friars  Luis  Gil  de  Taboada,  Josd  Antonio  Calzada, 
Jose  Antonio  Urresti,  and  Josd  Maria  do  Zalvidea, 
ministers  respectively  of  Santa  Bdrbara,  Santa  Ines, 
San  Fernando,  and  San  Gabriel.  On  the  1 1th  of  the 
same  month  were  transferred  thereto  from  tlie  old 
cliiiroh  the  remains  of  Father  Vicente  de  Santa  Ma- 
ria, ex-minister,  who  died  on  July  16,  1806.  This 
clmreli  was  greatly  damaged  by  earthquake  s,  which 
rendered  it  necessary  to  erect  a  temporary  hut  of  straw 
at  San  Joaquin  and  Santa  Ana,  about  three  quarters 
of  a  league  away,  to  serve  as  a  temple.  The  people 
had  been  obliged  to  move  from  the  mission  buildings, 
fearing  from  the  agitation  of  the  sea  that  a  tidal  wave 
Would  flood  it.  In  November  1818,  there  was  another 
flip;!  t  from  the  mission,  during  the  presence  of  three 
weeks  and  three  days  on  the  coast  of  two  insurgent 

Cal.  Pa8T.    is 


194 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


ships  of  Buenos  Aires,  which,  under  Bouchard,  had 
bombarded  and  plundered  Monteiey.  There  is  an 
entry  in  the  book  of  baptisms  of  the  mission,  on  the 
30th  of  Decomber,  1827,  in  which  the  minister.  Friar 
Josef  Altimira,  formerly  of  San  Francisco,  and  who 
first  planted  the  symbol  of  Christianity  in  the  Sonoma 
valley,  certifies  having  christened  Papenajda,  a  half- 
breed  from  the  Hawaiian  islands,  "whose  natives  live 
without  knowing  the  true  God,  in  a  most  dark  and 
diabolical  superstition,  practising  idolatrous  rites,  and 
paying  a  cult,  *nmy  animal  6  bestial  que  dan  al  padre 
pe  la  mentira,  y  gefe  de  los  abismos.'"  The  zealous 
father  stated  this  upon  information  given  him  b}''  his 
steward,  an  Englishman  named  George  Colman,  wlio 
had  lived  ten  years  on  those  islands,  and  had  lately 
joined  the  catholics.  Among  the  notable  burials  here 
recorded  were  three  soldiers,  in  1810,  murdered  by 
Mojaves,  who  visited  the  mission;  of  three  Indian 
centenarians,  all  women,  one  of  100,  another  of  105, 
and  the  third  of  114,  and  supposed  to  be  even  older. 
Also,  besides  Father  Santa  Maria,  were  buried  in  tlio 
mission  church  August  25,  1823,  Jose  Senan,  vice- 
prefect,  and  twice  president  of  the  missions;  June  18, 
1831,  Francisco  Suner. 

Santa  Bdrbara,  famous  for  its  choice  wines  and  pro- 
fuse hospitality,  was  located  some  nine  leagues  north 
of  San  Buenaventura,  upon  a  picturesque  elevation 
about  three  miles  inland.  The  mission  buildings  wtio 
of  stone  walls,  with  two  towers  at  one  end,  between 
which  was  a  high  gable,  and  two  wings,  all  of  stone. 
The  roof  was  covered  with  tiles  laid  in  cement,  and 
in  the  towers  were  several  richly  toned  bells  from 
Spain.  In  one  of  the  wings  lived  the  padres;  tlie 
other  was  the  prison,  while  rows  of  adobe  huts  near 
by  wer?  occupied  by  the  Indians.  Near  the  cliurdi 
was  a  beautiful  garden,  surrounded  by  a  high  fence  of 
stone  and  cement,  yielding  a  variety  of  choice  fruit. 
In  front  of  the  church  were  constructed  of  solid  ma- 
sonry a  series  of  tasteful  fountains,  a  pool,  and  a  res- 


MISSION  SANTA  BARBARA. 


195 


rd,  hacl 
e  is  an 

on  the 
ir,  Friar 
tnd  wlvo 
Sonoma 
t,  a  lialf- 
ives  live 
lark  and 
•ites,  and 

al  padre 
e  zealous 
im  by  bis 
man,  wlio 
lad  lately 
irials  here 
rdered  by 
•ee  Indian 
er  of  105, 
;ven  older, 
ried  in  tbe 

iiian,  vice- 
June  18, 


crvoir  seventy  feet  long.  Water  was  brought  from 
an  adjoining  hill  through  an  open  stone  aqueduct,  and 
near  it  were  the  grist-mill  and  bath-house,  the  latter 
a  stone  structure  six  by  ten  feet,  over  the  door  of 
which  a  beautiful  jet  of  water  was  thrown  from  a 
stone  lion's  head.  The  water,  after  performing  divers 
duties,  was  carried  to  the  tannery,  and  finally  dis- 
[tersed  over  the  soil  in  irrigating  canals.  The  churcli 
was  sixty  by  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  forty  feet  in 
heiijht,  and  the  walls  eight  feet  in  thickness.  Paint- 
ings  adorned  the  walls,  and  sepulchral  vaults,  the 
final  resting-place  of  the  clergy,  underlaid  the  floor. 
Kichly  furnished  dressing-rooms  opened  into  the 
church,  and  the  ususl  paraphernalia  of  worship  adorned 
tlie  altar.  From  the  chancel  a  door  opened  into  a 
Availed  cemetery  consecrated  to  the  burial  of  baptized 
Indians.  Within  this  enclosure  was  a  general  tondi, 
six  feet  in  depth,  with  heavy  walls  six  feet  apart,  in 
wliich  the  Indians  were  first  buried.  As  the  place 
became  filled,  the  bones  were  removed  to  a  spot  within 
the  enclosure. 

According  to  a  certificate  of  tlie  father-president, 
religious  ceremonies  were  held  by  him  on  the  spot 
wliere  the  presidio  was  established  on  the  21st  of 
April,  1782.  The  foundation  of  a  mission  was  sus- 
]K>nded  till  toward  the  end  of  1786,  when  it  was  car- 
ried out  half  a  league  to  the  northwest.  Notable 
events:  January  10,  1795,  Ignacio  Rochin,  soldier, 
executed  for  murder;  February  4,  1798,  was  buried 
Captain  Josd  Francisco  Ortega,  who  was  a  sergeant 
tif  the  troops  at  the  foundation  of  San  Diego  in  1709, 
a  most  efficient  officer;  February  11,  1801,  Jose  An- 
tonio Rosas,  a  soldier,  born  in  Los  Angeles,  convicted 
o{'  heiifiale peccatum,  and  sentenced  to  be  burnt,  together 
witli  the  beast,  was  shot ;  his  body  was  passed  over 
file,  and  then  given  christian  burial;  February  24, 
IS  J  4,  there  was  an  Indian  revolt,  and  some  twenty- 
nine  of  the  rebels  were  killed,  thirteen  of  whom  were 
buil'jd  by  the  missionary,  and  the  rest  by  their  com- 


106 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


panions;  December  28,  1848,  Joseph  Lynch,  Pctcr 
Remer,  and  Peter  Quinn,  murderers  of  the  Reed  fain- 
ilv  in  the  mission  San  Miguel,  were  executed  at  Santa 
Bdrbara,  and  buried  in  the  city  cemeter}'^;  Ramon 
Rodriguez,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  pursuit  of  these 
malefactors,  had  been  buried  on  the  13th  of  the  same 
month;  February  26,  1852.  Cdrlos  Antonio  Carrillo, 
who,  in  1838,  received  from  Mexico  the  appointment 
of  governor  of  California,  but  was  not  permitted  to 
act  as  such  by  the  northern  Californians,  was  buried 
here  to-day.  It  is  known  that  the  remains  of  Gov- 
ernor Figueroawere  deposited  in  the  mission  in  1835, 
though  no  record  of  the  fact  appears  in  its  books. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  they  were  taken  away  again. 
The  followinof  missionaries  were  buried  in  the  mission 
church,  to  wit:  February  14,  1793,  Antonio  Paterna; 
December  2,  1829,  Antonio  Jayme,  who  had  served 
upwards  of  30  years  in  California ;  Antonio  Menendt  z, 
a  Dominican,  who  was  acting  as  chaplain  of  the  pre- 
sidio b"  permission  of  the  father-president,  Narciso 
Duriln ;  November  1834,  Francisco  Javier  de  Una; 
December  18,  1840,  Buenaventura  Fortuny;  May  .'5, 
184G,  Francisco  Garcia  Diego,  first  bishop  of  the  Cal- 
ifornias,  who  died  on  the  30th  of  April,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years;  June  3,  1846,  Narciso  Duriln,  president 
of  the  missions,  one  of  the  guardians  of  the  vacant 
diocese,  who  had  been  vicar-forain  of  the  bishop  tif 
Sonora,  and  twice  prefect  of  the  missions. 

The  missionary.  Friar  Luis  Gil  de  Taboada,  said 
that  on  the  8th  of  December,  1812,  while  he  was  at 
tlie  presidio  of  Santa  Bdrbara,  the  earth  shook  nidst 
violently,  and  the  sea  receded,  forming  a  high  lilll. 
He,  with  all  the  people,  ran  toward  the  mission, 
chanting  the  litany  to  the  virgin  Mary.  Suddenly 
there  was  a  great  calm.  And  yet  all  was  not  calm. 
For,  upon  setting  up  in  the  ground  a  pole  with  a  hall 
upon  the  top,  in  a  place  where  no  wind  blew  upon  it, 
the  ball  was  constantly  in  motion  during  eight  days. 
After  that,  the  ball  would  keep  still  for  two  or  three 


SANTA  IN^S, 


197 


,  Peter 
ed  fain- 
it  Santa 
Ramon 
of  these 
he  same 
Carrillo, 
jintment 
litted  to 
ls  buried 
,  of  Gov- 
i  in  1835, 
ts  books. 
^ay  again, 
le  mission 
,  Paterna; 
ad  served 
Menende/., 
,f  the  pr.- 
t,  Narcis!) 

de  Urm; 
,  ;  May  '^ 
oftheCal- 
the  age  of 
,  president 
\ie  vacant 

bishop  of 


lirnirs,  and  then  move  again.  This  lasted  about  a 
fortnijiht.  Hundreds  of  miracles  Vtiit  unrecorded 
hereabout,  because,  first,  they  were  too  frequent  to  be 
startling,  and  secondly,  the  fat  priests  were  too  lazy 
to  write  them  down. 

It  was  an  even  thing  l^etween  them  sometimes — 
Christ  and  Belial — as  represented  by  the  army  chap- 
lain and  the  soldiers,  though  when  it  came  to  tlie 
darker-skinned  natives — for  that  of  the  Mexican  was 
(lark  enough — both  Christ  and  Belial  were  against 
them. 

There  was  Father  Antonio  Menendez,  at  one  time 
cluaplain  at  Santa  Bdrbara,  a  Dominican  of  gay  feather 
even  for  an  army  chaplain  of  the  olden  time.  Men's 
souls  for  heaven,  but  women  for  himself,  he  loved, 
and  wine  and  cards.  This  good  man  was  once  sta- 
tioned at  San  Diego,  at  the  time  when  Pio  Pico  as  a 
young  man  was  trading  between  that  point  and  Lower 
California.  One  day  Pico  arrived  with  a  fine  lot  of 
sugar,  upon  which  the  good  priest  cast  his  eye  covet- 
ously. 

"What  say  you,  Don  Pio,  let  me  deal  you  a  little 
nionte  this  evening?** 

"With  pleasure,  holy  father,  and  may  Saint  Domi- 
nic help  us." 

Game  after  game  continued,  until  when  the  short 
liours  were  reached,  all  of  Pico's  sugar  had  melted 
into  the  priest's  capacious  maw.  And  with  this  lot 
of  sugar  was  gone  young  Pico's  entire  capital,  none  of 
wliich  the  priest  offered  to  ioturn.  On  the  contrary, 
1k'  revile;       j  victim. 

"Know  you,  Pio  amigo,  that  you  just  now  reminded 
nie  of  our  Saviour's  visit  to  this  world?" 

"  How  so  ?"  growled  Pico. 

"Listen,"  said  the  priest: 

"  '  Cristo  vino  al  mundo  &  redimir  el  pecado; 
Vino  por  lana  y  so  fue  trasquiladol ' " 

Which  is  to  say: 

Christ  camo  to  ransom  man  of  woman  bom; 
Ue  aought  hia  sheep,  iiimself  departed  shorn.   ' 


193 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


The  mission  of  Santa  Inds,  thirteen  leagues  north 
of  Santa  Bdrbara,  held  less  land  than  any  of  the  oth- 
ers, but  it  possessed  beautiful  horses,  and  vast  herds 
of  other  stock.  In  1823,  the  property  of  this  mission 
was  valued  at  $800,000. 

The  natives  called  the  place  Alajulapu.  It  was  on 
the  I7th  of  September,  1804,  that  it  was  formally  taken 
from  them  by  Father  Est<5van  Tapis,  president  of  the 
missions,  associated  with  three  other  missionaries.  Its 
first  ministers  were  fathers  Jose  Antonio  Calzada  and 
Jose  Romualdo  Gutierrez.  Among  others  buried 
here  were  the  missionaries,  Jose  Antonio  Calzada, 
December  24,  1814,  whose  remains  were  transferred 
on  July  4,  1817,  to  the  new  church  this  day  dedicated 
to  divine  service;  July  26,  1836,  Mdrcos  Antonio 
Saizardo  Vitoria  y  Odriozola;  September  20,  1840, 
Felipe  Arroyo  de  la  Cuesta;  May  24,  1842,  Ramon 
Abella;  December  28,  1845,  Juan  Moreno.  An  ec- 
clesiastical seminary  was  established  here  on  the  4t]i 
of  May,  1844. 

In  1836,  when  Colonel  Mariano  Chico,  the  ncwjefe 
politico  and  comandante  general,  was  in  Santa  Biirbaia, 
on  his  way  to  Monterey  to  take  formal  possession  of  lii-s 
offices,  Father  Antonio  Jimeno,  then  chief  missionary  ( f 
Santa  Ines,  provided  a  meal  for  him  and  suite  at  the 
Tecolote,  where  lived  the  ijeophyte  Cristobal  Manojo, 
an  Indian  sixty  years  old,  but  lively  and  witty,  and  with 
Si)anish  speech  peculiarly  quaint.  The  savage  was  di- 
rected by  the  fax  her  to  be  present,  and  attend  on  tlie 
great  man,  who  was  apprised  of  the  Indian's  pecuhar 
wit  and  ways.  But  tlie  fellow  failed  to  present  himself, 
and  only  turned  up  after  Chico  had  departed.  Bt  ing 
asked  to  account  for  his  failure  to  come  and  present 
his  respects  to  the  jefe  politico,  he  answered : 

"O,  father,  it  did  not  suit  me  to  be  in  company  Avith 
a  bad  man.  He  is  a  rascal.  Don't  you  see  he  is  a 
boy,  and  wears  spectacles?  I  saw  him  when  he  Mas 
coming,  and  noticed  his  eyes  looking  from  under  his 
spectacles.     I  am  afraid  of  him." 


PURISIMA  AND  SAN  LUIS. 


fW> 


es  north 
the  otli- 
tst  herds 
3  mission 

[t  was  on 
illy  taken 
3nt  of  tlic 
aries.    Its 
ilzada  and 
•rs  buried 
)  Calzada, 
ransferrcd 
'  dedicated 
3   Antonio 
20,   1840, 
42,  Kamon 
0.     An  et- 
on  the  4tli 

he  new  jefe 

ta  Barbara, 

ssion  of  liii^ 

lisslonaryet 

julte  at  the 
)al  Manojo, 
ty,  and  with 
^e  was  di- 
tend  on  the 
m's  pecuhar 
jent  hiniselt, 
ted.     Being 
and  present 

red : 

)mpany  with 
see  he  i^  ^^ 
vhen  he  was 
ni  under  liis 


"Nay,  not  so,"  said  the  other,  "he  is  a  good  gentle- 
man ;  he  is  our  general." 

"Wait  a  while,  and  you  will  see,"  said  the  savage. 
"A  ver  quicn  gana,  tii  6  yo" — ^tell  me  by  and  by  if  he 
be  good  or  bad. 

It  is  a  laatter  of  history  that  this  jefe  politico  waa 
one  of  the  most  despotic  rulers  who  ever  came  to  the 
Californias. 

Then  there  was  Purisima,  and  the  regal  San  Luis 
Obispo,  and  fourteen  leagues  away  San  Miguel,  whose 
lands,  sixty  leagues  in  circumference,  contained  many 
farming  tracts  of  remarkable  fertility. 

La  Purisima  was  first  founded  on  the  valley  of  the 
Santa  Rosa  river,  in  the  place  called  by  the  natives 
Algsacupi,  on  the  8th  of  December,  1787,  by  Father 
Ferinin  Francisco  de  Lasuen,  president  of  the  mis- 
sions. Its  first  ministers  were  fathers  Vicente  Fuster 
and  Joseph  Arroita.  The  mission  was  tranfiferred, 
on  April  23,  1813,  to  the  Canada  de  los  Berros,  and 
the  site  called  Amiiu  by  the  Indians.  Its  ministers 
then  were  Mariano  Pay  eras  and  Antonio  Rijjoll.  The 
former,  while  prefect  of  the  missions,  died,  and  was 
buried  in  this  mission  on  the  29th  of  April,  1823.  On 
the  1st  of  January,  1836,  there  were  in  this  cstab- 
hslinicnt  192  men  and  130  women. 

The  mission  named  Gloriosisimo  Prfncipe  Arcdngel 
Senor  San  Miguel  was  placed  on  the  site  known  by 
tlie  natives  as  Raticii,  or  Vatica.  The  date  of  foun- 
dation was  the  25th  of  July,  1797,  and  the  founder, 
President  Lasuen  Its  first  ministers  were  friars 
Buenaventura  Sitjar  and  Antonio  de  la  Concepcion. 

The  mission  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est in  California,  was  situated  three  miles  from  the 
eoast,  and  about  eighteen  leagues  north  from  La 
Purisima.  Luis  Martinez,  under  whose  charge  the 
agriculture  and  industry  of  this  mission  assumed  the 
I^randest  proportions,  was  a  man  of  no  common  energy 
and  ability.  Every  mountain  stream  was  made  tribu- 
tary to  his  rich  lands,  which  covered  a  wide  area  along 


200 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


the  ocean.  He  planted  cotton,  grew  olives,  taught 
his  Indians  to  catch  otter,  and  navigate  a  launch  to 
Santa  Bdrbara.  At  Santa  Margarita  was  a  well-filled 
granary  1 90  feet  long.  Upon  his  table  were  always 
found  the  choicest  delicacies,  rich  wines,  and  game ; 
and  his  guests  were  welcomed  and  entertained  in  a 
princely  manner.  When  obliged  to  abandon  his 
work,  upon  its  secularization  in  1834,  it  is  said  that 
he  returned  to  Spain  with  piety  and  industry  well 
rewarded  in  the  shape  of  money  to  the  amount  of 
$100,000.  This  the  good  father  no  doubt  thought 
better  than  taking  his  chances  on  everything  in  the 
next  world. 

San  Luis  Obispo  de  Tolosa,  this  mission  is  called, 
and  it  dates  from  the  1st  of  September,  1772,  when 
it  was  formed  by  Junipero  Serra  on  the  Canada  do 
los  Osos,  called  by  the  natives  Tixlini.  The  first 
ministers  who  took  charge  of  the  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral affairs  of  its  neopliytes  were  Domingo  Juncosa 
and  Joseph  Cavalier.  The  records  of  this  mission  are 
incomplete.  The  number  of  baptisms  therein  from 
the  date  of  foundation  to  September  21,  1821,  was 
2,549.  The  original  book  of  marriages  was  burnt 
on  November  29,  1776,  at  which  time  there  had 
been  5G,  and  to  the  end  of  1784,  163.  The  num- 
ber of  deaths  to  the  7th  of  November,  1838,  includ- 
ing a  few  not  neophytes,  were  2,441. 

Jose  de  Jesiis  Pico,  speaking  of  gold  found  near 
the  mission  early  in  the  century,  says :  "  To  several 
of  us  Father  Luis  A.  Martinez,  in  1829,  gave  gold; 
to  myself,  Raimundo,  and  Gabriel  de  la  Torre,  and 
Francisco  Soto,  he  made  a  present  of  about  twenty 
ounces  of  gold,  not  coined,  but  in  little  balls  of  one 
ounce  each ;  because  he  had  much  affection  for  us, 
who  had  been  his  pupils  and  acol3rtes  here  in  the  mis- 
sion where  we  learned  to  chant  church  music.  The 
two  brothers  Raimundo  and  Gabriel  and  I  had  been 
with  the  padre  over  a  year  before  we  enlisted  as 
soldiers.     This  gold  must  have  been  found  at  the 


SOLEDAD. 


201 


taught 
unch  to 
ell-filled 
)  always 
d  game; 
ned  in  a 
idon    his 
ja'id  that 
jtry  veil 
mount  of 

thouglit 
ig  in  the 

is  called, 
72,  when 
lafiada  do 
The  first 
and  tem- 
D  Juncosa 
aission  arc 
irein  from 
1821,  was 
vas  burnt 
there  had 
.'he  nuiii- 
8,  includ- 


place  called  San  Josd,  near  the  mission.  There  were 
then — we  being  little  boys — about  twelve  Spaniards 
within  the  site  proper  of  the  mission,  who,  as  I  be- 
lieve, were  engaged  in  cleaning  silver  and  gold;  and 
I  ground  my  belief  on  this,  that  the  father  had  many 
flasks  of  quicksilver,  together  with  tools  and  materials 
for  cleaning  these  metals.  I  know  this,  that  we  often 
desired  to  go  in  and  see  what  these  men  were  doing, 
and  never  were  permitted.  It  was  only  some  Indian 
alcalde  that  was  allowed  to  enter  the  quarters  under 
menace  of  severe  punishment  if  he  divulged  any 
st'cret.". .  ."When  Jose  Mariano  Bonilla  took  charge 
(»f  the  mission  he  still  found  a  room  full  of  flasks  of 
([uicksilver  and  cotton,  and  it  was  he  who  sold  the 
({uicksllver  to  a  vessel." 

This  Martinez  once  travelled  from  San  Luis  Obispo 
to  San  Cdrlos  in  a  fine  coach,  with  coachman  and  pos- 
tillion. The  two  savages  who  served  in  the  latter 
capacity  were  gorgeously  attired,  silver  and  gold  trap- 
pings shining  resplendent.  Now  when  this  came  to 
t!ie  ears  of  the  father-prefect,  Sarria,  who  was  humil- 
ity itself,  he  was  wroth,  and  Marthiez  was  severel}- 
reprimanded  for  his  violation  of  the  rules  of  the 
Franciscans,  as  in  this  carriage  ride,  however  nmch 
Lo  may  have  enjoyed  it,  there  was  about  it  little  pov- 
erty or  humility. 

It  was  customary  for  the  prelate  and  the  mission- 
aries to  assemble  from  time  to  time  at  the  San  Cilrlos 
mission  for  the  purpose  of  consultation.  On  such 
occasions  the  missionaries  proceeded  to  Monterey  in 
carriages,  while  others  rode  on  horseback.  From 
^lonterey  to  the  Carmelo,  some  four  or  five  miles,  all 
walked,  proceeding  in  double  file,  the  Indian  servants 
ill  charge  of  the  carriages  and  animals  bringing  up 
the  roar. 

In  the  plain  called  Llano  del  Rey,  fifteen  leagues 
south-west  from  Monterey,  stood  Soledad,  the  inde- 
fatigable father  of  which  mission,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
plentiful   supply  of  water,  constructed  with  Indian 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


If 


labor  an  aqueduct  fifteen  miles  in  length,  by  means 
of  which  20,000  acres  of  fertile  land  was  every  year 
redeemed  for  the  summer  drought.  So  rapidly  did 
horses  breed  at  this  mission  that  they  were  giviii 
away  at  times  in  order  to  preserve  pasturage  for 
cattle. 

Nuostra  Scnora  de  la  Soledad  was  placed  on  the 
site  named  by  the  natives  Chuttusgelis,  the  9tli  of 
October,  1791,  by  the  father  president.  Lasuen,  wlio 
made  Friars  Diego  Garcia,  and  Mariano  Rubf  its  fiist 
ministers.  The  records  s^^ow  that  there  were  2,21»0 
baptisms  to  1841,  738  marriages,  and  1887  deaths  in 
the  same  period.  This  mission  holds  the  remahis  of 
Colonel  tfos^  Joaquin  de  Arrillaga,  governor  and 
commander  of  the  forces  of  California,  who  died  there 
on  the  24th  of  July  1814,  and  was  buried  the  2Gtli; 
also  those  of  the  missionary  Florencio  Ibanez,  wlio 
was  buried  on  November  18,  1818. 

Mrs  Ord  states  that  the  mission  San  Miguel  was 
visited  by  her  in  1833,  when  it  still  retahied  its 
■wealth.  Father  Cabot  showing  her  the  warchousis 
full  of  produce  and  goods;  there  was  also  a  consider- 
able amount  of  money.  When  she  was  there  again 
in  1835,  she  did  not  see  even  a  tumbler  to  drink  out 
of,  and  had  to  use  a  small  ji'cara  that  she  had  with 
her.  All  the  effects  of  the  mission,  the  cattle  inclu- 
sive, had  disappeared. 

The  mission  San  Antonio  de  Padua  was  besjun  (Mi 
the  14th  of  July  1771.  It  is  situated  in  the  sierra  <»f 
Santa  Lucia  aiid  Canada  de  los  Osos.  Its  fouiwhr 
was  Serra,  and  its  first  ministers  were  Friars  Miguel 
Pieras  and  Buenaventura  Sitjar.  The  nund^er  of 
baptisms  effected  in  it  to  the  14th  of  June  1850  was 
4,571;  of  marriages  to  June  18,  1846,  1,282;  of 
deaths  to  April  22,  1849,  4,063.  Interred  in  this 
church  were:  March  15,  1801,  Francisco  Puyol, min- 
ister of  San  Cdrlos,  and  September  3,  1808,  Buena- 
ventura Sitjar,  both  of  whose  remains  were  on  tho 
14th  of  June,  1813,  placed  in  one  grave  in  the  pros- 


•  MISSION  SAN  ANTONIO. 


)y  means 
/cry  yt'iir 
piiUy  tVul 
oro  given 
urage  for 

;d  on  the 
le  9th  of 
,suen,  who 
ibl  its  first 
rore  2,21*0 

deaths  hi 
remauis  of 
eruor  and 
,  died  there 

the  26th; 
baiiez,  who 

Miguel  was 
■etaiiied  its 
warehouses 
a  consider- 
there  again 
drink  out 
le  had  with 
cattle  inclu- 

LS  begun  on 
he  sierra  ot 
Its  fouuihr 
i-iars  Migurl 

number  of 
1850  was 
.,   1,282;  of 
rred  in  this 

puy*)l,  1'-^'"^' 
L808"  Buiua- 
were  on  tho 

in  the  vros- 


le 


hj'ieiy;  February  8,  1830,  Juan  Bautlata  Sanclio, 
Avlio  with  Father  Pedro  Cabot  left  Spahi  in  company 
and  lived  together  for  a  period  of  twenty-six  years  in 
tills  mission;  May  24,  1835,  Vicente  Francisco  do 
8ania,  minister  of  La  Soledad,  and  who  had  siTved  as 
])iefe(t  of  the  missions  two  terms  of  six  years  each. 
On  tlie  death  of  the  president,  Father  Senan,  wlio 
named  Sarrfa  his  successor  in  August  1823,  the  latter 
assumed  the  duties,  calling  himself  vice-president  of 
the  missions.  Through  his  mediation  the  Indian 
revolt  at  Santa  Inds,  La  Purisima,  and  Santa  Barbara 
in  1824,  was  terminated.  When  the  mission  San 
Antonio  was  in  charge  of  fathers  Juan  Cabot  and 
Juan  B.  Sancho,  the  latter  directed  agricultural  oper- 
ations, and  also  attended  to  the  music,  the  mission 
having  a  good  orchestra.  He  always  kept  near  his 
jHTson  a  handsome  Indian  boy  named  Josafat,  who 
was  charged  to  give  timely  warning  of  the  venomous 
ants  abounding  in  that  region.  Nevertheless  tlie 
padre  was  often  bitten,  and  then  Josafat  received  a 
Avliipphig  at  the  hands  of  the  mestizo,  Antonio  Kosas. 
Later  Josafat  became  a  good  cook,  wliereupon  the 
jtious  Sancho  gormandized,  and  in  consequence  often 
had  tlie  stomachache,  for  which  Josafat  was  blame<l, 
and  given  six  or  eight  lashes,  which  caused  the  latter 
to  rumhiato  on  the  mysterious  ways  of  providence. 
These  facts  were  obtaini;d  from  Josafat  himself  in 
1R47,  when  he  was  still  livhig  in  San  Antonio  at  an 
advanced  age. 

A  redeemed  red  man,  named  Jacinto,  was  once  de- 
tected by  Father  Andiris,  the  parish  j)riest,  carrying 
ott'  some  fruit  from  the  mission  orchard  at  San  An- 
tonio hidden  in  a  corner  of  his  blanket.  On  lu  Ing 
calk'd  a  thief  and  a  shameless  fellow,  he  answered, 
'Xo  Senor,  I  am  no  thief;  those  trees  were  sprinkled 
hy  my  father  and  myself  with  the  blood  of  our  loins 
and  buttocks.  They  did  not  cost  youanytlung;  and 
you  claim  them  as  your  own  simply  because  you  say 
to  us 'Dominus  Vobiscum.'"     Wliereupon  he  turned 


204 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFOENIA- 


away,  imitating  the  padre's  lame  walk  and  laughing 
at  him.  Oh,  the  beast,  tlie  backslider  1  But  wan 
there  not  here  in  this  benighted  brain  more  of  mani- 
fest tliought  and  originality  of  ideas  than  are  found 
in  twenty  scores  of  pulpits? 

Early  in  1835  there  was  an  Indian  uprising;  about 
300  armed  savages  coming  to  the  mission  and  threat- 
ening to  kill  the  administrator,  Mariano  Soberani  s, 
and  his  family,  who  had  to  shut  themselves  up  in  tlio 
mansion  and  barricade  its  doors.  But  through  tlie 
eloquent  pleadings  of  Captain  Juan  de  D.  Padilla,  an 
old  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war  of  independence,  and 
the  clerk  and  schoolmaster  Florcncio  Serrano,  and 
their  good  offices  with  Father  Vazquez  del  Mercado, 
who  seemed  to  be  the  instigator  of  the  insurrectionary 
movement,  the  Indians  retired  without  connnitting 
any  violence.  A  few  days  later  Administrator  Sobera- 
nes  was  recalled  by  Governor  Figueroa. 

San  Antonio  was  on  a  stream  sixteen  leagues  north 
of  San  Miguel.  Its  lands  embraced  a  circuit  of  forty- 
eight  leagues,  and  the  waters  of  San  Antonio  were 
conducted  for  twenty  miles  in  paved  trenches  and  dis- 
pensed, over  rich  tracts. 

La  Purisima  was  seven  leagues  northward  from 
Santa  Ines,  in  the  Coast  Range,  with  about  1,S00 
square  miles  of  land.  This  mission  was  likewise  cele- 
brated for  the  beauty  and  speed  of  its  horses.  At  one 
time  cattle  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  permits 
were  granted  by  the  presiding  priest  for  free  slaugli- 
tcr  in  order  to  re  uce  the  number.  Thousands  were 
killed  under  these  permissions  for  the  hides  and  tallow. 

In  the  valley  '  Carmelo,  which  opens  upon  tlio 
little  bay  four  mil  south  of  Monterey,  and  througli 
which  winds  a  be  itiful  stream,  stood  the  imposing 
mission  of  San  Cil  os,  founded  in  1770,  and  secular- 
ized with  the  rest  by  1835.  It  was  an  undulating, 
grassy  country,  over  which  were  scattered  oak,  pine, 
and  birch  trees,  the  whole  carpeted  and  perfunwd 
with  flowers  in  the  spring.     The  mission  buildings 


MISSION  SAN  cXrL09. 


stood  on  an  elevation  near  the  sea,  and  enclosed  a 
siuiiii'  of  about  half  an  acre.  On  the  nortli  side  of 
tilt)  stiuaro  was  the  churcli  and  tlie  apartments  of  the 
jt:uhvs,  wliile  the  adobe  houses  of  the  natives  occu- 
pied the  otlicr  sides.  Tho  dining-hall  adjoining  the 
(Iiurcli  was  about  twenty  by  forty  feet,  with  gr.itcMl 
^\•illd()^vs  and  wooden  inside  sliutters.  On  one  .side 
wan  an  ai)erture  through  wlilcli  food  from  the  kitclien 
was  passed,  while  from  the  other  sides  doors  oj>ened 
into  tiie  four  cells  of  tlio  friars.  An  outside  stairway 
1"(1  to  tlie  churcli  tower,  whore  hung  six  bells,  one  of 
wliich  rang  for  meals,  work,  and  rest,  and  the  otliers 
for  cimrcli  services;  and  by  means  of  which  the  daily 
routine  of  the  mission  was  conducted  with  such  regu- 
1  irity  that  even  the  laboring  animals  understood  and 
obeyed.  Ten  years  before  its  fall  a  piratical  cruiser 
Avas  reported  on  the  coast,  when  tlie  worthy  frairs 
( ounted  up  their  specie  to  bury  it,  and  found  on  hand 
840,000.  The  place  was  deserted  in  1840,  overgrown 
w\':]\  grass  and  brush,  with  scattering  Indian  huts  in 
1  lie  vicinity,  a  family  of  half-breeds  keeping  tho  keys 
of  tho  church. 

Till)  mission  Sin  Cdrlos  Borromco  was  originally 
fiunded  on  June  3,  1770,  on  a  site  a  gunshot  from  the 
lioach  of  ^Monterey,  and  three  times  as  far  from  the 
Y  >rt  on  an  inlet  communicating  with  tho  bay  at  high 
water.  It  was  transferred  in  1771  to  Carmelo  bay 
niid  river;  hence  it  has  often  been  called  mission  del 
Canaclo,  but  San  Cilrlos  was  always  its  proper  name. 
Tilt!  ff)undation  was  made  by  Serra,  at  royal  exj)ense, 
like  that  of  the  other  missions,  and  its  first  ministers 
Were  tho  father  president  and  Father  Juan  Crespf. 
Among  those  buried  in  its  church  were  :  Auijust  29, 
17R4,  prefect  and  president,  Junfpcro  Scrra,  doctor  of 
]i'iilo.st)phy,  by  Father  Francisco  Palou,  in  the  j)res- 
tiK'o  among  others  of  the  reverend  Cdrlos  Diaz,  cap. 
tain  of  the  royal  vessel  SanCdrlos,  and  friars  Buena- 
ventura Sitjar,  minister  of  San  Antonio,  Mathias  de 
Sauta  Catharina  of  San  Cdrlos,  and  Antonio  Patcrna 


206 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


I 


I     5?  ■ 

if-  . 


Ir 


I 


V:l 


of  San  Luis  Obispo.  June  27,  1803,  was  interred 
Fermin  Francisco  de  Lasuen,  president  of  the  mis- 
sions, vicar-forain  for  the  bishop  of  Sonora,  commis- 
sary of  the  Inquisition.  He  was  buried  by  Father 
Baltasdr  Carnicer,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Josd  Antonio 
Ronieu,  governor  and  commander  of  the  forces,  who 
died  at  Monterey  on  April  9,  1792,  was  buried  at 
San  Cdrlos  on  the  following  day.  Lieutenant-colonel 
Pedro  de  Alberni,  captain  of  the  Catalan  infantry 
company,  and  military  commandant  of  Alta  Califor- 
nia, who  died  at  Monterey,  March  11,  1802,  was  like- 
wise buried  here. 

The  edifice  had  a  single  aisle.  In  the  south  was  a 
small  chapel,  being  the  first  church  founded  by  Father 
Juuipero  S*  rra,  and  was  named  Capillade  los  Dolores. 
In  the  centre  of  the  altar  in  this  chapel  was  a  large 
statue  of  Christ,  later  placed  in  the  catholic  parish 
church  at  Monterey.  In  the  same  parochial  church 
were  placed  a  St  John  the  Evangelist  and  a  Dolorosa, 
formerly  belonging  to  that  chapel.  Above  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  large  church  was  the  chief  or  high  altar. 
St  Charles,  the  patron  saint,  occupied  a  niche  oppo- 
site the  centre  of  the  altar,  St  Joseph  on  one  side, 
and  St  Anthony  with  the  child  Jesus  on  the  other. 
There  were  other  niches  with  statues  of  the  arch- 
angels, and  other  altars  with  saints  and  devices  of  the 
catholic  worship.  The  church  had  two  towers,  one 
of  them  arched  with  four  large  bells  which  were 
heard  at  the  presidio;  the  other  tower  had  two  bells. 
Among  the  statues  and  pictures  were  those  of  St 
Benedict  of  Palermo,  a  Dolorosa  with  Christ  dead  in 
her  arms,  and  a  small  statue  of  Christ  of  the  size  of 
an  average  child  of  two  years.  Of  pictures  there 
was  a  St  Rose,  one  of  Glory,  another  of  Hell,  ex- 
hibiting the  condeumed  in  their  tortures.  There  were 
fourteen  paintings  of  the  passion  of  Christ,  which 
were  placed  in  the  parish  church  of  Monterey.  Tlure 
was  one  remarkable  painting  representing  a  beautiful, 
vain  woman  with  a  ^nake  coiled  around  her  arm,  and 


AN  AMOROUS  POET. 


207 


interred 
lie  niis- 
comniis- 
j  Father 
Antonio 
■ces,  who 
)uried  at 
it-coloncl 

infantry 
1  Califor- 

was  liWe- 

itli  was  a 
by  Father 
)S  Dolores, 
as  a  largo 
olic  parish 
lial  church 
i  Dolorosa, 
^  the  sane- 
high  altar, 
liche  oppo- 
n  one  side, 
the  other. 
,  the  arch- 
vices  of  the 
towers,  one 
^rhich  were 
.  two  bells. 
hose  of  St 
rist  dead  iu 
the  size  of 
tures  there 
,f  Hell,  ex- 
There  were 
[rist,   which 
rey.    Tlu'vo 
a  beautiful, 
jr  arm.  aud 


in  the  act  of  biting  her  under  one  of  her  breasts,  the 
(unaments  in  her  ears  and  on  her  arms  were  toads, 
serpents,  and  other  unclean  animals. 

Paulino  Serra,  an  Indian  who  was  baptized  at  the 
San  Ciirlos  mission  by  the  father  president,  was  till 
the  day  of  the  priest's  death  his  body  servant.  Pau- 
liiu)  was  manied,  but  not  satisfied  for  he  became 
enamoured  of  the  caporal's  wife.  He  was  a  knowing 
chap ;  and  though  his  Spanish  was  imperfect,  he  was 
none  the  less  thereby  prevcLted  from  perpetrating 
])()ctry.  On  day  while  sitting  at  the  house  of  Toribio 
Martinez,  an  old  soldier  and  founder  of  the  presidio, 
situated  in  the  Huerta  Vieja,  just  out  of  the  presidio's 
walls,  he  broke  out  in  the  following  quatrain 

Aqui  me  siento,  me  canto^ 
Rimailo  con  el  Pader 
A  ver  si  puedo  me  saco 
Del  caporal  su  mujer. 

Which  transformed  into  correct  Spanish  would  be 

Aqui  me  siento  &  cantar 
Arrimado  &.  esta  pared 
For  ver  si  puedo  sacar 
Del  cnporal  la  mujer. 

which  signifies  that  he  was  there  singing,  seated  by 
the  wall,  to  see  if  he  could  not  draw  out  the  idol  of 
his  heart,  the  caporal's  wife. 

On  St  John's  day  in  1842  Rafael  Gonzalez  of  Mon- 
terey invited  several  friends  to  dine  with  him.  He 
had  an  Indian  cook  named  Principis,  an  ex-neophyte 
(jf  the  San  Cdrlos  mission,  of  whom  he  was  pai-ticularly 
proud. 

"  I  will  show  you  this  day,  seiiores,  specimens  of 
the  culinary  art  such  as  you  do  not  often  encounter." 

The  viands  were  thereupon  ordered  served.  The 
guests  waited,  but  nothing  was  brought  in.  Gonzalez 
grew  impatient,  and  asked  of  his  servants  if  dinner 
was  not  yet  ready. 

"No,  nor  will  it  be,  I  fear,  senor." 

"What!"  demanded  the  master. 

"There  is  no  dinner." 

"No  dinner!     Send  hither  the  cook." 


208 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


] 


*'  Now,  fellow,  tell  me,  why  dost  thou  not  serve  tlie 
dinner  ? " 

"Seller,  it  has  all  been  eaten,"  coolly  answered  tlio 


savage. 


"All  eaten;  what  do  you  mean?" 

"Dost  not  thou  eat  every  day,  Seftor?  Months 
pass,  sometimes,  wherein  my  parientes  may  not  onoo 
fairly  fill  themselves.    I  cannot  see  my  kindred  suffer  1 " 

Within  an  amphitheatre  of  mountains  benched  by 
scalloped  hills  and  broad  flats  sinks  a  basin,  rimmed 
even  on  the  seaward  side ;  and  in  this  basin  sits  the 
town  of  Santa  Cruz;  while  on  the  rim,  at  the  end 
of  the  bench,  where  the  river  San  Lorenzo  breaks 
through,  and  amidst  hundreds  of  beautiful  homes, 
stands  the  mission,  the  old  church — which  the  last 
time  I  saw  it  was  in  use  as  a  stable — cornering  on  the 
bluff,  with  an  irregular  square  in  front  of  it.  Patches 
of  fresco  still  adhered  to  the  walls  of  the  chapel. 

On  the  left,  looking  toward  the  ocean  down  a  steep 
embankment,  is  the  broad  river-bottom  of  the  San 
Lorenzo,  covered  with  waving  foliage  of  every  hue  of 
green.  Beyond,  the  bank  rises  into  a  bluff  again, 
back  of  it  the  plain  or  bench,  and  back  of  that  tlie 
mountains.  From  this  point  the  western  sun  sinks, 
not  into  the  sea,  but  behind  the  hills.  Just  above  the 
liglithouse  is  a  stony  beach,  the  strata  upturned  edge- 
wise, and  upon  this  unyielding  barrier,  full  of  holes 
and  abrasions,  the  waves  break  eternally,  wave  after 
wave,  every  moment  one.  Thus  at  Santa  Cruz  to- 
day is  seen  a  city  with  its  shops,  churches,  and 
temples  of  sensuality;  its  street-cars,  telegraphs,  and 
diverging  lines  of  railways;  its  bummers  and  boot- 
blacks; its  lawyers,  doctors,  and  merchants ;  its  milli- 
ners and  milliner-made  women. 

The  mission  was  founded  on  the  25th  of  September, 
1791,  its  first  ministers  being  friars  Alonso  Salazar 
and  Baldomero  Lopez.  On  the  10th  of  May,  I7!i4, 
Friar  Thomas  de  la  Peila,  associated  with  other  priests, 
dedicated,   with  the   usual  pomp,  the  new  churtli. 


SANTA  CRUZ. 


209 


jrve  tlie 
;red  the 

Months 
not  oBCo 
1  suffer  1" 
ichcd  by 
,,  rimmed 
i  sits  the 

the  end 
zo  breaks 
ill  homes, 
a  the  last 
•ing  on  the 
patches 

hapeh 
,wn  a  steep 
f)f  the  Sau^ 
^ery  hue  ot 
)luff  again, 
,f  that  thc! 
sun  suiks, 
.  above  the 
irned  edge- 
,11  of  holes 
[wave  after 
,a  Cruz  to- 
„rchcs,  and 
traphs,  and 
and  buot- 
;  its  milli- 

ISeptember, 
Vso  Sahazur 

[ay,  l7'-'-l' 
[her  priests, 

lew  chureli. 


Garcia  Diego,  bishop  of  tlie  Califomias,  on  the  IGth 
of  June,  1844,  declared  its  main  altar  privileged,  in 
tliat  all  priests,  whether  secular  or  regular,  officiating 
thereat,  might  free  from  the  sufferings  of  purgatory 
the  S(^ul  of  the  person  in  whose  behalf  the  holy  sacri- 
fice of  the  mass  should  be  applied,  this  privilege  to  be 
good  only  for  one  hundred  years,  reckoned  from  said 
year.  The  bishop  ordered  the  minister  of  Santa  Cruz 
to  give  due  publicity  to  his  decree.  This  mission  was 
plundered  by  Indians  and  others  in  1818,  during  the 
removal  of  valuables,  because  of  the  invasion  and 
bombardment  of  Monterey  by  two  armed  insurgent. 
vessels  from  Buenos  Aires  under  Bouchard.  A  gen- 
eral inventory  and  valuation  of  the  mission  and  its 
property,  made  on  December  1,  1835,  showed  the 
total  of  assets  to  be  $84,335,  and  of  liabilities,  $4,979. 
The  mission  had  3,700  head  of  neat  cattle,  110  tame 
horses,  400  mares,  and  2,900  head  of  sheep,  28  hogs, 
besides  30  yoke  of  oxen,  41  mules,  7  jacks,  4  pregnant 
jennies,  and  a  drove  of  yeguas  aburradad. 

A  monster  of  cruelty  ruled  here  from  1818  to  1821 
— Father  Ramon  Olbes,  though  he  kept  the  neophytes 
well  clothed  and  fed.  He  would  attend  in  person  to 
the  distribution  of  rations,  first  to  the  men  and  then 
to  tlie  women.  Once  he  noticed  two  neophyte  women 
with  scratched  faces,  for  they  had  been  fighting.  One 
of  them  was  childless.  Olbes  inquired  into  the  cause 
of  the  quarrel,  and  demanded  the  reason  of  the  woman 
having  no  children,  why  it  was  so.  Neither  decency 
nor  humanity  restrained  the  priest.  He  would  not 
accept  the  woman's  explanation,  and  undertook  to  ex- 
aniiuo  her  person,  but  she  resisted  so  violently  that  he 
was  obliged  to  call  to  his  aid  the  alcalde  and  the  in- 
terpreter. Thereupon  the  brutes  stripped  the  woman, 
and  had  her  severely  flogged,  after  which  she  was 
placed  in  irons,  and  confined  in  the  monferio,  or  single 
Women's  quarters.  The  next  step  taken  by  this  nine- 
toon  Ui  century  missionary  of  Christ  was  to  have  a 
wooden  doll  made,  resembling  a  new-bom  child,  and 

CAL.  I'AST.     14 


»0 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


compelled  the  woman  to  carry  it  about  as  if  it  were 
lier  infant,  thus  wreaking  his  revenge,  and  bringing 
the  poor  creature  into  deep  debasement  by  reason  of 
her  infirmity.  For  nine  days  she  was  compelled  to 
present  herself  at  the  church  door  with  this  insult  in 
her  arms.  All  the  sterile  women  became  greatly 
alarmed  lest  they  should  be  so  treated.  The  woman's 
husband  must  likewise  be  brought  into  ridicule.  A 
pair  of  ox-horns  were  fastened  with  thongs  to  liis 
head,  in  which  guise,  being  also  in  irons,  the  man  was 
brought  from  his  prison  to  attend  mass"  every  clay. 
As  he  passed  along,  the  other  Indians  mocked  him, 
playing  with  him  as  with  a  bull. 

Upon  the  authority  of  Lorenzo  Asisara,  a  neophyte 
born  at  this  mission,  this,  same  Father  Olbds  often 
had  the  Indians  flogged  on  their  bellies.  Even  cliil- 
dicn  of  eight  or  ten  years  were  given  twenty-five 
lashes  by  the  hand  of  a  strong  man,  either  on  the  back 
or  belly,  according  to  the  padre's  whim.  He  ne\cr 
ordered  less  than  fifty  lashes  to  a  grown  man  or  wo- 
man. Once  there  was  a  riot,  because  he  wanted  to 
flog  on  the  belly  a  man  named  Ddmaso,  who  had  not 
been  at  work  that  afternoon,  and  was  somewhat  late 
in  reporting  himself  after  working  hours. 

Tho  mission  of  Su,n  Juan  Bautista,  situated  thirty 
miles  northeasterly  from  Monterey,  was  founded  in 
1794,  and  secularized  in  1834.  In  1820,  it  owned 
$75,000  in  merchandise,  $20,000  in  specie,  44,000  cat- 
tle, 69,000  sheep,  and  6,000  horses. 

The  aboriginal  nameof  the  place  was  Popeloutachom, 
The  father-president,  Lasuen,  officiated  at  the  found- 
ing, on  the  21st  of  June,  1797,  and  the  first  ministers 
appointed  thereto  were  Joseph  Manuel  de  Martiareiia 
and  Pedro  Adriano  Martinez.  The  number  of  cliris- 
tenings  effected  from  the  foundation  to  the  9th  of 
December,  1849,  was  4,896,  including  the  gente  de 
razon ;  that  of  marriages  to  November  29, 1849, 1,313; 
and  that  of  burials  to  November  23,  1849,  4,C17. 
There  are  burials  recorded  in  the  mission  books :  Scjv 


SAN  JUAN  AND  SANTA  CLARA. 


211 


if  it  were 
[  bringing 
reason  of 
npelled  to 
is  insult  in 
ne  greatly 
le  woman's 
idicule.  A 
)ng8  to  his 
lie  man  was 
•  every  day. 
aocked  hiui, 

t,  a  neophyte 
Olb4s  often 
Even  oiiil- 
i  twenty-iive 
r  on  the  back 
^,     He  never 
n  man  or  wo- 
le  wanted  to 
who  had  not 
amewhat  late 

ituoted  thirty 
as  founded  m 
B20,  it  owned 
;le,  44,000  cat- 


tember  14,  1808,  Father  Andres  Dulanto;  November 
25,  1821,  Sebastian  Arrista,  "Intendente  honoraris  de 
provincia,  comendado  de  la  real  6rden  americana  de 
Isabel  la  catdlica,"  a  native  of  and  refugee  from  Perii, 
who  died  on  the  24th;  November  4,  1825,  Father 
Estevan  Tapis,  minister  of  the  mission,  and  ex-presi- 
dont  of  the  missions.  He  had  been  minister  of  other 
missions.  A  poor  fellow,  buried  October  28,  1819, 
lost  his  life  "  because  he  ate  tobacco  mixed  with  burnt 
sliells,  which  is  customary  among  the  Indians."  On 
the  13th  of  June,  1803,  was  laid  the  comer-stone  for 
a  new  church,  which  was  finished  and  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  God  on  the  23d  of  June,  1812. 

Six  miles  from  the  embarcadero,  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  in  one  of  the 
richest  valleys  of  the  state,  is  situated  the  mission  of 
Santa  Clara,  which  in  1823  branded  as  one  year's  in- 
crease 22,400  calves.  Besides  a  most  magnificent 
cl  lurch  edifice,  garnished  with  massive  silver,  the  mis- 
sion owned  merchandise  to  the  amount  of  $120,000, 
75,000  head  of  cattle,  6,000  horses,  and  82,000  sheep. 

This  mission  was  established  on  the  12th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1777,  by  Junipero  Serra,  on  the  site  called  by  the 
natives  Thamien,  and  dedicated  to  ** Santa  Clara  de 
Assis,  vfrgen,  abadesa,  y  matriarcha  de  su  celebdrrima 
religion."  Its  first  ministers  were  friars  Joseph  An- 
tonio de  Murgufa  and  Thomas  de  la  Pena.  On  the 
I'Jth  of  November,  1781,  was  laid  by  Serra,  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  a  new  church  for  the  mission,  which  being 
finished  on  the  fifth  Sunday  after  easter,  was  on  that 
(lay  solemnly  dedicated  to  divine  service  by  Father 
Serra,  in  the  presence  of  fathers  Francisco  Palon  and 
Pefia.  Governor  Pedro  Fages,  who  acted  as  secular 
sponsor,  and  Joseph  Joachim  Moraga,  commandant  of 
tfio  presidio  of  San  Francisco,  were  also  present.  On 
tlie  6th  of  March,  1833,  the  mission  was  transferred 
l)y  the  Fernandino  friars  to  those  of  the  college  of 
Guadalupe  de  Zacatecas,  and  several  ministers  have 
been  buried  in  the  church  of  this  mission:  May  12, 


212 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


■;;i 


1784.  Joseph  Antonio  dc  J(  dus  Maria  Murgufa,  and 
on  the  22d  of  November,  1830,  Magin  Catala,  to 
whom  was  popularly  attributed  certain  miraculous 
powers,  on  the  strength  of  which,  it  is  presumed,  tlio 
church  took,  in  1884,  preliminary  steps  toward  lii.s 
beatification.  Eusebio  Galindo  says:  "Very  many 
years  before  the  Americans  took  this  country,  he  told 
us  we  were  to  be  witnesses  of  extraordinary  events, 
including  atmospheric  changes,  droughts,  and  other 
calamities,  predicting  at  the  same  time  the  discovery 
of  great  riches  toward  the  north,  the  coming  of  im- 
mense numbers  of  strangers  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  the  establishment  of  many  religious  sects. 
He  likewise  announced  that  the  missionaries  would  be 
expelled  from  California,  but  he  would  remain  till 
death  overtook  him,  which  came  to  pass. 

According  to  Kotzebue,  the  monjerio  of  Santa 
Clara  in  1824  was  entitled  to  the  name  of  dungeon. 
He  says  the  dungeons  were  opened  two  or  three  times 
a  day  to  allow  the  inmates  to  attend  church ;  that  lie 
saw  the  girls  rush  eagerly  to  breathe  the  fresh  air, 
and  were  driven  into  the  church  by  an  old  white  man 
with  a  stick.  After  church  service,  they  were  driven 
back  to  their  prisons.  Some  had  their  feet  ironed,  as 
a  consequence  of  detected  transgression. 

In  a  rich  valley  east  of  the  southern  end  of  San 
Francisco  bay,  and  fifteen  miles  north  of  the  town 
which  bears  its  name,  was  situated  the  mission  of  San 
Jose.  This  establishment  for  many  years  supplieil 
the  Russian  settlements  with  grain.  The  arclu^es 
now  before  me  affirm  that  from  80  bushels  of  wheat 
sown  was  gathered  the  same  year  8,600  bushels,  and 
the  year  following,  from  .the  scatterings  of  the  first 
harvest,  5,200  bushels.  Besides  a  fine  vineyard  and 
fruit-trees,  in  1825  it  owned  62,000  cattle,  besides 
horses,  sheep,  and  mules,  and  watched  over  3,000 
Indians. 

Mission   San  Jose  boasted  a  ijood    stone   church, 
which  was  preserved  beyond  the  days  of  secularization. 


MISSION  SAN  JOS& 


213 


ula,  and 
itala,  to 
iraculous 
med,  tlio 
ward  \n^ 
;ry  many 
y,  he  told 
ry  events, 
and  other 
discovery 
\i\cf  of  hu- 
rts'of  the 
rious  sects, 
'g  would  l>e 
reinaui  till 

3   of  Santa 
of  dungeon. 
.  three  thncs 
•ch;  that  he 
^e  fresh  air, 
Id  white  nuiu 
were  driven 
jet  ironed,  as 

end  of  San 
Lf  the  to^^•ll 
lission  of  San 
jars  supi'liea 
^\^Q   archives 
[els  of  wheat 
bushels,  and 
of  the  first 
rineyard  and 
lattle,  besides 
over  3,000 

ktone   chnrch. 
aecularizatiou- 


Tlic    place   where   was    founded    this    mission  was 
callt'd  by  the  natives  Oroysom.     On  the  11th  of  June, 
1797,    the  father-president,   Lasuen,    performed   the 
ceremony,  its  first  ministers  being  padres  Isidro  Bar- 
ccnilla  and  Agustin  Menno;  but  the   first   baptism 
took  place  only  on  the  2d  of  September  of  that  year. 
The  number  of  baptisms  at  this  church  from  that  date 
to  May  8,  1859,  was  8,945;  that  of  marriages  from 
September  24,  1797,  to  May  17,  1859,  2,587;  and  of 
deaths  to  April  25,  1859,  6,945.     There  is  no  entry 
in  the  book  of  interments  for  the  period  from  May  1, 
1849,  to  May  18,  1850.     There  is  an  entry  by  Father 
Duran  on  May  7,  1832,  which  says,  "estoy  aburrido 
con  tanto  enfermo,  y  morirse  estos  indios  mas  frdgiles 
que  el  vidrio";  adding  that  he  had  five  boys  whose 
only  f)Ccupation  was  to  keep  him  advised  of  Indians 
taken  sick,  that  no  one  should  die  without  the  sacra- 
ments.    Father  Rafael  de  Jesus  Moreno,  minister  of 
Santa  Clara,  one  of  the  college  of  Guadalupe  Zacate- 
cas,  was  buried  here  on  June  9,  1839.     Jose  Maria 
Amador  assures  us  that  the  Indians  of  mission  San 
Jnse  were  dealt  with  most  rigorously.     Violations  of 
duty  were  seldom  overlooked,  a  slight  punishnient  be- 
ing fifteen  lashes,  and  a  more  serious  one  twenty -five. 
Any  Indian  failing  to  attend  his  work  for  two  weeks, 
without  leave  or  without  good  excuse,  received  fifty 
lasliLS.     Fighting  in  the  rancherfas,  accompanied  with 
Itloodshed,  was  punished  with  one  hundred  lashes,  and 
the  offenders  were  also  kept  in  irons  at  the  guard- 
house during  the  hours  of  rest  for  a  week  or  two. 
Iiidiaiis  wlio  failed  to  present  themselves  for  prayers 
at  tlie  church  were  recorded  in  a  list.     No  Indian  was 
ever  sent  for,  but  when  he  made  his  appearance,  the 
father  at  San  Jose  would  say,  "dente  el  socorro  espi- 
ritual " — let  him  have  the  spiritual  relief,  according  to 
the  fault;  if  the  absence  had  been  of  one  day,  six 
lashes;  if  from  two  days  to  a  week,  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  lashes.     Sometimes   the  grim    inquisitor  would 
wax  facetious  over  his  painful  duty. 


m 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


"Ah,  Lugo,  is  that  you  ?  Which  way  sits  the  wind, 
my  son?" 

"  From  the  southwest,  Senor. 

"Yes,  yes,"  Duran  would  say,  striking  a  meditative 
attitude.     "Well,  let  it  rain." 

Then,  as  the  "spiritual  relief"  fell  on  the  shoulders 
of  the  culprit,  the  good  father  would  stand  by  and 
emphasize  the  blows  by  ridicule  or  cutting  irony,  or 
if  in  the  humor,  he  might  remit  a  portion  of  the  pun- 
ishment. 

Every  day  there  were  a  number  of  Indians  flogged 
— some  days  as  many  as  ten.  The  Indians  did  not 
seem  greatly  to  mind  short  flogghigs,  for  after  receiv- 
ing them,  they  would  rise  up  cheerfully  and  go  to 
their  work. 

Josd  Maria  Amador,  who  relates  to  me  the  above, 
says  that  he  never  saw  at  the  missions  of  Santa  Clara, 
San  Josd,  San  Francisco  de  Asfs,  San  Rafael,  or  San 
Francisco  Solano,  the  cruel  punishments  inflicted  of 
which  he  heard  as  occurring  at  Santa  Cruz,  San  An- 
tonio, and  other  places.  He  looks  upon  the  punish- 
ments he  witnessed  in  the  light  more  of  reprimands 
than  cruelty. 

He  relates  an  occurrence  at  Santa  Clara,  while 
Padre  Jose  Viader  had  charge  of  the  mission.  Three 
Indians  had  failed  to  appear  at  roll-calling.  There 
was  a  large  hole  in  the  ground  near  tha  ayunte,  into 
which  the  three  Indians,  by  the  advice  of  a  soldier, 
went,  and  covered  themselves  with  dry  grass,  which 
the  soldier  set  fire  to.  The  Indians  rushed  out,  greatly 
frightened,  which  set  the  padre  roaring  with  laughter. 
They  came  and  knelt  before  him,  kissing  his  hand, 
and  he  forgave  them. 

The  Indians  had  converts  to  their  beliefs  as  well  as 
the  Christians.  For  instance :  the  owl  could  paralyze 
the  forefeet  of  horses  on  dark  nights  so  that  they 
could  not  travel.  Then  there  were  miracles  in  the 
form  of  sleight-of-hand.  Amador  says  that  when  he 
was  majordomo  of  the  mission  San  Jose,  an  Indian  of 


MISSION  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


215 


,he  wind, 


•editative 

shoulders 
id  by  and 
;  irony,  or 
f  the  puu- 

ias  flogged 
ns  did  ivot 
Fter  receiv- 
and  go  to 

the  above, 
;anta  Clara, 
fael,  or  San 

inflicted  of 
iz,  San  An- 

the  punisli- 

reprimauds 

lara,  while 
ion.     Three 
ing.     There 
ayunte,  into 
of  a  soldier, 
grass,  which 
out,  greatly 
ith  laughter, 
ig  his  hand, 

efs  as  well  as 
)uld  paralyze 
so  that  they 
racles  in  the 
,hat  when  lie 
an  Indian  ot 


Santa  Clara,  named  Firmo,  often  came  there  to  pro- 
mote dances  and  practise  devilish  tricks.  On  such 
visits,  the  San  Jos^  Indians  failed  to  report  for  work. 
Father  Gonzalez  ordered  Amador  to  ascertain  the 
cause  of  such  absences.  He  disguised  himself  and 
went  to  the  woods  where  the  dance  was  going  on. 
The  Indians  recognized  him,  but  said  nothing  to  tlie 
s<jrcerer.  This  man  swallowed  a  piece  of  pita,  or  agave 
fibre,  saying  beforehand  that  a  viper  would  come  out 
of  one  of  his  big  toes,  and  it  so  happened.  He  did  it 
twice,  with  the  utmost  neatness,  and  Amador  was 
i^reatly  surprised.  However,  he  had  the  fellow  seized, 
bound,  and  carried  to  the  mission,  where  he  was  put 
in  irons,  and  awarded  a  novenary  of  twenty-five  laslies, 
that  is  to  say,  this  number  of  lashes  every  day  during 
nine  days,  to  teach  him  that  he  should  not  practise 
deviltry,  and  that  it  might  serve  as  a  warning  to 
others. 

The  Santa  Clara  mission  buildings  were  once  of 
broad  extent,  and  the  seat  of  much  wealth.  The 
padre  president  sought  to  forestall  the  inroads  of  civ- 
ihzation  by  leaving  the  surrounding  lands  to  immi- 
ijjrants ;  but  the  inevitable  was  thus  but  for  a  short 
time  warded  off. 

^tission  San  Francisco  was  founded  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1776,  and  its  first  ministers  were  fathers 
Francisco  Palou  and  Pedro  Benito  Cambon.  The 
corner-stone  of  a  new  church  was  laid  April  25,  1782. 
The  record  says  that  under  the  stone  were  placed 
some  relics — bones  of  Saint  Pius,  and  other  saints, 
five  medals,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  silver  coin. 
The  mission  was  visited  by  an  epidemic  of  measles  in 
1806,  causing  the  death  of  236  children  between  the 
24th  of  April  and  the  27th  of  June.  The  following 
entry  appears  in  the  book  of  interments,  under  date 
of  July  22,1814,  and  signed  by  Father  Ramon  Abclla : 
"  Buried  to-day  Biridiana,  the  last  adult  that  saw  the 
first  ministers  who  founded  the  mission ;  at  that  time 
slio  was  about  25  years  of  age;  "y  de  seis  leguas  al 


216 


aOLDEX  AOE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


contomo  totlos  se  lian  inuerto  de  los  quo  vieron  li  los 
prinieros  padres ;  y  de  los  que  haii  uacido  despurs 
raros  son  los  que  viven."  This  resulted  in  38  years;  and 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  to  the  20th  of  Jaimary. 
1810,  3,896  Indians  had  been  baptized,  besides  11)7 
children  de  razon.  It  is  therefore  not  to  be  wondorod 
at  that  a  project  was  entertained  since  1822  to  trans- 
fer the  mission  to  the  northeastern  contra  casta,  on  the 
gentile  frontier.  In  March  1823,  Father  Jose  Alti- 
mira,  then  a  minister  of  San  Francisco,  in  a  menu  trial 
to  Gt)venior  ArgUello,  recommended  the  transfer,  and 
an  exploration  was  authorized  and  effe-ted,  the  symbol 
of  Christianity  being  planted  by  the  missionary  in  tlicf 
Sonoma  valley  on  the  4th  of  July,  1823.  San  Fran- 
cisco was  rejjresented  to  be  on  its  last  legs,  and  S*in 
Rafael,  a  branch  of  said  mission,  could  not  subsist 
alone.  Altirnira,  by  the  governor's  authority,  went 
over  to  San  Rafael,  and  took  possession  of  the  pro})- 
erty.  On  the  23d,  he  departed  for  Sonoma,  with  an 
escort  and  laborers,  and  at  once  commenced  to  erect 
necessary  buildings.  However,  the  father-i)rc'ft'ct 
opposing  the  scheme,  and  complaining  of  such  usui'ini- 
tion  of  his  prerogative,  much  correspondence  ensuid. 
until  finally  a  comi)romise  was  arrived  at.  New  San 
Francisco  was  to  remain  as  a  mission  of  regular  stand- 
ing, with  Altimira  as  its  first  minister,  but  he  was  to 
retain  his  connection  as  an  associate  with  old  San 
Francisco.  Neither  this  mission  nor  San  Rafael  was 
suppressed.  It  was  agreed,  however,  that  neopliytrs 
of  old  San  Francisco  could,  if  they  wished,  be  trans- 
ferred to  San  Rafael,  and  return  within  a  year. 

A  soured  sailor  of  the  Dutch-English  persuasion, 
just  prior  to  the  middle  of  the  century,  saw  in  the 
sheltered  plain  of  Dolores  about  twenty  scattered 
houses,  the  only  sign  of  activity  being  the  bringing  in 
of  a  bullock.  "The  road  to  the  mission  was  fatiguintj 
and  monotonous,"  he  says,  "and  led  through  thicla  ts 
of  low  trees  and  deep  sand.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try was  far  from  being  picturesque ;  we  saw  it,  muic- 


SITE  OP  THE  FUTURE  METROPOUS. 


nt 


ears;  and 
January, 
tides  U>7 
yoiidored 
to  trans- 
;Ui,  on  tlu' 
rose  Alti- 
moniorial 
,nsfor,  and 
liLi  syndu)! 
ary  in  tin" 
San  Fran- 
\,  and  S«in 
lot  subsist 
.)rity,  wtiit 
F  the  proi'- 
la,  with  an 
^.d  to  erect 
,lior-l>ret'e('t 
icli  usuqia- 
[ice  ensui'd. 
]^c\v  San 
ular  stand- 
lie  was  to 
[th  old  San 
Kafael  was 
neophytes 
|d,  be  trans- 
year, 
persuasion, 

saw  in  tho 

■,y  scatterrd 

brin«j;in'j^  ii» 

as  fatiojuuig 

tgli  thicUets 

,nding  ceun- 

AV  it,  moro- 


over,  under  sad  auspices,  ruinous,  dirty,  and  about  to 
beeouio  the  abode  of  the  Mornionites.  The  eliurch 
of  the  mission,  a  slovenly,  ill-built  edifice,  decorated 
in  a  tawdry,  unpleasant  style,  common  in  the  poorer 
cliurchea  in  Spain  and  Italy,  was  still  in  repair. 
The  houses  intended  for  the  Indians  were  of  tlie 
meanest  description,  mere  mud  hovels,  with  only  one 
apartment,  but  disposed  regularly  in  ranges  and 
streets.  These  were  for  the  married  cou})les ;  those 
Indians  who  remained  single  were  locked  up  in  a 
quadrangle,  formed  by  the  houses  of  the  superior, 
the  priests,  and  officers  of  the  establisliment.  The 
eliurch,  the  factories  or  workshops,  and  tlie  i)rison — 
everything,  was  carried  on  within  itself;  carpenter- 
ing, weaving,  blacksmiths'  work,  were  all  pursued 
with  success  under  the  auspices  of  the  industrious, 
painstaking  padres.  However,  the  confinenu^nt  in 
which  tlie  Indians  were  kept,  and  a  solitary  life,  were 
usually  found  so  irksome  that  few  of  them  contin- 
ued long  under  lock  and  key ;  they  soon  acquiesced 
in  til  at  state  of  passive  obedience  which  it  was 
the  aim  of  the  institution  to  establish.  That  the 
fathers  did  not  go  beyond  appears  to  have  been  their 
great  fault,  the  rock  on  which  their  system  struck. 
We  found  the  house  of  the  superior  in  the  posses- 
sion of  some  Mormons,  who  had  arrived  in  great 
force;  they  are  a  peculiar  sect  with  sensual  maxims, 
hut  apparently  as  long  as  they  can  exist  in  plenty, 
disposed  to  be  harmless."  Here  are  our  blessed  peo- 
ple brought  down  to  the  level  of  swine,  and  Latter- 
day  Saints  placed  on  a  par  with  rattlesnakes  which  will 
nt)t  l)ite  unless  unduly  stirred  up  1 

III  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  all  along  the  coast,  seals 
and  sea-otter  were  very  numerous.  Senor  Amador, 
of  Mission  San  Josd,  affirms  that  in  1830  with  three 
or  four  natives  he  lassoed  thirty  out  of  a  hundred  sea- 
otter  which  he  found  at  Point  Quintin.  The  last  of 
the  race  within  the  Golden  Gate  were  at  the  mouth 
of  Sonoma  Creek,  a  small  but  happy  family,  under 


218 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


the  protection  of  Vallejo.  There  they  enjoycfl  un- 
disturbed their  ancient  home  until  1846,  when  certain 
hunters  crept  in  from  Santa  Bdrbara  in  light  canots 
and  shot  every  one  of  them,  securing  forty-two  skins 
valued  at  sixty  dollars  each. 

In  1825  the  property  of  the  mission  of  San  Fran- 
cisco consisted  of  lands  forty  leagues  in  circuniferenco, 
$35,000  in  merchandise  and  $25,000  in  specie,  76,000 
head  of  cattle,  3,000  horses,  79,000  sheep,  2,000  hogs, 
and  18,000  bushels  of  whv.  .t  and  barley. 

The  record  books  of  the  mission  San  Rafael  have 
been  nearly  all  lost.  I  found  at  Saint  Vincent's 
Orphan  Asylum  one  book  of  marriages,  and  at  the 
parish  church  of  Dolores  one  of  baptisms,  marriages, 
and  deaths;  the  former  beginning  in  August  1840,  af- 
forded no  information  worth  relating  here.  The  latter 
shows  that  San  Kafael  Arcdngel,  called  an  asistenda 
was  founded  at  the  placed  called  by  the  natives 
Nanaguanui,  by  the  father  prefect  Sarria  on  the  14th 
of  December,  1817,  in  the  presence  of  fathers  Abella, 
Gil,  and  Duran.  Father  Luis  Gil  was  placed  in 
charge,  but  it  was  declared  that  San  Rafael  being  a 
part  of  San  Francisco,  the  ministers  could  act  at 
either  place.  The  saintly  missionary  Juan  Amor(')s 
who  had  been  serving  in  California  since  September 
1804,  the  first  fifteen  years  in  San  Cdrlos,  and  tlie 
remainder  of  the  time  in  San  Rafael,  died  July  14, 

1832,  and  was  buried  here. 

Mission  San  Francises?  Solano,  situated  in  the 
Sonoma  Valley,  began  its  v. oik  on  the  26th  of  De- 
cember, 1823,  with  the  burial  of  an  Indian  wonuiii 
from  San  Francisco;  on  tiie  4th  of  April  1824  oc- 
curred the  first  baptism.  The  number  of  baptisms 
from  that  date  to  the  end  of  1839  was  1,494;  that  of 
interments  to  the  end  of  1839  was  875.  The  record 
shows  that  the  mission  was  visited  by  a  pestilence  in 

1833,  and  that  about  sixty  natives  died  of  it  between 
August  13th  and  November  28th.  The  smallpox 
raged  badly  from  July  to  December  1838. 


FATHUR  JOSlfe  SORENIZO  QUIJAS. 


210 


id  un- 
•ertaiu 

CaiKH'H 

3  skins 

Fran- 
ereiice, 
76,000 

0  hogs, 

01  have 
inceut's 

at  the 
irriages, 
L840,  af- 
he  latter 
asisteiicia 

natives 

the  Uth 

S  Ahella, 

ilaced  in 

being  a 
d   act  at 

Auior«')s 
cptembcr 

and  the 

July  14, 

I  in   the 
li  of  De- 
woniau 
1824   oc- 
baptisms 
4 ;  that  of 
he  record 
tilence  in 
it  between 
.  smallpox 


,n 


The  last  minister  of  San  Francisco  Solano  was  Padre 
Jest)  Lorenzo  Quijas.  In  person  he  was  large  and 
of  great  strength ;  in  character  he  was  resolute  and 
ftarless.  Alvarado  says  that  he  excelled  in  oratorical 
powers  and,  being  no  hyprocrite,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
inveigh  from  the  pulpit  against  what  seemed  to  him 
inunoral,  whether  the  offender  was  grandee  or  churl. 
Kind-hearted  as  well  as  strong-minded,  he  was  often 
found  on  the  side  of  the  weak.  Feeling  it  his  duty 
to  champion  the  cause  of  certain  prisoners  in  confine- 
ment, in  1838,  at  Sonoma,  the  bold  friar  found  him- 
si'lf  in  collision  with  tlie  feudal  lord  of  the  north. 
Aijfain  in  1843,  when  Vallejo  resisted  the  collection  of 
tithes  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  seminary  at 
Santa  Bdrbara,  Quijas  was  unsparing  in  upbraiding 
the  recusant  son  of  the  church. 

At  the  same  time  his  own  moral  character  was  by 
no  means  above  reproach.  He  preached  well,  and 
fought  well  for  the  right;  but  he  could  not  help  lov- 
hig  wine  and  women,  for  he  was  human;  besides, 
could  ne  not  sell  himself  whatever  indulgence  he  re- 
quired, being  one  of  the  Lord's  anointed  ?  In  taking 
tlie  habit  of  his  order,  there  clung  to  him  some  of 
the  old  Adam  of  his  early  life,  for  in  his  youth, 
Father  Quijas  had  earned  his  living  as  a  muleteer. 
He  had  five  trains  of  pack -mules,  and  used  to  carry 
goods  to  Santa  ¥6,  bringing  back  to  Mexico  beeves 
and  sheep.  He  fell  in  love  with  a  fair  Santaferiana 
who  jilted  him,  and  in  despair  he  became  a  friar. 
Salvador  Vallejo  says  that  during  the  first  few  years 
of  his  residence  at  Sonoma  he  was  considered  a  model 
of  virtue,  but  by  reason  of  frequent  visits  to  the 
trading  vessels  his  morals  were  corrupted,  and  he 
took  to  strong  drink,  which  ultimately  made  a  wreck 
of  him.  He  frequently  went,  without  a  pass,  to 
lioss,  and  always  returned  full  of  liquor,  and  bring- 
inu;  plenty  with  him.  The  Russians  themselves,  no 
triticrs  with  the  bottle,  swore  that  Father  Quijas 
Could  hold  his  own  with  any  Kadiak  at  Ross,  while 


220 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CVLIFORNIA. 


Alvarado,  who  was  well  qualified  to  form  an  opinion 
in  the  matter,  held  that  the  friar  could  lay  any  man 
in  California  under  the  table. 

In  his  cups  he  was,  up  to  a  certain  stage,  good- 
humored  and  agreeable,  but  when  he  exceeded  that 
limit,  which  was  almost  always  the  case,  he  became 
quarelsome,  and  even  dangerous. 

Arnaz  relates  that  when  the  governor  of  Ross 
visited  San  Francisco,  a  ball  was  given  on  board  the 
Kussian  vessel.  This  ball  Father  Quijas  attended, 
and  was  so  carried  away  by  his  enthusiasm  that  he 
hastened  to  borrow  Arnaz'  coat  in  order  to  take  part 
in  the  dance. 

The  estimated  wealth  of  th-e  twenty-one  missions 
at  the  time  of  their  opulence,  in  stock  and  grain,  was 
$435,000,  San  Gabriel  heading  the  list  with  $110,000, 
while  San  Rafael  had  but  $5,000  worth  of  property. 

All  the  missions  of  Upper  California  were  under 
the  control  of  a  father  president,  who  was  responsible 
for  his  actions  only  to  his  superiors  of  the  college  of 
San  Fernando  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  Each  mission 
was  directly  managed  by  a  resident  priest,  whosr 
power  over  his  flock  was  absolute,  but  who  was  sub- 
ject to  removal  from  one  mission  to  another  by  the 
father  president.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  resident 
father  to  keep  books  of  accounts  and  to  make  annual 
returns  to  the  father  president,  which  sliould  be  a 
faithful  exhibit  of  the  state  of  his  charge,  both  in 
sacred  and  secular  things;  it  should  state  the  numbi  r 
of  baptisms  and  conversions,  births,  marriages,  and 
deaths ;  and  should  set  forth  the  amount  of  stock  and 
grain  produced  during  the  year,  and  the  quantity  it - 
maining  on  hand.  Tiiis  statement  was  forwarded  to 
the  father  president  witli  a  request  for  such  ai-ticles 
as  were  needed  by  the  mission  for  use  during  the 
ensuing  year. 

Thus  we  observe  as  a  rule  the  missionaries  and  tlie 
soldiers  coming,  a  little  baud  of  each  together,  to 


1^' 
I  ■■■ 


FOUNDING  OF  MISSIONS  AND  PRESIDIOS. 


221 


)pinion 

y  man 

,  good- 
id  that 
became 


»t'  Ross 
ard  tlie 
ttended, 
that  he 
ake  part 


missions 
rani,  was 
1110,000, 
property. 
3 re  under 
jsponsible 
college  of 
h  mission 
st,  whose 
was  sul)- 
by  the 
resident 
ie  annual 
uld  be  a 
e,  both  in 
he  number 
ages,  and 
stock  and 
uantity  it - 
warded  to 
ch  ai^ioh's 
during  the 


er 


nocupy  the  country  for  God  and  the  king,  taking  up 
their  quarters  near  enough  to  be  of  aid  to  each  other, 
but  not  so  near  that  the  soldiers  should  interfere  with 
the  work  of  the  saints.  The  presidio,  or  soldiers' 
(juarters,  was  usually  at  the  port,,  or  near  the  landing, 
as  I  have  said,  while  the  mission  buildings  would  be 
])laced  some  two  leagues  away.  And  when  settlement 
l)rgan,  the  incomers  at  first  always  located  them- 
selves having  an  eye  to  proximity  to  the  presidio,  the 
towns  indeed  springing  up  usually  immediately  around 
tlicni.  But  soon,  owing  to  the  mild  character  of  the 
people  and  the  country,  immigrants  settled  themselves 
anywhere   and   everywhere    throughout    the    entire 


region. 


ies  and  the 
ogether,  to 


When  a  mission  was  to  be  founded,  the  first  build- 
ing erected  was  the  presidio,  whose  forts  and  walls 
were  of  adobe,  the  latter  eighteen  feet  hiijli  in  some 
places,  and  in  other  less  xposed  points  twelve  or  four- 
teen feet.  On  each  side  of  the  presidio  was  a  clear 
space  of  about  300  feet.  The  walls  were  six  feet 
thick,  and  had  iron  or  bronze  guns  at  each  comer. 
Tlie  guns  were  generally  useless,  except  to  inspire 
terror.  The  San  Diego  Indians  called  them  creators 
of  thunder.  Church,  warehouses,  and  dwellings  were 
all  inside  the  walls.  The  gates  were  of  heavy  timber. 
Besides  the  central  establishment  there  were  on  an 
I'xtent  of  from  thirty  to  forty  square  leagues,  a  num- 
l)er  of  accessory  farms,  and  a  few  branch  chapels  at 
which  religious  services  were  held  on  stated  days. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  <  acli  presidio,  and  generally 
at  a  distance  of  four  or  live  leaij^ues,  ranchos  tie  real 
hacienda,  or  ranchos  nacionales,  were  set  apart  for  the 
usi'  of  the  soldiers.  These,  at  first,  were  also  intended 
for  depositaries  of  tithes,  to  be  collected  in  cattle  and 
i>  rain  by  the  government ;  but  as  the  missions  were 
never  liaVi  to  tithes,  and  the  other  settlements  were 
of  small  value,  this  branch  of  revenue  was  never  of 
nineli  consequence,  and  the  ranchos  only  contained  a 
few  cattle  belonging  to  the  presidios.     The}  were  uu- 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


der  the  direction  of  the  commandants  of  the  respect- 
ive presidios. 

The  lands  of  each  mission  joined  those  of  other 
missions  on  either  side,  so  that  all  v.ere  connected,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  missionaries  occupied  all  the  land 
along  the  coast,  except  the  presidios,  the  three  pueblos 
and  their  lands,  and  a  few  ranchos  which  were  held  by 
virtue  of  grants  from  the  king  of  Spain. 

I  have  said  elsewhere  that  the  missionaries  objected 
to  any  settlements  in  the  country  but  the  missions ; 
the  presidios  they  regarded  as  a  necessary  evil.  They 
would  like  to  have  all  the  lands  to  themselves.  Josd 
Marfa  Amador  related  to  Commandant-general  Vic- 
toria the  following  case,  which  occurred  in  his  pres- 
He  and  another  soldier  had  gone  to  the  missioji 


ence. 


San  Luis  Obispo  escorting  Father  Tapis,  who  was 
then  president  and  vicar- forain.  It  was  on  a  quiet 
night,  with  the  moon  shining  brightly.  Amador  and 
an  old  man  from  Spain  were  sitting  on  one  side.  Tlio 
priests  bejjan  a  discussion  on  the  nature  of  the  moon, 
and  the  old  Spaniard  was  asked  by  one  of  them  for 
his  opinion.  He  coolly  remarked  as  follows:  "Land 
it  cannot  be,  nor  water;  frost,  still  less.  Were  it 
land,  there  would  be  sheep  of  the  missions  up  there. 
For  when  your  reverences  hear  of  ^ome  poor  fellow 
asking  for  a  piece  of  land  to  place  his  live-stock  on, 
and  earn  a  living  for  himself  and  family,  you  say  to 
the  government  that  he  must  not  have  it,  because  the 
mission  needs  it  for  its  flock  of  sheep." 

At  a  later  date,  many  of  these  ranchos,  by  viituc 
of  the  colonization  law,  were  given  to  private  individ- 
uals ;  but  while  they  pertained  to  the  missions,  each 
rancho  was  managed  by  a  mayordomo,  either  de  razon 
or  an  Indian.  Each  rancho  was,  as  a  rule,  dedicated 
to  one  particular  branch  of  industry — as  homed  cattk\ 
sheep,  agriculture,  and  the  like;  but  where  two  or 
more  branches  were  attended  to  on  the  same  raneho, 
each  of  these  was  under  the  care  of  a  capataz.  Tlio 
neophytes  who  labored  on  these  ranchos  dwelt  there, 


MISSION  BUILDINGS. 


223 


aiicl  were  subject  to  the  same  general  discipline  as 
tliose  at  the  mission  proper.  Early  in  the  present 
century,  there  were  about  50,000  Indians  connected 
with  the  missions.  ]N  one  but  the  alcaldes,  carporales, 
and  vaqueros  were  allowed  to  ride  on  horseback. 

During  the  epidemic  of  measles,  about  1825,  which 
carried  off  so  many  natives,  the  mortality  seemed  to 
be  greater  on  Sundays  and  Mondays ;  this  was  attrib- 
uted to  the  free  use  of  beef,  as  the  slaughter  of  cattle 
and  distribution  of  the  meat  took  place  on  Saturday. 
The  neophytes  at  the  San  Cdrlos  mission  were  reduced 
from  1,000  to  300  souls.  During  the  small-pox  of 
1834,  which  ravaged  the  northern  part  of  the  state, 
particularly  Sonoma,  the  southern  section  almost  en- 
tholy  escaping,  the  natives  suffered  severely  from  bc- 
iig  loft  to  themselves.  It  was  a  scurvy  trick  for  civ- 
ilization to  bring  its  pestilence  and  foul  diseases  to 
scatter  among  these  simple  savages,  and  then  abandon 
tliem  to  their  fate,  not  to  mention  rum,  syphilis,  and 
other  virulent  refinements,  causing  fearful  havoc. 

The  ranchos  de  ganado  mayor  of  the  presidio  com- 
panies were  formed  at  their  cost,  and  well  tended  by 
a  corporal  and  four  privates,  who  acted  as  herders. 
Ill  a  certain  month,  once  a  year,  the  free  soldiers  gath- 
ered there  to  brand  the  cattle,  the  comandante  gener- 
ally attending.  This  was  concluded  with  a  ball.  The 
ejidiers  «lso  had  large  fields  of  grain  on  the  river 
near  ]Mo!it;erey.  In  later  times,  Comisario  Herrera 
ittotiipto^I  vO  interfere  in  the  management  of  the  pre- 
sivliv  ranch!  ts,  o**  ranchos  nacionales,  intending  to  make 
perst.nal  [  rofi' s  out  (>'!  them.  Yet  he  knew  they  were 
the  propevu^v  of  the  troops.  This  gave  rise  to  disputes 
between  the  comandante  at  Monterey  and  the  comi- 
sario, whereupon  the  governor  despoiled  the  owners 
of  the  property. 

Tlie  mission  buildings,  besides  the  church,  which 
was  always  the  grand  and  prominent  figure,  consisted 
of  i  3  dwellings  of  the  padres  and  their  attendants, 
biitT  /;^':j  for  the  escolta,  storehouses,  outhouses,  and 


224 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


corral  sheds.  Then  there  were  huts  and  houses  of  all 
grades,  built  chiefly  of  adobe,  however,  for  the  tamed 
Indians,  married  and  single,  the  former  living  in 
houses  of  their  own,  and  the  latter  divided,  the  boys 
in  one  house  and  the  girls  in  another,  each  watched 
over  by  proper  superiors.  Often  the  buildings  at  a 
mission  were  disposed  around  a  large  hollow  s(iuar(', 
the  different  edifices  being  accessible  from  the  interior. 
One  or  two  large  doorways,  called  portones,  gave  in- 
gress to  the  court-yard.  The  house  of  the  padre  niin- 
istro,  which  was  next  the  church,  and  like  it  fronted 
outward,  was  "J so  in  the  square.     Opening  into  the 

i  were  the  workshops  of  the  car- 
saddlera,  weavers,  hatters,  tan- 


interior  of  the 
penters,  blacksn- 


ners,  soap-boilers,  as  well  as  the  warehouse  when; 
were  deposited  the  agricultural  products  and  manu- 
factured articles  of  the  missions,  and  the  effects  which 
the  padres  bouglit  from  vessels  or  traders.  Within 
the  square  were  the  kilns  for  burning  bi  Ick  and  tile. 
Outside  the  square  were  the  pits  where  adobes  wt>re 
made.  Sometimes  the  buildings  were  partly  of  adobe 
and  partly  of  adobe  stone  and  cement,  with  roofs  <if 
timber  and  tile,  all  being  of  very  solid  construction. 
The  missions  purchased  from  importers  all  such  articks 
as  were  required  for  their  Indians,  and  -.s  a  rule  tin; 
missionaries  were  faithful  and  honest  in  their  transac- 
tions. 

The  house  of  Virmond  was  the  only  one  in  Mexico 
at  one  time  that  did  business  with  the  padres,  receiving' 
in  payment  the  stipends,  or  orders  on  the  pious  fund, 
payable  on  presentation.  Other  business  of  missions, 
hi  1840,  was  done  through  the  administrators.  "Al- 
though appointed  to  enrich  themselves,  the  adminis- 
trators kept  good  faith  with  us  traders,"  says  Arnaz. 

On  planting  a  mission,  the  first  object  of  the  fathers 
was  to  induce  wild  Indians  to  come  in  from  the  su'- 
rounding  country  and  settle  near  them,  to  bee  an e  do- 
mesticated, to  accept  the  faith  as  it  was  held  out  to 
them,  and  to  assist  in  cultivating  the  soil. 


TRAINING  OF  NIlOrHTTES. 


223 


isofall 

ang    "^ 

he  bovf^ 

kVatclied 

Yfa  at  a 
s(iuart\ 

interiov. 

^avc  lu- 

Lilro  mill- 
et fronted 
into  the 

[  the  car- 

bters,  tau- 

isc  where 

,nd  nianu- 

Bcts  which 

,.     Within 

•k  and  tile. 

jobes  were 

iy  of  adohc 

[th  roofs  »tt' 

instruction. 
Lch  artich '^^ 
a  rale  tlu" 
iir  transac- 

in  Mexico 
Is,  receivii»:j; 
Vious  fund, 

)f  niission!^, 

tors.  "^V' 
iie  adniinis- 
tays  Avnaz. 

the  fathers 
Im  the  8UV- 
Ibeonie  cl<i- 

icld  out  t.) 


JN.t  the  several  missions,  tlie  native  dialect  was 
goiurally  different,  and  this  liod  to  bo  learned  by  the 
priests,  the  Indians  being  taught  at  tlie  same  time  to 
speak  Si)anish,  the  latter  language  coming  more  and 
more  into  use.  The  children  were  early  taught  Span- 
ish, and  encouraged  as  much  as  possible  to  drop  their 
inotlier  tongue. 

In  a  few  of  the  missions,  bovs  of  musical  tastes 
were  taught,  besides  their  prayers,  even  in  their  own 
tongue,  vocal  and  instrumental  nmsic,  and  their  ser- 
vices were  in  times  utilized  to  add  solemnity  to  the 
iiigh  mass.  I  have  in  my  library  a  curious  relic  from 
1813  of  the  San  Jose  ui'«s*ion,  a  large  folio  of  sheep- 
skin leaves,  bound  in  wood,  the  first  few  pages  of 
wliicli  give  lessons  on  ganmt;  the  rest  behig  chants  for 
masses.  The  Indians  were  also  utilized  as  acolytes, 
and  hi  other  capacities  about  the  churches.  I  have 
likewise  another  specimen  of  mission  nmsic,  a  hynm 
for  a  (juartette  choir  written  on  parchment  that  had 
previously  contained  writing  which  had  been,  not  very 
carefully,  erased.  The  notes  pertaining  to  each  part 
are  in  a  color  distinct  from  that  of  the  others.  The 
nmsic  is  simple  and  adapted  to  the  comprehension  of 
the  iicopli}  te  choristers,  nor  is  it  inharmonious.  The 
Words  written  in  the  church  Latin  which  ignore 
cli[)tliongs,  etc.,  are  those  of  a  hynm  of  the  catholic 
cliureli,  which  may  have  possibly  been  the  composi- 
tion of  the  pious  padre  who  wrote  the  music,  and 
[Kiliaps  composed  it.  In  my  library  is  also  a  copy 
of  a  trisagion  supposed  to  have  been  composed  by  the 
native  Californian  Juan  Jose  Higuera. 

The  tem[)oral  as  well  as  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
tlieir  charge  was  in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  who 
tau'j;]it  the  Indians,  with  somethhig  of  civilization's 
pohtles  and  moralities,  agrriculture  and  mechanics, 
taknig  care  that  the  practice  incident  to  these  teach- 
in>rs  sliould  redound  to  the  public  weal.  Thus  was 
cleared  tlie  land  round  the  missions,  and  houses  built, 
mid  water  for  general  use  and  irrigation  brought  in. 

e.\L.  I'A,fT.     15 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CAUFORinA. 


ii 


I 


V!*? 


While  some  looked  after  the  stock,  others  planted 
corn,  potatoes,  fruit-trees,  and  vines,  and  still  others 
learned  to  be  carpenters,  masons,  weavers,  smiths, 
quarrymen,  and  the  like.  Whenever  strangers  who 
knew  anything  of  mechanics,  arrived  at  the  missions, 
says  Robinson,  the  padres  availed  themselves  of  their 
services  to  teach  the  Indians.  The  centenarian 
Eulalia  Perez,  who  lived  many  years  in  the  missiotis, 
stated  that  a  neophyte  was  taught  the  work  for  which 
he  manifested  a  liking.  The  more  intelligent  were 
likewise  taught  to  reatl  and  write.  It  was  so,  at  least, 
at  San  Gabriel,  when  Father  Zalvidea  was  in  charge. 
And  while  these  thus  near  the  drippings  of  the  sanc- 
tuary were  proceeding  so  gloriously  along  the  highway 
to  heaven,  the  surrounding  pagans,  living  some  ilis- 
tance  back,  would  come  over  the  hills,  and  down  to 
where  the  sweets  of  earth  and  heaven  were  bciiit^ 
hived  by  the  busy  swarm  of  industry,  waiting  aiul 
watching  for  what  they  could  get  of  the  crumbs  of 
civilization  without  working  for  them. 

The  natives  were  quick  to  learn  the  mechanic  arts 
and  willing  to  work ;  but  left  to  themselves  tlicy 
would  do  nothing.  They  were  but  children,  and 
needed  the  presence  of  the  father.  And  so  it  was 
that  lands  were  not  assigned  to  individuals  or  faniilirs, 
but  to  communities  having  an  overseer.  In  that 
way  they  would  work  and  eat  together,  cultivating 
the  land  in  common. 

Likewise  the  padres  were  physicians  for  the  body 
as  well  as  for  the  soul.  If  they  were  so  great  and 
good  as  they  claimed,  they  and  their  god  and  their 
king,  then  they  must  do  great  and  good  thin'jjs,  as 
they  claimed  their  master  did  of  old,  feed,  clothe, 
heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  and  cast  out  devils. 
The  climate  being  salubrious  and  food  plenty,  the 
priests  were  usually  equal  to  the  emergency ;  though 
the  whitewashed  savages  could  not  fail  to  notice  that 
howsoever  prevailed  for  a  time  the  legerdemain  of  the 
priests,  Satan  was  sure  in  the  end  to  get  the  best  of 


DIVERS  CUSTOMS  AND  REGULATIONS. 


m 


planted 
U  others 
,  smiths, 
gers  who 
missions, 
;9  of  their 
sntenariau 

missioi^*'* 
for  which 
igent  were 
io,  at  least, 
,  in  chari^e. 
f  the  sauc- 
tie  highway 
T  some  clis- 
'nd  down  to 
were  bciiii? 
^vaiting  and 
3  crumbs  of 


them ;  for  under  the  white  dispensation  as  under  the 
red,  all  men  sooner  or  later  came  to  grief,  were 
ol)Hged  to  die,  and  be  buried  in  the  ground — where- 
upon the  priests  would  then  say  it  was  all  for  their 
<H)(k\,  and  that  they  might  in  this  way  alone  reach 
licaven,  tlie  poor  savages  perforce  accepting  it  all  as 
true,  not  having  power  to  contradict  or  question. 

At  each  mission  there  was  an  infirmary,  consisting 
of  a  galeron,  or  gallery,  and  some  mats  on  which  the 
sick  neophjiics  lay;  sometimes  the  padres  acted  as 
physicians,  but  generally  the  Indians  preferred  being 
treated  by  their  hechiceros,  or  medicine-men,  who  by 
study  or  tradition  had  acquired  a  certain  knowledge 
of  the  virtues  of  plants.  The  missionaries  had  direc- 
tions to  perform  the  Cassarean  operation  on  women 
Avho  died  enceinte.  I  notice  that  one  was  performed 
at  San  Francisco  on  November  12,  1805,  and  another 
at  San  Jose  December  21,  1825.  In  both  cases  the 
dead  children  were  baptized mh cond'dione.  There  is 
iKt  tvidcnceof  any  such  operation  being  ever  performed 
at  the  missions  on  a  liviuij  woman. 

The  charitable  and  conscientious'priest  could  not  do 
all  he  desired  on  his  stipend  of  $400  a  year.  For  him 
who  served  the  maker  and  ruler  of  the  universe  this 
was  rather  a  small  allowance,  even  in  this  lotos-land. 
Half  of  his  money  he  must  spend  on  his  own  dress,  for 
his  livery  must  be  in  some  degree  in  accordance  with 
his  pretensions;  then  he  must  have  his  chocolate  and 
his  wine,  and  good  tobacco  and  other  articles.  His 
rations  had  to  be  paid  for  out  of  the  stipend,  and  a 
f<  \v  jxisos  had  to  go  in  relieving  the  necessitous,  etc. 
AVhon  adult  prisoners  were  brought  into  a  mission  by 
a  converting  expedition,  they  were  first  taught  to  say 
tiieir  pater  noster  and  one  or  two  other  prayers,  and 
then  were  christened.  Men  and  women  were  soon 
aftf-r  ranged  in  separate  lines  in  presence  of  the  mis- 
sion people,  and  haranged  by  the  padre,  with  the  aid 
of  an  interpreter,  on  the  merits  and  responsibilities  of 
marriage.     Each   person   was  asked   whether  he  or 


228 


.■    GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


^ 


she  wished  to  be  married,  and  every  one  saying  aye, 
was  ranged  in  a  separate  line  of  liis  or  her  sex.  Any 
man  or  woman  who  admitted  liavini>  had  sexual  con- 
nection, was  placed  apart  to  be  married  to  her  or  him 
with  whom  that  connection  hatl  been,  to  be  married 
whether  they  were  willing  or  not.  The  rest  of  the 
men  were  then  asked,  one  by  one,  which  of  the 
women  opposite  they  chose  to  marry.  If  the  selected 
woman  showed  unwillingness  to  accept  the  man,  h<' 
had  to  choose  again.  If  any  could  not  be  matched 
among  the  gentiles,  christianized  men  and  women  were 
called  up  to  choose  or  be  chosen.  If  several  women 
chose  one  man,  and  he  did  not  manifest  a  preference 
for  any  of  them,  their  names  were  thrown  together 
into  a  box,  and  the  man  drew  out  one,  whose  owner 
was  forthwith  through  a  messenger,  advised  of  tlie 
result,  and  required  to  set  forth  her  objections,  if  any 
she  had.  The  marriages  of  the  several  couples  took 
place  on  different  days,  for  each  one,  or  for  such 
group  of  old  and  new  Christians. 

There  was  an  Indian  herder  named  Cashuco,  who 
was  chosen  by  ten  women  at  the  same  time.  Tlioy 
cast  lots,  and  the  one  that  drew  the  prize  was  made 
supremely  happy. 

Care  was  taken  early  to  instill  into  the  hearts  aiul 
minds  of  the  native  children  the  power  of  religion 
and  the  dogmas  of  the  church;  infants  who  lived  witli 
their  parents  at  or  near  the  mission  were  brought 
almost  every  day  to  the  priests,  who  would  see  t(» 
their  food  and  general  comfort,  until  they  were  four 
or  five  years  of  age,  after  which  the  child  remained  at 
the  mission.  Thus  these  little  California  shock-heads 
became,  indeed,  children  of  the  church.  The  mission- 
aries were  very  attentive  to  their  spiritual  duties, 
exerting  themselves  to  increase  the  number  of  Chris- 
tians, and  in  keeping  the  latter  well  instructed  in  tlu; 
tenets  of  the  faith;  often  using  to  that  end  th(.' 
Indian  language.  They  were  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
or  night  prompt  in  administering  the  sacraments,  or 


GOOD  AND  BAD   MEN. 


ing  aye, 
:.  Anv 
ual  cou- 
r  or  \nw 

marric*! 
(t  of  the 
I  of  the 
3  selecte<l 
I  man,  b" 

matched 
men  were 
al  women 
preference 
I  together 
losc  owner 
Bed  of  the 
ions,  if  any 
luples  took 
r  for   such 

shuco,  who 

me.     They 

was  made 


attending  to  the  needs  of  tlie  sick,  for  they  often 
acted  as  physicians  and  furnislied  medicines  to  their 
neopliytes,  and  even  to  the  gentiles  who  came  to  beg 
f(  )!•  such  assistance.  The  gentiles  were  never  refused 
food  when  they  asked  for  it.  This  was  an  induce- 
ment to  many  gentiles  to  embrace  mission  life. 

Down   to  the    period  preceding   Echeandia's  rule, 
wliieh  was  from  1825  to   1831,  the  mission  Indians 
regarded  the  missionaries  with  tlie  awe  and  submis- 
sion of  children,  but  this  governor  imbued  them  with 
the  idea  that  they  were  citizens  and  had  political 
rights,  thereupon  discipline  became  relaxed,  and  the 
mnilsters   were   not   obeyed   as   formerly.     The   old 
8[)anish   friars   or  Fernandinos,   were  mostly   moral 
men.     A  few  of  their  number  caused  scandal.     Much 
cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  the  Guadalupanos,    who 
succeeded  the  former  in  later  years  in  the  management 
of  the   northern   missions.     The   good   men   among 
them  were  few,  the  scandalous  ones  many.     Among 
the  few  who  deserve  especial    mention  were  (rarcia 
])iego,  the  first  bishop  of  the  Californias  and  prede- 
cessor of  Bishop  and  later  Archbishop  Alemany ;  Gon- 
zalez, who  after  the  death  of  the  first  bishop,  was  for 
a  lonij  time  ijuardian  of  the  diocese,  and  Bernardino 
Perez,  who  went  home  to  become  the  guardian  of  his 
college.     It  is  quite  possible  that  the  founders  at  first 
purposed  not  merely  to  convert  the  natives  to  Chris- 
tianity, but  to  teach  them  also  the  arts  of  civilized 
life.     But  be  it  as  it  may,  they  were  taught  what  was 
barely  necessary  to  utilize  their  labor.     Neither  the 
•government  nor  the  missionaries   took  any  pains  to 
make  them  in  any  way  caj)able  of  relying  on  them- 
selves after  the  secularization  of  the  missions,  which 
had  to  ])e  the  case  pursuant  to  the  royal  orders  under 
which  the  system  of  missions  was  established.     The 
neophytes  never    became  anything   else  than    large 
oh  ill  Iron,  with  many  vices,  incapable  as  a  rule  of  rea- 
soning or  of  self-control,  or  of  earning  independently 
their  own  living.     This  was  clearly  shown  at  the 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


secularization  of  the  San  Cilrlos.     The  coinmiss'ionor 
was  instructed  to  make  three  partitions  of  the  prop- 
erty, one  for  the  Indiana,  one  for  the  government, 
and  one  for  the  church.     The   Indians   accordinjjfly 
took  their  portion  of  horses,  sheep,  neat  cattle,  goats, 
grain,  etc.,  besides  one  piece  of  land  for  each  single 
one,  and  two  pieces  for  such  as  had  families.     It  was 
forbidden  to  buy  any  of  the  property  from  them.  But 
this  precaution  amounted  to  nothing.     In  about  one 
year  the  Indians  had  either  sold  or  gambled  away 
what  they  had  not  eaten  or  drunk.     After  a  wliilo 
some  died,  and  the  rest  dispersed,  abandoning  tlulr 
lands,  which  eventually  fell  into  the  hands  of  ranchems, 
under  grants  by  the  government.     The  administrators 
after  the  secularization,  never  took  care  of  the  Indians 
as  the  friars  had  done.  The  recently  catechised  mostly 
rejoined  their  gentile  tribes,  and  often  led  the  bands 
that  raided  the  ranches  t(j  plunder  and  drive  off  stock. 
Before  the  secularization  of  the  missions,  but  the 
missionaries  were  aware  of  its  coming  on,  the  latter 
resolved  to  turn  to  money  as  much  of  the  cattl*,'  as 
they  could  dispose  of     Immense  numbers  of  cattle 
were   slaughtered,    contracts    with    private    persons 
being  entered  into  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view, 
the  contractors  receivinix  one-half  of  the  hides.     The 
slauixhtcr  was  so  lartje  that  the  jjovemment  became 
alarmed  at  the  thou";ht  that  the  country  would  be 
left  without  any  cattle,  if  such  destruction  were  not 
checked.     It  accordingly  adopted  measures  to  put  a 
stop  to  it.     Pio  Pico  was  one  of  those  who  entered 
into  such  contract  with  the  mission  San  Gabrial,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  statement.     Mrs  Ord,  who  had  the 
best  opportunity  to  know  the  facts,  denies  that  there  was 
any  such  wholesale  slaughter  of  cattle.     Nevertheless 
she   acknowledged   having   heard   that  the   mission 
San  Gabriel  did  have  about  30,000  heads  killed,  ho- 
cause  it  had  not  land  enough  for  its  enormouF>  stock, 
said  to  have  been  about  100,000.     And  possibly  Sau 
Luis  Key  did  the  saoie. 


MISSION  RULE  AND  ROUTINE. 


2»1 


nissionor 
,bc  prop- 
erninent, 

Ac,  gi>ats, 
ch.  single 
It  was 
lieiu.  But 
about  one 
jled  away 
!r  a  wliiW' 
ning  tluir 
'ranchcros, 
liuistratois 
•he  lutliaus 
ised  mostly 
I  the  bands 
ve  off  stock. 
,ns,  but  tlie 
L  the  latter 
he  cattle  as 
rs  of  cattle 
te    persons 
ect  in  vit'Nv, 
liitlcs.     The 
\cnt  becanK' 
•y  would  l>e 
jn  were  not 
ires  to  put  a 
who  entered 
Gabrial,  ac- 
who  had  the 
hat  there  was 
Nevertheless 
the   mission 
ids  killed,  I'O- 
3rmouF>  stock, 
possibly  Sail 


The  bachelors  lived  in  a  separate  edifice,  and  were 
locked  in  at  night,  the  key  being  given  to  the  padre. 
The  young  women  lived  in  another  edifice,  called  the 
nionjerio,  under  a  matron  who  guarded  them  night 
and  day.  They  were  locked  in  at  night  and  the  key 
given  to  the  padre.  The  alcaldes  dv  order  of  the 
inayordomo  gave  the  Indians  their  task,  and  released 
tilt!  I ocked-up  bachelors,  as  did  the  matron  the  spinsters. 
TIk!  unmarried  were  fed  daily.  The  married  received 
every  Saturday  one  ration  for  the  week  of  maize, 
wlioat,  frljoles,  and  meat,  fresh  or  dried.  Breakfast 
was  eaten  at  daybreak,  of  atole  or  pozole.  At  1 1 :30 
A.  M.,  laborers  returned  from  work  to  the  pozolera,  if 
the  work  was  near  enough,  and  went  back  to  work  at 
1  \\  M.,  stopping  at  sunset,  when  the  third  meal  was 
given,  of  atole  as  before.     They  were  well  fed. 

Once  a  year  the  mission  Indians  were  allowed  to 
go  to  the  woods  to  gather  fruits.  It  was  generally 
the  old  men  and  women  wl.o  went,  escorted  by  some 
«)tlH  rs.  Every  Indian  received  one  blanket  a  year, 
and  if  he  tore  it,  or  wore  it  out,  before  the  year  was 
over,  lie  received  another.  Every  man  received  a 
taparabo,  or  loin  cloth,  and  a  coton  de  jerga,  or  sergo 
blouse.  Every  woman  got  serge  for  a  petticoat.  In 
later  times  a  variety  of  cloth  was  given  for  clothing. 
Indians  working  at  remote  ranches  generally  lived 
there,  and  had  their  pozolera. 

Tlie  missions  had  various  mayordomos,  who  were 
cliarged  with  different  branches  or  with  a  rancho. 
Tliey  were  gente  de  razon.  Capataccs,  who  were  also 
iiitrri)reters,  were  chosen  from  the  most  intelligent; 
(»iu>  (jf  their  duties  was  to  transmit  orders  tt)  those 
^vh()  did  not  understand  Spanisli.  They  also  aided 
the  alcaldes  and  mayordomos  in  keeping  order. 

The  mission  herders  were  chiefly  Indians,  and 
tended  stock  under  the  care  of  mayordomos,  many 
receiving  saddles  and  boots.  Women  were  seldom  em- 
ployed ill  field  work,  because  there  were  generally 
nil  II  enough.     They  attended  rather  to  weaving,  sew- 


I 


if 


pi! 


232 


COLDEN  AP.E  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


ing,  and  keeping  the  houses  clean.  In  eacli  workshop 
was  a  teacher  ue  razon.  Indians  coukl  not  quit  the 
preuiises  without  k'ave,  which  was  seklom  granted. 
Many  were  sent  under  contract  to  work  at  presidios 
and  ranches,  the  pay  going  to  the  conununity,  it  was 
said — the  \mire  receiving  it,  however.  A  few  Indijin 
boys  were  taught  to  read,  and  other  acconiplislinients, 
besides  trades.  They  acted  as  the  pages  of  tlie 
padre,  and  were  better  dressed  and  ttd  than  tlie 
others.  None  but  va<juero8  might  ride.  Nearly  all 
the  missions  had  musicians 

Each  mission  had  an  escolta  of  generally  one  cabo 
and  four  men,  to  keep  order  and  protect  the  padres. 
San  Gabriel  had  a  larger  force.  Ordinary  pmiisli- 
ments  were  administered  by  the  padres,  aided  if 
necessary  by  the  escoltas. 

In  graver  cases  the  person  in  charge  at  the  mission 
had  to  secure  the  guilty  perst)n,  investigate  the 
charge,  and  report  to  the  comandante  of  the  presidio. 

Eulalia  Perez,  for  many  years  llavera,  or  Intuse- 
keeper,  at  San  Gabriel,  says  that  the  married  neophytes 
lived  in  their  rancherias,  and  with  them  their  children 
while  small.  At  from  7  to  9  years  girls  were  brought 
to  the  monjerio,  where  they  were  reared  until  the 
time  of  marriage.  A  married  Indian  woman,  known 
as  the  madre  abadesa,  had  charge  of  the  monjerio. 
Every  night  this  was  locked,  and  the  key  given  to  the 
llavera,  who  took  it  to  the  padre  ministro. 

At  the  door  of  the  monjerio  stood  an  Indian  who 
called  the  roll  of  names  as  the  girls  went  in  at  niglit; 
she  who  was  missing  was  the  next  tlay  brought  to  the 
monjerio,  and  shut  up  for  a  certain  time;  her  mother, 
if  she  had  one,  was  also  brought  and  punished  for  hav- 
ing detained  the  child.  In  the  morning  the  girls  went 
first  to  mass,  and  then  to  the  pozolera,  where  tluy 
broke  their  fast,  sometimes  with  champurrado — choc- 
olate with  atole  of  maize — with  dulce  and  bread,  or 
on  feast  days,  pozole  and  meat.  After  this,  each 
monja  literally  nun,  went  about  her  daily  task. 


MISSION  RULE  AND  ROUTINE. 


orksliop 
^uit  tlu'. 
iTranted. 

^',  it  was 

V  Iiulian 
slmicnts, 
i  of  i\\v 
:han  the 
iearlv  all 

one  cabo 
\e  padres. 

V  pun'isb- 
aidcd   it' 

[ic  mission 
i;j;at(^  the 
c  presidio. 

or  housc- 

no()\>liytos 
ir  cliildren 
ro  l)rou;j;lit 
until  the 

an,  known 
monjerio. 

veil  to  the 

Liidian  who 
n  at  ui;j;ht; 

laht  to  the 
lor  mother, 
[cd  for  hav- 
^irls  wint 
Ivlierc  thty 
lado— <"liec- 
}l  bread,  or 
this,  each 

I  task. 


From  the  earliest  days  the  inissious  were  allotted 
by  two  ministers  each.  As  a  rule,  the  one  most  oom- 
piitent  to  attend  to  temporal  affairs  was  placed  in 
charge  of  them,  while  the  other  looked  after  the  spir- 
itual. The  former  also  assisted  in  baptizing,  burying, 
and  teaching.  Prior  to  182H,  the  i)a(.lrcs  had  no  stew- 
ards; they  would  select  from  the  neophytes  the  most 
suitable  for  such  work,  and  i»lacc  them  in  charge,  each 
of  some  one  part  of  the  farm  work.  The  padre  took 
jHisona]  care  of  the  warehouses,  and  superintended 
till'  cutting  of  garments  for  the  natives,  and  the  dis- 
tril)ution  of  rati«ms.  They  labored  nmch  harder  than 
after  1828.  Very  few  nnssions  had  servants  d(!  rjizon, 
unless  it  was  sometimes  the  llavero.  Occasionally 
tliiy  wouhl  emph)y  the  corporal  of  the  guard,  or  some 
old  soldier,  who  understood  how  to  till  the  soil,  but 
this  was  usually  discountenanced  by  the  coniandantes 
of  presidios,  on  the  plea  that  after  a  soldier  gahied  the 
L'ood  will  of  the  padres  and  became  accustomed  to 
the  luxuries  and  comforts  of  the  mission,  he  neglected 
military  duties. 

The  Indians  rose  early.  After  dawn  the  bell  rang 
for  mass,  which  the  padre  said  while  the  Indians  rc- 
eitiHJ  the  prayers.  After  the  first  mass  another  padre 
said  a  second  mass,  after  the  Indians  had  gone  to  work, 
hnakfast  being  over.  All  Indians  in  the  ranchcn'as 
eanie  to  the  pozolera  before  dawn,  to  take  breakfast  of 
atole,  made  of  barley  roasted  and  ground,  and  sifted. 

The  bachelors  and  spinsters  breakfasted  after  mass, 
wliieh,  as  residents  at  the  mission,  they  had  to  attend 
daily.  The  neoph}i;es  had  three  meals  each  day,  the 
desayuno  before  going  to  work,  the  comida  at  1 2  m., 
and  the  cena  after  work  was  done.  Their  food  con- 
sisted, besides  the  pinole,  of  beans  and  maize  or  wheat 
cooked  together.  Sometimes  in  the  morning  they 
Were  given  meat  and  atole,  which  was  maize  boiled 
witli  lime,  and  after  a  thorough  cleansing,  ground  by 
the  Women  into  a  paste,  after  which  it  was  ma<Je  into 
a  gruel.     To  the  married  there  was  served  out  every 


234 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


P 


week  a  ration  of  grain,  maize,  wheat,  or  beans,  and 
daily  one  of  mefet,  generally  fresh,  but  sometimes 
dried. 

Then  again  three  further  times  each  day  the  mission 
bells  would  ring,  when,  whatever  was  bemg  done,  off 
went  the  hat  and  a  prayer  was  said.  At  such  times 
the  montc-dealcr  paused  in  his  excitmg  game;  no 
matter  how  nefarious  the  pursuit  which  at  the  time 
occupied  the  devotee,  these  bells  brought  him  at  once 
into  communion  with  his  maker — at  least  in  form. 

At  mass  there  was  a  sermon  on  some  point  of  doc- 
trine, some  portions  thereof  being  delivered  in  the 
Indian  tongue,  as  was  done  by  Padre  Zalvidea  and 
otheis.  When  the  padre  ministro  was  unable  to  do 
this,  he  had  recourse  to  an  interpreter.  Generally, 
however,  the  neophytes  had  learned  sufficient  Spanish 
to  be  able  to  understand  what  was  said.  Regidorcs 
led  the  recitations,  and  they  also  taught  pagans  to 
pray;  the  office  was  generally  held  by  some  blind 
person.  None  were  so  poor  or  unfortunate  that  they 
could  not  serve  God. 

The  mass  was  generally  sung,  the  musicians  and 
singers  being  neophytes,  several  of  whom  understood 
music  well  and  had  excellent  voices.  There  was  at 
Santa  Bdrbara  an  Indian  named  Antero,  who  died 
about  184o,  whose  excellent  tenor  voice  filled  the 
church,  and  was  admired  by  foreigners  as  well  as 
Californians.     He  also  played  the  bass-viol. 

The  same  religious  exercises  which  were  held  in  tl)e 
morning  were  repeated  in  the  afternoon.  Sometinios 
the  morning  labor  lasted  from  sunrise  till  11:30  or  12, 
when  a  second  meal  was  eaten,  after  which  work  ro- 
coninienced  at  1  or  1:30,  and  lasted  till  sundown  in 
the  season  of  short  days;  but  during  the  time  of  hm^ 
daj's,  work  ceased  about  an  hour  or  so  before  nightfall. 

On  Sunday,  which  was  a  day  of  rest,  the  Indian  nu  ii 
presented  themselves  at  mass,  each  dressed  in  a  clran 
blanket,  shirt,  and  breech-clout. 

Coronel  says  that  at  the  sound  of  the  morning  boll 


MISSION  ROUTINE. 


235 


all  the  neophytes  arose,  went  to  the  church,  and  of- 
fered a  short  prayer.  At  the  second  ringing  of  the 
\iv]\  they  went  to  breakfast,  desayuno,  the  single  men 
and  women  to  the  pozolera,  or  place  where  the  pozole 
was  prepared,  and  the  married  to  their  own  houses. 
All  these  operations  took  place  before  sunrise.  At 
tlie  third  summons  of  the  bell,  just  at  sunrise,  the 
cuadrillas  of  neophytes  went  about  their  labors.  The 
ox-drivers,  gananes,  goad  and  yoke  in  hand,  presented 
themselves  at  the  corral.  The  caporal,  or  mayor- 
donio's  assistant,  whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the 
oxen,  indicated  to  each  the  animals  which  he  should 
take.  The  ox-drivers  yoked  each  his  oxen,  and  when 
all  were  ready  went  in  groups  to  the  localities  assigned 
them.  • 

At  11  A.  M,  one  or  two  carts  laden  with  a  refresco, 
made  of  water  and  vinegar  and  sugar,  or  lemon  and 
suu^ar,  were  sent  by  the  padres  to  the  Indian  laborers 
in  the  field  as  a  preventive  of  illness. 

It  was  a  curious  spectacle,  that  of  a  priest,  aided 
only  by  four  or  five  Californians,  called  soldiers — 
though  such  tliey  were  not — managing  a  lar-ge  num- 
ber of  neophytes,  with  such  perfect  order,  and  without 
tlie  least  want  of  respect  on  the  part  of  the  Indians. 
It  is  true  that  these  Indians  worked  for  thfnr  mainte- 
nance, and  a  blanket  and  shirt,  which  was  what  the 
nun  generally  received,  although  to  the  women  were 
given  rebozos,  and  stuff  of  which  to  make  enaguas,  or 
petticoats,  nor  did  they  reeeive  other  instruction  than 
that  contained  in  the  doctrina  of  the  church;  yet 
they  respected  all  gente  de  razon.  These  Indians  hod 
learned  the  origan ization  of  the  familv;  this  alone  was 
jiiogress.  It  is  true  that  at  some  missions  whore  the 
paches  still  had  charge  in  ?  884,  disci])line  had  become 
lax,  for  the  Indians  were  full  of  the  idea  of  the  liberty 
viiirli  secularization  would  bring  them. 

The  neophytes  were  divided  into  gangs,  cuadrillas, 
some  being  laborers  afield,  others  herdsmen,  others 
artisans,  others  hunters.      Each  cuadrilla  had  its  re* 


236 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


spcctivc  ovorsocr,  who  managed  his  men  according  to 
the  instructions  given  to  him  by  the  padre  ministn). 

Each  euadrilla  of  neopliytes,  when  working  in  a 
place  apart  from  the  others,  was  directed  in  its  labors 
by  an  alcalde,  or  capataz  (foreman),  who  in  the  after- 
noon, after  work  was  done,  gave  an  account  thereof 
to  the  principal  overseer,  and  iie  to  the  padre,  at  the 
same  time  receiving  his  orders  for  the  next  day. 

The  neopliyte  men  were  taught  all  the  trades — 
carpentering,  blacksuiithing,  how  to  weave,  make 
blankets,  car{)ets,  and  many  other  things.  The  wo- 
men learned  to  spin,  sew,  and  all  the  various  domestic 
duties.  At  every  mission,  day  after  day,  the  girls 
could  be  seen  out  in  the  square  at  the  spinning- 
wheels,  and  the  men  at  their  various  occupations. 
"The  missions  were  like  a  large  prison  at  the  east  in 
this  respect,"  says  Robinson,  "where  they  carry  on 
work,  with  workshops  of  all  kinds." 

Tlie  neophyte  women  were  also  employed  in  har- 
vesting and  cleaning  the  grain,  in  cutting  the  grapes, 
in  cleaning  the  wool  and  weavini;  it,  and  sometimes  in 
bringing  clay  for  the  manufacture  of  tiles,  especially 
the  single  women,  who  were  constantly  employed. 

Mission  padres  used  to  ofler  Indian  girls  of  eight 
and  ten  years  to  serve  in  the  lu»uses  of  tlio  wealthy, 
exacting  in  return  that  tliey  sliould  be  taught  to  sew . 
Wlien  they  reached  fifteen,  the  padre  would  UJi^v 
neophytes  to  seek  them  in  marriage,  and  get  tluiii 
V)ack  to  the  mission.  There  were  accordingly  many 
good  sewing-girls  and  dancers  among  the  Indians. 

The  worksho[)s  were  under  the  supervision  of  a  di 
rector,  or  master  workman  de  razon,  or  that  of  an 
Indian  who  understood  the  work.  The  mission  <'t 
San  Fernando  luul  one  mavordomo  for  field-work  ami 
one  for  tlie  house.  As  to  manufactures  at  the  mis- 
sions, although  they  fell  far  short  of  perfection,  tiuy 
sufficed  for  the  wants  of  that  epocli.  With  regard  to 
ajjriculture,  it  may  be  said  that,  while  the  implenuiits 
ot  modern  husbandry  were  of  course  unknown,  it  was 


MISSION  MANUFACTURES. 


237 


d\w^  to 
iiistro. 
ng  in  a 
;s  Uibt)rs 
iG  ai'ter- 
thcreot' 
),  at  the 

B,  make 
The  wo- 
(loiDcstic 
tho  ghls 
spmuiiijj;- 
'upations. 
lie  cast  in 
carry  on 

3cl  in  har- 

lie  grapes, 
letinies  in 
especially 

)yc(l. 
of  eight 
wealthy, 
it  to  !^e\v. 
luld    U'jif 
get  thein 
itrly  many 
iclians. 
_>n  of  a  (li 
lat  of   an 
iiission  «'t 
-work  and 
.t  the  ini>*- 
'tiou,  they 
regard  t<» 
lupieunnts 
,wu,  it  ^vii8 


novortheless  in  a  sufficiently  advanced  state.  The 
|)riiuij)al  cereals  cultivated  gave  abundant  harvests, 
iunply  ^sufficient  for  the  missions'  use,  and  wherewith 
to  .-^ull  to  and  aid  the  people  de  razon  and  the  presidial 
troops, 

"From  my  own  observation,"  says  Coronel,  *'and 
from  what  I  learned  from  frequent  conversation  with 
Padre  Zalvidea  of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  the  system 
of  agriculture,  nmnufactures,  and  instruction  in  opera- 
tion at  the  missions  was  ba-;ed  on  a  work  entitled, 
('(iMi  de  Cu)npo  y  IhiMoril,  a  treatise  which  contained 
full  information  regarding  the  proper  management  of 
the  pro})crty  and  the  laborers." 

At  the  missions  he  who  passed  judgment  on  the 
,.lh  nces  of  the  neophytes  was  the  padre  ministro.  He 
lieard  the  comj)laints  of  the  alcaldes,  mayordomos,  or 
foremen,  and  ordered  the  a}>plication  of  the  punish- 
nit  lit — stripes  (azotes),  or  the  stocks  (el  cepo),  irons 
^^lillos),  or  the  corma  (a  sort  of  portable  ambulatory 
stocks).  Besides  this,  there  was  always  a  calaboose  in 
wliitli  to  secure  culprits.  When  the  punishment  con-  • 
>isted  of  azotes,  the  culprit  was  either  triced  up  to  a 
post  or  stretched  face  downward  on  the  ground,  his 
liitvch-clout  was  removed,  the  flap  of  his  shirt  raised, 
iihd  the  alcalde  or  capataz  delivered  on  his  buttocks, 
or  the  back  below  the  shoulders,  the  immber  of  blows 
oiil(  ii'd  by  the  padre.  Generally  punishment  was 
ii(liiiiiiistered  at  the  guard-house,  which  was  next  to 
the  calaboose. 

Xcophytes  were  sometimes  punislunl  by  confinement 
.111(1  the  stocks.  When  the  offence  was  grave  the 
otfciuler  was  tr.ken  to  the  guard-house,  there  bound 
to  ii  post  or  cannon,  and  given  25  stripi'S,  or  more  ac- 
(ordiiig  to  the  case.  Sometimes  the  head  was  put  in 
the  stocks;  at  others  a  gun  was  tied  to  the  legs  just 
liehind  the  knees,  and  the  hands  were  brought  dow  n 
and  tied  to  the  gun.  This  was  a  severe  punishment, 
and  was  called  the  ley  de  l^avona.  Padres  Zalvidea 
and  Sanchez  always  showed  great  kindness  to  the 
Indians. 


'  w  '1 


_A 


238 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CAUFORNIA. 


I' 


■CI 


The  system  of  corporoal  punishment  established  by 
the  padres  was  adopted  by  the  administrators  of  mis- 
sions, the  alcaldes,  and  commissioners,  and  even  by 
individuals  who  had  Indians  in  their  service.  Evtjry 
one  arrogated  to  himself  the  right  to  chastise  at  his 
own  pleasure  the  Indians  in  his  service. 

The  mission  Indians  fancying  themselves  abused 
at  their  missions  had  a  right  to  prefer  complaints  before 
the  comandante  of  the  presidio  to  whose  jurisdiction 
the  mission  belonged;  and  it  was  his  duty  to  redress 
their  wrongs,  but  obviously  for  several  reasons  there 
were  few  such  complaints  made. 

While  Padre  Duran  was  at  San  Jose  several  Co- 
suranes  presented  themselves  for  baptism,  whieii  rites 
they  received,  together  with  a  blanket  and  a  shirt,  as 
usual.  Misdemeanors  were  punished  every  Sunday 
after  mass  with  a  dozen  or  more  lashes  at  the  church 
door,  after  which  the  culprit  went  to  kiss  the  padre's 
hand  in  sign  of  submission.  One  of  these  Cosutniios 
who  had  been  thus  punished  became  enraged,  and  nn 
reaching  the  padre  took  off  the  shirt,  and  tlirew  it  with 
his  blanket  at  the  feet  of  the  holy  man,  saying :  "  Piuho, 
take  back  thy  Christianity;  I  want  none  of  it;  I  will 
return  a  pagan  to  my  country  " 

In  early  times  the  padres  were  wont  to  go  to  distant 
rancherfas  unaccompanied  by  any  military  escort,  thus 
imperilling  their  lives.  After  the  assassination  of 
Padre  Quintana,  the  government  adopted  se\('ro 
measures  prohibitory  of  the  padres'  running  like  risks. 
Therefore,  the  escoltas  received  strict  orders,  the 
corporal  and  soldiers  being  individually  respoiisiMo 
for  a  ctunpliance  therewith,  never  to  allow  the  padro 
to  leave  the  mission  without  the  escolta,  whether  he 
liked  it  or  not. 

One  Salvador  Espinosa,  soldier  of  an  escolta,  was 
obliged,  on  a  certain  occasion,  to  use  force  in  order  to 
prevent  the  padre,  who  was  better  mounted  than 
he,  from  going  on  in  advance.  Espinosa  was  put  i;;  Hie 
stocks,  and  the  padre  complaining  of  him  was  obliytd 


PRESIDIO  SOLDIERS. 


to  appear  before  Governor  Sola,  who,  on  learning  the 
circuuistances,  approved  of  what  Espinosa  had  done, 
and  praised  the  fidelity  with  which  he  had  obeyed 
orders.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  those  times,  "cuando 
todavfa  se  amarraban  los  perros  con  longanizas"  (when 
dogs  were  still  fastened  with  sausages) — or  in  other 
words,  before  the  people  of  California  had  their  eyos 
opened — laying  violent  hands  on  a  padre  ininistro  was 
a  most  heinous  offence,  which  was  punished  with  the 
greatest  severity.  The  individual  so  offending  lost 
his  position  in  society,  being  excommunicated  and 
ostracized. 

The  corporal  of  the  escolta  had  criminal  jurisdiction, 
and  in  cases  of  weightier  import  which  did  not  come 
witliin  the  cognizance  of  the  padre,  he  it  v/as  who 
ordered  punishment,  consisting  of  lashes  and  the  stocks, 
to  be  administered.  In  still  graver  cases  he  made  the 
preliminary  examination,  and  then  sent  the  culprit  to 
the  presidio  for  judgment.  The  corporal  was  charg(  d 
with  tlie  defence  of  the  missions  in  case  of  a  sudden 
attack  by  either  internal  or  external  foes,  and  possessttl 
oven  the  power  of  life  and  death,  but  this  only  on  an 
cuiergency  when  it  was  impossible  to  communicate 
with  the  comandante  of  the  presidio. 

Ill  early  times  double  escoltas  were  stationed  occa- 
sionally at  the  missions,  such  an  escolta  being  com- 
iiianded  by  a  sergeant.  In  those  days  the  corporal  of 
an  escolta  was  appointed  by  the  governor,  who  alone 
conld  remove  him.  In  an  uvgent  case,  however,  he 
inioht  be  suspended  by  the  comandante  of  the  presidio 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  which  the  mission  belonged. 
Ordinarily  the  escolta  consisted  of  a  corporal  and  five 
men. 

A  soldier  of  the  escolta  kept  watch  by  day,  and  at 
nig] it  a  sentinel  was  placed,  who  by  means  of  a  btll 
announced  the  four  watches.  Of  course  the  cor[)()ial 
had  to  be  present  at  each  relief;  and  when  there  was 
a  less  number  than  four  enlisted  men  in  the  escolta, 
was  liimself  obliged  to  keep  a  watch,  which  was  eitluj 


: 


240 


GOLDEN  AGE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


r 


the  first  or  the  last.  Tlie  mission  furnished  rations 
of  meat  am}  grain  to  the  esoolta,  afterward  sending  in 
the  account  to  the  liabiHtacion. 

The  married  corporals  and  soldiers  of  an  escolta 
had  their  families  with  them  at  the  mission,  and  there 
was  a  little  group  of  houses  for  the  use  of  the  troops 
Tlie  wives  of  the  married  men  prepared  the  meals  of 
tlie  bachelors,  who  made  over  to  these  women  their 
rations  free  of  charge.  On  extraordinary  occasions, 
such  as  feasts  of  the  church,  the  padres  made  presents 
of  fruit  and  wine  to  the  escolta  and  their  families. 
When  the  corporal  acted  as  mayordomo,  he  received 
from  the  missions  additional  ])ay  as  such,  say  $10  a 
montli. 

In  the  mission  escolta  it  was  so  arranged  that  one 
soldier  acted  as  sentinel  from  G  ^.  m.  till  12,  anotlier 
till  6  p.  M.,  another  from  G  to  D  p.  m.,  the  rest  all  taking 
their  turn  for  three  hours  during  the  night.  When 
the  padre  wanted  an  escort,  the  soldier  was  sent  who 
had  been  sentinel  el  cuarto  de  alba,  or  the  next  one. 
The  day  sentinel  walked  with  sabre  or  sword,  the  one 
by  night  witli  nmskct  constantly  in  hand.  Cabo  and 
men  had  all  to  sleep  in  the  guard-house,  whether  mar- 
ried or  single.  When  the  cabo  did  not  watch  tluin, 
tiie  soldiers  would  seek  the  Indian  girls  at  the  raneli- 
erfa. 

On  October  7,  1827,  Jefe  Politico  Echeandia  issued 
a  bando  to  the  effect  that  no  person  should  leave  his 
place  of  residence  without  apprising  tlie  local  au- 
tliority,  or  spend  the  night  away  from  it  without  a 
pass;  persons  found  without  sudi  passes  must  be  de- 
tained, and  no  person  should  tarry  at  any  other  place 
than  that  specified,  or  beyond  the  specified  time,  unless 
sickness  or  otiier  sufficient  cause  rendered  it  necessarv. 
In  no  case  should  any  one  settle  in  any  place  with* "tit 
permission. 

Each  mission  was  not  only  self-supporting  wlun 
once  established,  but  was  an  instrument  for  the  rajid 
accumulation  of  wealth.     They  possessed  within  tliem- 


NATIVES  AND  PRIESTS. 


241 


rations 
ding  "i 

escolta 
id  there 
i  trtM)p^ 
nieals  of 
en  tlicir 
[•casions, 
presents 
families, 
received 
xy  $10  a 

that  one 
;,  another 
all  takini,' 
;.     When 
sent  \vht» 
next  one. 
1,  the  one 
Cabo  and 
ithcr  mar- 
ch them, 
,lio  ranc'h- 

Idia  issued 
h>ave  his 
h>eal   an- 
Iwithout  a 
List  be  dc- 
Ither  l)lat'o 
ine,  unless 
inecessary. 
;o  without 

tnig  wbt;n 

the  r:\l'i«l 

Ithui  them- 


selves all  the  elements  of  success.  They  guaranteed 
to  their  converts  the  most  possible  of  both  worlds. 
Tlity  acquired  titles  to  broad  and  fertile  lands,  and 
paid  their  laborers  in  spiritual  wares.  Their  costly 
edifices,  workshops,  and  storehouses  were  erected  and 
filled  upon  a  credit  which  was  to  run  throughout  time; 
all  tlieir  work  was  done  by  laborers,  who  at  the  close 
off  very  day  found  themselves  more  and  more  indebted 
to  tlicir  employers — obligated  to  such  an  extent  that 
iiiijdiiit  and  blind  obedience  and  faithful  services 
tliiouLjhout  time  and  eternity  would  be  all  too  short 
ill  wliicJi  to  make  their  acknowledgments. 

It  would  a|)pear  that  if  it  were  possible  under  any 
cinuinstances  for  Christianity  and  civilization  to  bene- 
fit  the  Indians  of  America,  such  fruits  could  not  fail 
t<i  aj»iiear  among  the  missions  of  California.  That  the 
jiurot  motives  sometimes  actuated  the  missionaries  in 
(Jcvotiiig  their  lives  to  this  work,  there  is  no  question; 
that  their  treatment  of  the  natives  was  upon  the 
whnle  kind  and  judicious,  all  travellers  bear  testimony, 
and  their  success  outwardly  was  great.  Thousands 
wvie  brought  into  the  fold,  taught  morality,  industry, 
and  the  arts  of  ])eace.  Their  conditi<m  w^as  greatly 
Ih  iiefited;  and  with  the  exception  of  the  wilder  si)irits, 
within  wjjose  breasts  the  lonjjinffs  for  their  ancient 
liberty  still  burned,  they  were  contented  and  happy. 
But  it  was  all  the  same  to  the  doomed  red  man,  as  if 
Satan  with  his  angels  was  let  in  upon  the  country  to 
l>uin  and  destroy.  To  the  savage,  civilization  is 
Satan. 

After  secularization,  mingled  with  the  Californians, 
as  servants,  and  partly  by  marriag(3,  were  many  abo- 
riiiin.  s  fro?u  the  plains  and  missions.  The  mission, 
lirukeii  up  and  despoiled,  no  longer  afforded  shelter  to 
Its  cliildren,  save  a  few  of  more  solid  character,  who 
liad  managed  to  secure  a  portion  of  the  community 
land  and  efifects,  and  retain  them.  The  rest  had  been 
di>pers.  (I  to  seek  refuge  among  settlers  or  in  the  wil- 
derness, leaving  the  establishments  which  had  been 

Cal.  Past.,  Sol.  I.    16 


942 


GOLDEN  ACE  OF  CALTFORNTA. 


? 


I 


built  lip  with  so  much  labor  and  ticvotion  to  be  carried 
away  by  plunderers,  or  to  decay  under  the  unavailing 
eflbrts  of  half  a  dozen  remaining  friars.  These,  jur- 
force,  nmst  now  turn  their  attention  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  settlers,  whose  fitful  ears  heard  the  jtcal 
of  bells  only  on  sabbath  mornings,  rolling  faintly 
through  the  distance,  and  to  be  drowned  perhaps  l»y 
more  alluring  calls,  unless  revived  by  promjjtings  of 
gallantry  and  display.  The  natives  who  deserted  to 
the  woods  relapsed  into  barbarism  among  the  wild 
Indians,  living  in  rancherfas  of  sheds  or  brush  arlxnN, 
depending  on  tlio  hook  or  trap  for  food,  with  roots  and 
fruit,  and  occasionally  some  maize  from  a  petty  fit  Id 
tended  by  the  women.  The  practice  obtained  in  the 
forties,  though  forbidden  by  law,  for  families  to  pur- 
chase Indian  boys  and  girls  from  New  Mt^xico.  It 
was  winked  at  because  of  the  benefit  accruing  to  the 
Indians  so  purchased,  for  they  were  educated  and 
treated  as  members  of  the  family  whom  they  ser\  cd. 

Adhering  to  the  traditionary  usage  of  missioiiaiies, 
the  settlers  would  still  descend  upon  these  waifs  in 
armed  force,  and  after  killing  a  number  of  wairiois. 
capture  the  women  and  children,  or  even  men,  for 
compulsory  service  in  tillage  and  toil,  for  wliieli  no 
compensati(m  was  accorded  beyond  food  and  seanty 
covering.  Such  outrages  aiforded  just  cause  for  le- 
taliation  under  the  guidance  of  mission  fugitives;  and 
although  generally  confined  to  stock-stealing,  their 
raids  at  last  caused  great  anxiety,  especially  in  the 
south,  with  constant  calls  for  garrisons  or  Vfdunteer 
expeditions.  In  the  north  the  scantiness  of  jxyjtula- 
tion  had  led  to  a  more  general  employment  of  natives 
at  fair  wages,  which  were  squandered  during  frequent 
intervals  of  idleness  in  tawdry  finery  and  needless 
articles  of  consumption.  But  of  social  and  domestic 
characteristics  we  sihall  have  fuller  facts  anon. 

Before  the  revolution  a  salary  of  $400  per  annum 
was  allowed  to  each  of  the  priests  connected  with  tho 
missionij.     This  salary  was  discontinued  by  the  repub- 


PATE  OF  TITE  NATIVES. 


243 


)C  carried 

tnava\l\n;4 

hose,  IHT- 

!  spiritual 

[I  tho  l>t'al 

\ir    faintlv 

crhap  l»y 

iiptiu;.?!^  of 

^csertcil  to 

r  the  wiUl 

usli  armors. 

h  roots  and 
petty  tirltl 

inetl  in  the 

lies  to  pur- 

Vlexico.     It 

uinj:?  to  the 

lucated  and 

they  ser\ed. 

missionay'ies. 

ose  waits  in 
of  \varrit>rs. 
en  inciK  tor 
jr  whieU  no 
and  scanty 
■ause  for  le- 
iiyitivos;  and 
^alini?,   their 
Icially  in  the 
or  vcdunteer 
iS  of  popula- 
;nt  of  ni^tives 
|rin*l  freqii*'"^ 
land  noedlesi^ 
md  domestic 

,non. 

per  annum 
J^tedwitiith^^ 
|by  the  repub- 


lic, fjrcatly  to  the  disgust  of  the  clergy,  wlio  wore  also 
roijuired  to  renounce  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Spain 
and  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  republic.  An 
order  was  executed  liberating  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  missions  all  christianized  Indians  of  good  character, 
wlio  were  to  have  lands  assigned  them  for  cultivation. 
The  work  of  the  missions  was  still  to  contiime;  they 
wore  to  appoint  parish  curates  over  the  liberated  In- 
dians, and  prosecute  their  efforts  to  reclaim  untamed 
jrciitiles.  All  this  gave  rise  to  much  dissatisfaction, 
and  many  of  the  missionaries  abandoned  their  labors. 

The  new  order  of  things,  instigated  no  doubt  by  the 
most  philanthropic  and  economic  motives,  operated 
against  the  interests  of  the  church  in  Califi>rnia. 

The  Indians  thus  emancipated  were  essentially  the 
support  of  the  missions,  under  the  strict  surveillance 
of  the  priests;  they  performed  their  labors  faithfully, 
lit  Id  in  check  the  vicious,  and  were  an  example  to 
all;  but  with  their  new  liberty,  unacciistomod  to  the 
exorcise  of  forethought  or  self-command,  they  soon 
foil  into  dissolute  habits,  and  rapidly  melted  away. 

The  care  and  discipline  of  the  fathers  being  with- 
diawn,  as  a  matter  of  course  the  spirituality  of  their 
eliildron  was  soon  dissipated.  Abandoning  themselves 
to  spirituous  liquor  when  they  could  obtain  it,  and 
<;iviiig  way  to  laziness  and  vice,  tlie  converts  fell;  and 
as  their  own  original  means  of  support  had  been 
witlidrawn  from  tliem,  the  depth  t»f  their  degradatitm 
was  greater  than  during  their  primitive  state.  St)me 
of  them  pursued  the  shadow  of  their  former  progress, 
and  cleared  the  weeds  from  spots  sufficient  to  sustain 
tin  inselves;  others  abandoned  all  attempt  to  maintain 
tluir  former  state  of  comparative  ease  and  happiness, 
and  made  acquisitions  only  in  the  new  vices  which 
wci'o  taught  them  by  the  settlers  who  were  now 
rapidly  closing  in  around  them. 

The  administrators  placed  in  charge  of  the  missions 
after  their  secularization  were  mostof  tliem  incompetent 
or  unprincipled  men.     The  few  who  were  honest  tried 


244 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


W 


to  save  tlio  property,  but  their  efforts  were  unavailiiij: 
airainst  the  orders  they  eonstaiitlv  received  to  di  ll\i  r 
it  to  others.  It  is  well  known  that  several  adiniiii^- 
trators  fjjrew  rich  by  despoiling  the  establish nicnts 
they  had  control  of.  Stealing  was  carried  on  to  sudi 
an  extent,  that  plates,  pots,  and  pans,  doors,  tiles,  and 
every  other  movable  thing  was  made  away  witii  t'lnm 
several  missions.  The  departmental  govcrnim-nt  tol- 
erated these  thuigs  to  secure  the  support  of  a  certain 
cli<|ue. 

After  secularization  the  administrators  slaughtercti 
large  bands  of  cattle  under  the  pretext  of  covering  r\- 
penses.  One  of  the  occasions  of  great  slaughter  was 
to  meet  the  cost  of  the  schooner  California  for  goveiii- 
ment  uses.  It  was  said  the  schooner  cost  7,000  hidt  s. 
Nothing  was  utilized  but  the  hides.  The  slaugiiti  i- 
ings  were  let  to  contractors  who  frequently  kilKd 
largely  in  excess  of  the  number  required,  carrying  otf 
the  surplus  for  their  own  benefit. 

Soon  after  Alvarado  became  governor,  in  1830,  ho 
began  to  lend  cattle  to  his  friends  and  favorites,  ft  \v, 
if  an}',  of  which  were  ever  repaid.  None  of  the 
loans  were  of  less  than  100  head,  some  even  exceedtd 
1.000.  Add  to  that  the  orders  of  the  governni«  iit 
for  cattle  to  meet  debts,  and  the  draft  was  ruinous. 
The  loans  were  made  on  the  following  terms:  to 
return  the  same  number  of  animals  and  of  the  smio 
quality  in  five  years;  otherwise,  to  pay  the  |>iioo 
stipulated  if  demanded  by  the  government  or  any 
ecclesiastical  authority,  a  way  of  dying  business  so 
criminally  loose  as  to  invite  rascality.  In  SoKiiiul 
1,000  head  were  sold  at  $1.50  each,  })ayable  in  giKtiU. 
when  the  current  price  was  $4  to  $5  per  head  in  sil- 
ver. The  same  man  gave  800  cows  of  from  one  viar 
to  three  years  old  for  fifty  horses.  The  same  fellow  ck- 
livered  fifty  cows  belonging  to  the  Soledad  mission 
for  fifty  bottles  of  common  brandy.  A  general  iK- 
bauch  followed.  This  accordiug  to  the  testimony  ot 
Estevau  de  la  Torre. 


IXDIAX  LANDS. 


slinu'iits 
t  to  sucli 
tiles,  and 
ni\\  tVoui 
i\u'nt  l"'l- 
a  certain 


lUg 


htori'd 
veriu|4  ^•>^- 
.rliter  was 
i)r  «i"uvi'ru- 
,000  likK'S, 
slauji^itrr- 

ntly  W^'''\ 
;arry'ni;-  ftl 

11  IB'.iC,  la' 
orites,  tcW, 
:me  of  tlio 
II  excer<.l>'l 
[rovermiK  nt 

[as  ruiiu'vi^. 

teruis:   to 

,f  the  suae 

the   1>«"h-^' 

[eut  or  auy 

busineft*^  so 

,loiu  j4<H»iU. 
lieael  in  ^i^' 
^ui  one  yrar 
lie  felU)NV  lU- 
iatl  ini>>i*»^' 
general  *-lo- 
^estiluouy  ^^ 


After  the  missions  hatl  been  stripped  of  their  live- 
stock, the  administrators  and  otlicrs  petitioned  for 
lands,  which  they  stocked  with  neat  cattle,  sheep,  and 
horses  from  the  missions.  Some  of  them  would  take 
just  enoue  h  to  pay  themselves  for  arrears  of  salary;  oth- 
ers were  less  scrupulous.  The  government  was  well 
aware  of  the  rascality,  but  accustomed  to  such  dealings. 

When  Alvarado,  Jose  Castro,  and  their  forces,  re- 
turning fnnn  the  south  in  IHJ^fi,  arrived  at  Tecolote, 
tilt'  place  where  the  eccentric  Indian  Cristobal  ^[ano- 
jo  lived,  he  greeted  them  "Viva  California  libre, 
iiu'ti!  la  mano  onde  quierel"  Keing  asked  what  he 
meant  by  saying  "poke  in  the  hand  where  you 
plrase,"  he  coolly  answered,  "jmes,  ttxlo  se  la  roban," 
which  means,  "well  you  steal  everything,"  All 
laughed,  and  he  was  let  alone.  After  the  missions 
wc\v.  fully  secularized,  Manojo'a  remark  fully  ex- 
pressed the  situation. 

All  governments  are  erected  upon  the  supposition 
that  a  hirge  pn)portion  of  their  servants  must  he  ras- 
cals, who  shall  give  bonds  for  their  good  behavior. 
The  chief  difference  in  this  rcijard  between  the  jMexi- 
tan  government,  including  the  California  branch  of  it, 
and  some  others  in  Europe  and  America,  was  this, 
that  while  in  the  latter  it  was  expected  that  some  of- 
ticials  would  prove  hcmest,  no  such  state  of  things 
was  lo(»ked  for  among  the  Mexlcan.s,  If  any  were 
al)ovi!  peculation  or  other  rascality,  they  were  the  ex- 
ception, and  their  honesty  was  often  the  result  of  a 
lack  of  avarice,  or  the  absence  of  any  disposition  to  ap- 
propriate to  their  own  use  the  public  funds. 

The  colonial  laws  of  8i»aln  gave  the  Indians  a  right 
to  as  much  land  as  they  needed  and  would  use  for 
cultivation  and  pasturage,  S«'ttled  communities  were 
to  ho  provided  with  land  for  this  ])urpose,  and  the 
scattered  families  of  the  wilderness  were  ordered 
I'lought  to  the  villagss,  tamed,  and  chriscianized.  It 
was  for  this,  primarily,  that  the  missions  liad  l)een 
tstahlished.     Indian  lands  in  actual  use  and  occupa- 


'!'■  ;f; 


;f 


'i 


246 


GOLDEN  AGE  OP  CALIFORNIA. 


tion  could  not  be  granted  to  Spaniards.  Mission  lancl.s 
were  the  property  of,  or  held  for  the  benefit  of,  t],f 
Indians.  This  was  the  theory:  when  a  grant  was 
made  of  land  upon  which  was  a  rancheria,  or  Indian 
settlement,  such  grant  was  made  subject  to  the  rlglits 
of  the  Indian,  and  the  grantee  did  not  acquire  title  (ir 
possession  until  the  village,  of  its  own  free  will,  re- 
moved fronv  the  grant.  So  nmch  better  were  tljo 
laws  of  man  than  the  deeds  of  these  men  of  God  ! 

The  system  of  despoliation  which  began  with  the 
conquerors  was  continued  around  the  circle  of  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  until  the  cause  was  left  where  it 
was  commenced,  with  the  difference  only  of  a  fiw 
millions  of  Indians  having  disapjx^ared  in  the  mean 
time.  The  Jesuits,  by  their  influence  and  address,  had 
obtained  from  individuals  the  means  with  which  to 
found  the  missions  of  the  Califoniian  peninsula,  and  tlic 
natives  were  then  called  upon  to  contribute  to  tlicir 
support.  Fortune  rolled  in  upon  their  efforts,  and  \\  lu  u 
in  the  heiglit  of  their  prosperity  ;  'le  orders  reaclad 
them  from  Cdrlos  III.  to  turn  over  all  their  property 
to  the  Franciscans  and  depart  from  the  country  Avitli- 
out  the  spoils,  was  created  the  Pious  Fund  of  Cali- 
fornia; and  the  Franciscans,  with  splendid  resourcis, 
immediately  set  out  fi)r  their  new  field  in  the  north, 
where,  after  drawing  upon  the  natives  for  thirty  tliou- 
sand  laborers  for  half  a  century,  they  acquired  innuciisc 
wealth,  only  to  be  themselves  deprived  of  power,  and 
their  neophytes  robbed,  through  the  secularization  of 
their  missions,  in  1833-5,  by  agents  of  the  government. 
But  the  end  was  not  yet;  for  as  the  government  was 
robbed  by  the  administrators,  so  were  the  Californians 
robbed  by  the  incoming  Yankees.  What  power  shall 
next  appear  to  wrest  these  lands  from  us  we  cannot 
tell;  but  whatever  it  may  be,  as  good  and  civilized 
Christians,  we  must  hail  it  as  sent  of  God,  in  his  in- 
finite mercy  and  wisdom,  and  for  the  glorious  pur[ 
of  progress. 


poses 


WILL  THERE  BE  ANOTHER? 


247 


Decay  and  death,  however,  are  not  our  present 
theme,  but  life,  and  light,  and  joy.  All  through  the 
^M)l(k'ii  age  lay  this  blissful  land  in  slumber  breathing, 
dreaming  like  the  unblown  blosuom  of  its  future  glo- 
ries, its  soft  wind  sighing  the  longings  of  ambitious 
youth;  meanwhile  onward  marching  the  constrained 
impatient  world  through  time  from  eternity  to  eter- 
nity, never  ceasing,  never  resting,  the  same  force  that 
l)iit»gs  men  into  life  hurrying  them  hence,  the  same 
.summer  sun  that  warms  into  being,  that  forces  from 
tlio  buried  seed  the  wide-spread  tree  and  sweetens  the 
rii)ening  fruit,  bringing  rottenness  and  death.  Woods 
♦lecay,  forests  fall,  rivers  die,  mountains  melt,  nations 
come  and  go,  mind  only  remains,  and  with  the  ages 
iiatljers  strength  and  volume. 

(fone  are  those  hajpy  hours  when  plenty  bloomed, 
and  care  and  wealth  alike  were  unknown ;  gone  are 
the  light  labors  and  healthful  sports,  without  which 
Eden  would  be  no  paradise;  and  in  their  place  we 
liave  the  screeching  of  steam,  the  bustle  of  trade,  the 
^  ui  ibrous  activities  of  opulence,  and  hearts  heavily 
^vr  .rlited  with  care. 

Will  California  ever  have  another  golden  age ?  I 
trust  so ;  but  not  in  the  near  future.  When  it  comes 
it  will  be  neither  an  age  of  savagism,  nor  an  age  of 
pastoral  sensuousness,  nor  yet  an  age  of  city-building, 
of  soil-subduing,  of  mad  money -gathering;  but  it  will 
be  tlie  day  when  mind  and  morality  shall  reign  supe- 
rior to  avarice  and  passion,  when  genius  is  worshipped 
in  place  of  gold,  and  when  studious  leisure  and  taste- 
ful simplicit}'  shall  take  the  place  of  absorbing  lust  and 
gaudy  splendor. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

COLONIZATION,   PUEBLO  SYSTEM,  AND  LAND  GRANTS. 

But  still  there  is  unto  a  patriot  nation, 

Which  loves  so  well  its  country  and  its  king, 
A  subject  of  sublimest  exultation. 

— Don  Juan. 

The  thrifty  padres  from  the  start  insisted  that  the 
missions  would  hardly  support  the  neophytes,  let  alone 
providing;  for  the  presidios ;  wherefore  the  ^^overnincnt 
contemplated,  as  early  as  1776,  establishing  puthlos 
or  towns  in  fertile  regions.  This  plan  had  a  double 
object,  namely,  supplying  the  new  presidios  at  reduced 
cost,  and  settling  the  land  with  gente  de  razon. 

Governor  Felipe  de  Neve  recommended  two  si)()ts 
as  eminently  fitted  for  this  purpose,  one  on  tlio  river 
Porciiincula  in  the  south,  and  another  on  the  Guada- 
lupe in  the  north.  Without  waiting  for  the  sanction 
of  his  superior,  he  proceeded  at  once  to  found  the 
northern  town,  with  nine  soldiers  from  Monterey  and 
San  i^'rancisco,  and  nineteen  other  persons,  with  tin  ir 
families,  making  a  total  of  66  colonists.  The  pu('l)lo 
was  founded  near  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Guadalupe. 
and  about  three  fourths  of  a  league  southeast  of  the 
Santa  Clara  mission.  This  foundation  took  place  on 
the  2Utb  of  November,  and  the  town  was  named  San 
Josd  de  Guadalupe,  though  an  eftbrt  was  occasionally 
made  to  attach  to  it  tbo  name  of  Galvez,  the  visitador- 
general  of  New  Sruin,  to  whose  enerjjjetic  measures 
was  due  the  CAl.Monce  of  the  new  establishments.  Ti 
each  settler  were  given  a  tract  of  irrigable  land  suffi- 
cient to  sow  thereon  three  bushels  of  Indian  coin,  a 
house-lot,  ten  dollars  a  month,  and  a  soldier's  rut  urn, 

(248) 


FOXJNDING  OF  SAN  JOSfi. 


fltf 


besides  a  yoke  of  oxen,  two  cows,  one  mule,  two  sheep, 
twt)  goats,  and  the  requisite  seed  and  implements. 
Such  was  tlie  origin  of  the  beautiful  city  of  San  Jos^, 
on  which  has  been  bestowed  in  later  years  the  well- 
merited  title  of  the  garden  city. 

Neve's  act  could,  until  178T,  be  regarded  as  only 
experimental.  From  the  beginning  it  met  with  oppo- 
sition from  the  missionaries,  who  now  were  willing  to 
supply  the  presidios.  Jiut  the  governor  had  another 
object  in  view,  which  Nvas  to  people  the  land  with 
Spanish  subjects. 

A  regulation  for  the  militaiy  govemmont  of  the 
new  settlements,  duly  sanctioned  by  8uperi"»*  author- 
itv,  has  been  credited  to  Governor  Neve,  and  went 
practically  into  effect  early  in  1781.  It  eii braced  also 
a  i)lan  of  colonization.  Under  it  was  nude  a  formal 
redistribution  of  the  lands  in  the  pueblo  of  San  Jost5, 
and  the  foundation  of  Los  Angeles  on  <,he  Porciilncula 
Wii8  Jilso  c'fected.  This  regulation  bears  the  title  of 
IxdiJivncutc  e  fnstruccion  para  los  Presidios  dc  la  l\"nin- 
ifiila  de  California,  Ereccion  de  Nuevas  Misioves,  y  fo- 
'iiirnto  del  pueblo  y  extension  de  los  Esfahlerimientos  de 
M' 01  ferry.  Its  14th  section  deals  witii  the  subject  of 
pueblos  and  colonization.  Under  this  section,  settlers 
were  to  bo  brought  from  the  older  provinces.  Each 
et  tliem  was  to  receive  a  house-lot,  and  a  tract  of  land 
for  cultivation,  being  four  fields  of  200  varas  square 
each,  some  live-stock,  implements,  and  seed,  to  be  by 
them  gratlually  repaid  in  five  years  from  the  products 
of  tlieir  lands.  Adults  leaving  their  country  to  settle 
ill  California  were,  furthermore,  to  be  allowed  in  cloth- 
in«j;  and  other  necessary  efltects,  at  cost  price,  $110.50 
a  year  during  the  first  two  years,  and  $00  yearly  for 
the  next  three  years.  The  settlers  were  also  exempt 
from  taxes  and  tithes  during  the  entire  period  of  five 
years.  As  communities  they  were,  besides,  entitled 
to  the  use  of  government  lands  for  pasturage,  and  to 
all  Mee(l(>d  wood  and  water.  Other  colonists,  such  as 
huuoiably  discharged  soldiers,  were  to  have  the  same 


250    COLONIZATION,  PUEBLO  SYSTEM,  AND  LAND  GRANTS. 

privileges  in  respect  of  lands.  In  return  for  these 
favors,  the  colonists  were  to  sell  to  the  presidios  ex- 
clusively the  surplus  products  of  their  lands  at  fair 
prices,  to  be  from  time  to  tune  fixed  by  the  govern- 
ment, taking  as  a  basis  the  market  prices  for  sucli 
pn)ducts  in  the  southern  province?.  In  the  absence 
of  other  purchasers,  this  condition  was  a  benefit  ratJicr 
than  a  burden.  Each  settler  was  to  hold  himself  in 
readiness  with  his  horses  and  arms  for  military  duty. 
Other  conditions  were  to  the  benefit  of  the  colonist, 
rather  tlian  to  the  government.  The  settlors  were  to 
have  their  farms  within  the  pueblo  limits  of  four  square 
leagues;  they  could  neither  sell  nor  encumber  tlicir 
lands;  they  were  to  build  houses,  construct  ditclas 
for  irrigation,  cultivate  their  lands,  and  keep  tlieir 
implements  in  serviceable  order;  they  were  forbidden 
to  kill  or  dispose  of  their  live-stock  except  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  nor  was  any  one  to  have  over  50  ani- 
mals of  any  kind,  so  that  none  should  monopolize  the 
wealth  of  the  puebhj.  Each  conununity  was  bound 
to  construct  dams  and  irrigating  sluices,  provide  mads 
and  streets,  erect  a  church  and  the  necessary  town 
buildings,  and  keep  the  pro})ios!,  or  pueblo  lands,  tilled, 
as  f.<)m  their  products  had  to  be  defrayed  the  muniii- 
pal  expenditures. 

Tlie  colonization  system  thus  established  nmst  be 
held  to  hive  been  a  wise  tine,  well  suited  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  country.  And  yet,  it  failed  to 
yield  the  desired  results,  owing  to  the  character  of 
the  settlers,  i».ost  of  whom  were  half-breeds.  Some- 
thing may  be  due,  likewise,  to  the  mildness  of  tho 
climate,  and  to  tho  influtnitial  opposition  of  tiie  mis- 
sionary college  of  San  Fernando  in  Mexico,  whose 
faiars  were  opposed  to  any  other  establishments  in 
the  land  but  their  missions.  They  felt  obliged  to 
endure  tho  presidios,  but  they  wanted  the  government 
to  nrovido  for  them 

Captain  Rivera  y  Moncada,  former  commandant  of 


FOUNDma  OF  LOS  ANGELBS. 


251 


tlie  new  establishments,  and  now  lieutenant-governor 
of  the  two  Californias,  was  directed  to  procure  pettlers 
for  the  soutliern  town  on  the  Porcidncula.  The  or- 
ganized expeditions,  consisting  of  soldiers  and  priests, 
started  for  California,  to  found  several  missions  in  the 
Santa  Bilrbara  channel,  as  well  as  of  colonists  for  the 
now  pueblo.  They  arrived  at  difterent  times,  without 
mishap,  at  San  Gabriel,  and  the  pueblo  of  Nuestra 
Seiior  V  \e  los  Angeles,  otherwise  called  Reina  de  los 
An;j;cles,  was  founded  on  the  4th  of  September,  1781, 
with  twelve  settlers  and  their  families,  46  persons  in 
all,  whose  blood  was  a  mixture  of  Indian  and  negro, 
with  a  few  traces  of  Spanish.  Lands  were  given  to 
thorn,  and  the  possession  was  formally  confirmed  at 
tlio  expiration  of  the  first  five  years,  in  September 
1780,  by  Alfdrez  Josd  Dario  ArgUello,  commissioned 
therefor  by  Governor  Fages,  Neve's  successor.  Nine 
of  the  settlers  then  remained,  each  ^f  whom  was  sum- 
moned, and  in  the  presence  of  his  neighbors,  and  of 
the  legal  witnesses,  who  acted  in  lieu  of  a  notary  pub- 
lic, the  commissioner  granted  him  first  the  house-lot, 
then  the  four  fields,  and  finally  the  iron  for  branding 
his  live-stock.  A  form  of  measurement  of  town  lots 
and  lands  was  gone  through,  and  a  separate  title-deed 
was  drawn  up  for  each  of  the  grants,  and  signed  by 
the  commissi(mer  and  his  leijal  witnesses.  None  of 
the  grantees  knowing  how  to  read  or  write,  each  ap- 
pended a  cross  to  the  documents,  after  he  had  l)een 
duly  informed  of  its  contents.  At  San  Josd,  the  same 
formalities  had  been  effected,  in  May  1783,  by  Lieu- 
tenant Joseph  Moraga  under  similar  powers  from  the 
ji:ovi'rnor.  At  this  place  education  was  not  utterly 
ahseiit,  one  of  the  settlers,  the  ancestor  of  the  after- 
ward famous  bandit,  Jose  Tibureio  Vay.<|uez,  being 
ahle  to  sign  his  name,  while  the  r'-alde,  Archuleta, 
was  not  so  fortunate.  The  boun<lary  between  the 
puehlo  and  the  mission  Santo  Clara  was  defined  In 
IHOI,  making  the  Guadalujie  river  the  lino,  with  a 
reservation  of  mountain  woodland.     In  July  of  that 


252    COLOXTZATION,  PUEBLO  SYSTEM,  AND  LAND  GRANTS. 


' 


year  the  limits  were  surveyed,  and  landmarks  fixo<l, 
th'^  missionaries  having  gained  a  point.  The  place 
\,'&s  given  the  name  of  San  Jose  de  Alvarado  in  1 KV.), 
in  honor  of  Governor  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  who  tlieu 
ruled  California. 

The  municipal  officers  were  at  first  appointed  l)y 
the  governor,  and  afterward  chosen  by  the  people. 
The  governor  was,  however,  represented  at  each  jmo 
blo  by  a  comisionado,  usually  a  corporal  or  sergeant, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  to  the  maintenance  of  order, 
to  the  furnishing  of  supplies  for  passing  troops,  and  to 
the  compliance  with  the  fundamental  regulation.  Tlie 
municipal  officials  were  under  his  supervision,  thouijrli 
he  was  not  allowed  to  hinder  them  in  their  legitimate 
functions. 

Nothing  further  was  done  toward  forwarding  colo- 
nization in  California,  except  to  allow  a  few  discliarged 
sailors  at  ports  to  become  colonists.  Thus  it  was  that 
down  to  1790  no  new  pueblos  were  founded ;  no  other 
imuiigration  of  'pnhladores  occurred.  A  few  chan'^es 
took  place,  it  is  true,  some  settlers  leaving,  and  some 
discharged  soldiers  and  a  few  sailors  being  enrolled  as 
colonists;  a  few  boys  grown  to  manhood  had  taken 
to  farming  in  preference  to  becoming  soldiers.  Tlie 
population  of  both  pueblos  had  varied  from  18")  to 
220,  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages.  The  settlers  had 
shown  some  inclination  to  disorder,  but  on  the  whole, 
nmst  hav^  gi'^en  due  attention  to  their  tillage.  Los 
Angeles,  in  1791,  was  transferred  from  its  former  site, 
whicli  iu  heavy  rains  was  exposed  to  freshets,  to  a 
higher  one.  The  aoricultural  products  exceeded  tlie 
average  of  the  missions.  Los  Angeles,  in  171)0, 
yielded  more  grain  than  any  mission,  San  Gabriel 
only  excepted. 

The  necessity  of  an  increase  of  the  Spanish  popu- 
lation being  fully  recognized  it  was  contemplated  to 
establish  more  pueblos  of  gcnte  de  razon.  In  Novem- 
ber 1795,  orders  came  to  select  a  proper  site  to  found 
a  villa  to  bear  the  name  of  Branciforte,  in  honor  of 


BRAKCIFORTE  OR  SANTA  CRUZ. 


the  Marquds  de  Brancifortc,  viceroy  of  Mexico.     It 
was  intended  to  be  a  military  town,  thoroughly  forti- 
fied, and  peopled  by  soldiers ;  though  in  the  matter  of 
laud  grants  the  existing  pueblo  regulation,  and  the 
laws  of  the  Indies  were  to  be  enforced.     Every  officer 
and  soldier  was  to  have  his  town-lot,  ai:d  Ixtweea 
the  lots  of  the  officers  were  others  to  be  assigned  to 
t'liiofs  of  Indian  rancherias  who  might  wish  to  live 
aiiiong  the  Spaniards.     The  site  finally  chosen  was 
Santa  Cruz,  because  it  afforded  facilities  for  exporting 
merchandise,  with  abundance  of  fish  and  good  buihling 
materials.     It  was  concluded  that  the  settlers  should 
be  from  cold  or  temperate  climes.     Houses  ami  gran- 
ary were  to  be  built  and  made  ready,  bo  that  they 
could  immediately  after  their  coming  devote  them- 
selves to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.     The  scheme  of 
having  Indian  chiefs  among  the  settlers  was  given  up 
as  impracticable,  as  there  were  no  suitable  chiefs  at 
liantl ;  but  mission  Indians  might  be  advantageously 
admitted  in  the  colony  to  work  with  and  Icain  from 
the  gente  de  razon.     Governor  Diego  de  Borica,  who 
was  a  man  of  practical  views,  called  for  four  classes  of 
settlers,  to  wit :  robust  tillers  of  the  soil,  mechanics, 
artisans,  and  a  few  sailors  to  develop  whale-fishing, 
as  whales  abounded  on  the  coast.     The  college  of  San 
Fiiiiando   objected   to   the  site   selected  so   near  a 
mission,  but  no  heed  was  i)aid  to  it,  and  Borica  was 
directed  in  January  17'J7  to  pr<K?eed  at  once  with  the 
foundation,  which  he  did,  receiving  as  settlers  a  num- 
lur  from  San  Jos<5  and  Los  Anijeles  who  had  no 
lands.     He  was  promised  new  settlers  and  artisans 
fidm  Mexico;  but  the  people  sent  out  were  not  tho 
best  suited  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  moral,  law-abid- 
iii;_'  eonnnunity;  perhaps  it  was  hardly  consisttnt  with 
the  ete!-nal  fitness  of  things  that  a  colony  bearing  the 
name  of  one  of  the  worst  men  that  ever  disgraced  a 
cttimtry  should  succeed.      To   this  day  Santa  Cruz 
feels  the  effects  of  the  bad  beginning  made  there  by 
Braiieiforte.     Most  of  the  new  settlers  were  vagrants 


254    COLONIZATION,  PUEBLO  SYSTEM,  AND  LAND  GRANTS. 


•ill 


and  minor  criminals.  The  ship  CoTicepcion  arrived  at 
Monterey  on  the  12th  of  May  1797,  with  a  party  of 
such  colonists  in  a  most  pitiable  condition  from  ill- 
health  and  destitution.  Grabriel  Moraga  ascomisioiiado 
carried  out  the  foundation.  His  instructions  wore  to 
see  that  the  townsmen  lived  peaceably ;  to  tolerate  no 
prostitution,  gambling,  drunkenness,  or  neglect  of 
work.  Such  offences  were  to  be  severely  punished. 
The  observance  of  religious  duties  was  to  be  enforced ; 
each  settler  had  to  produce  from  time  to  time  a  cer- 
tificate to  the  effect  that  he  had  attended  to  the 
church  service,  the  confessional,  and  communion,  as 
prescribed  by  the  ecclesiastical  authority.  The  colo- 
nists were  to  maintain  the  best  relations  with  the 
friars,  to  have  no  intercourse  whatever  with  tlio 
natives  of  the  neighboring  mission.  A  number  of 
other  useful  recommendations  need  not  be  detailed. 
Among  them  was  one  to  see  that  the  settlers  pre})aiv(l 
shelters  for  men  and  animals  before  the  arrival  tluro 
of  C6rdoba,  the  government  engineer.  C6rdoba  ar- 
rived in  Au^st,  surveyed  the  lands,  did  somethiii;j; 
toward  erectmg  temporary  houses,  began  a  canal  for 
irrigation,  and  made  search  for  suitable  materials  for 
the  permanent  buildings.  He  f'^rnished  the  governor 
with  an  estimate  of  the  cost,  $23,405,  which  was 
duly  forwarded  to  the  viceroy.  In  0ctober  the 
works  were  suspended  for  want  of  funds,  and  thus  was 
the  gr(^atness  of  the  villa  de  Branciforte  indefinitely 
put  off.  Nevertheless,  the  place  did  not  remain 
empty.  There  were  some  temporary  huts,  nine  set- 
tlers, the  comisionado,  and  the  military  guard.  Those 
settlers  were  not  convicts,  thtmgh  of  a  class  that 
Guadalajara,  whence  they  came,  could  well  afford  to 
part  with.  They  were  provided  with  means  to  i^et 
along,  after  a  fashion,  for  the  first  five  years,  hut 
never  showed  a  disposition  for  hard  work.  In  17'.'8 
Governor  Borica  requested  Moraga  to  stir  them  up 
against  their  natural  laziness.  Indeed,  they  were  not 
only  lazy,  but  vicious,  and  the  governor  pronounced 


POPULATION  AND  RESOURCES. 


256 


them  a  curse  to  the  country  for  their  dishonesty  aud 
immorality.  Down  to  1800  there  was  no  change  in 
the  number,  though  a  few  discharged  soldiers  were 
added  to  the  settlement.  Moraga  was  in  charge  till 
17D9,  and  was  succeeded  by  Ignacio  Vallejo,  a  just 
man.  The  crop  of  1800  was  1,100  bushels  of  wheat, 
maize,  and  beans,  and  the  live-stock  had  reached  500 
luad  of  horses,  and  neat  cattle.  The  settlement  of 
Branciforte  was  the  last  one  attempted  during  the 
Spanish  or  Mexican  domination. 

The  united  population  of  San  Josd,  Los  Angeles, 
and  Branciforte  in  1800  was  about  550,  in  a  little  over 
100  families,  including  twelve  or  fifteen  men  raising 
cattle  in  the  vicinity,  whose  families  mostly  dwelt  in 
the  towns.  About  thirty  of  these  families  had  been 
imix)rted  from  Mexico,  and  the  increase  resulted  from 
children  grown  to  manhood,  and  discharged  soldiers, 
some  of  whom  were  pensioners.  Agriculture  and 
stock-raising  were  the  only  industries  of  the  towns- 
men. In  1800,  they  had  10,500  head  of  cattle  and 
horses,  about  1,000  sheep,  and  raised  some  9,000 
Sushels  of  grain,  the  surplus  of  which  found  a  ready 
sale  at  the  presidios.  Each  settler  cultivated  his 
fields,  and  delivered  yearly  to  the  common  fund  a  cer- 
tain quantity  of  grain,  which  served  to  defray  the 
town's  expenses.  At  each  pueblo  was  a  guard  of  sol- 
diers, who  were  practically  settlers.  The  alcahle  and 
re;jjidores  had  charge  of  the  municipal  affairs,  and  the 
comisionado  a  general  supervision.  Most  of  the  labor 
was  done  by  natives  not  attached  to  the  missions. 
Father  Salazar  reported  that  the  settlers  were  idlers, 
ami  cared  more  for  gambling  and  guitar-playing  than 
fnr  tilling  their  lands  or  educating  their  offspring. 
Los  Angeles  was  the  most  populous  as  well  as  pros- 
IK  rous.  Branciforte  was  still  in  debt  to  the  govern- 
ment at  the  end  of  1800. 

Tiie  governor  of  California  had  endeavored,  in 
17'.t7,  to  obtain  from  New  Spain  superior  approval  to 
&  scheme  intended  to  force  retired  soldiers  to  dwell  in 


256    CJOLONIZ^VTION,  PUEBLO  SYSTEM,  AND  LAND  GRANTS. 

pueblos.  He  wanted,  also,  a  reiiiiforcemeiit  of  mar- 
riageable women.  His  efforts  failed.  But  anotlu  r 
class  of  colonists,  obtainable  with  greater  ease,  was 
sent  out,  thus  making  of  California  a  penal  colony, 
which,  to  some  extent,  Fages  was  the  author  of.  In 
I7i)l,  tliree  convicts  were  brought  to  Monterey. 
That  same  year  a  convict  blacksmith  was  instructing 
tlie  Indians  at  San  Francisco.  la  1798,  twenty-two 
convicts,  of  various  grades  of  criminality,  were  brouglit 
by  the  Coucrpclon,  all  of  whom  were  put  to  learn  and 
teach  trades.  Such  arrivals  were  afterward  quiti- 
frequent.  In  1800,  a  number  of  foundlings  were  sent 
from  jSIexico,  and  hero  distributed  among  the  familirs 
in  the  presidios.  The  practice  of  sending  convicts  to 
California  was  continued  by  the  Mexican  republic  as 
late  as  1834. 

After  the  occupation  of  California  by  Spain,  in 
17G9,  the  absolute  title  of  land  vested  in  the  crown. 
There  was  no  individual  ownc  r ship  of  land.  Usufruc- 
tuary titles  only  existed  during  the  Spanish  rule.  Tho 
king  held  actual  possession  of  the  ground  occupie<l  by 
the  presidios  and  a  few  adjoinhig  lands.  The  abori- 
gines were  recognized  as  the  owners,  under  the  crown, 
of  all  the  lands  needed  for  their  support.  This  ar- 
rangement limited  the  area,  thus  leaving  a  portion 
open  to  colonization.  So  it  was  that  under  tlie  gen- 
eral laws  of  the  Indies  four  square  leagues,  or  tluir 
equivalent,  of  land  could  be  assigned  to  each  puel)lo. 
Neither  missions,  church,  nor  religious  orders  owned 
any  land.  The  missionaries  had  only  the  use  of  tlie 
land  needed  for  mission  purposes,  namely,  to  prepare 
the  Indians  that  they  might  in  time  take  possession 
as  individuals  of  the  land  they  were  then  holding  in 
commonalty.  This  purpose  once  accomplished,  tlie 
missions  were  to  be  secularized,  and  iiiade  puelilos, 
the  houses  of  worship  naturally  going  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  church,  and  the  missionaries  going  to  sec  k 
other  fields  of  usefulness.     It  was  planned  from  the 


PUEBLO  LANDS. 


beginning  that  each  mission  and  presidio  should  even- 
tually become  a  pueblo,  and  tliat  other  pueblos  should 
likewise  be  founded,  each  having  four  square  leagues 
of  laud  assigned  thereto.  The  settlement  of  boun- 
daries was  left  for  the  future,  when  called  for  by  the 
increase  of  the  number  of  towns.  The  missions,  in 
their  temporary  occupation,  were  not  restricted  as  to 
area.  The  conversion  of  most  of  the  presidios  and 
missions  into  towns  was  finally  effected  under  a  law  of 
1834.  This  law,  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  Span- 
ish laws,  involved  the  distribution  of  the  mission  lands 
to  the  ex-neophytes. 

The  granting  of  lands  to  natives  or  Spaniards  in 
California  was  permitted  as  early  as  1773.  Thus  we 
see  that  a  grant  was  made  to  Manuel  Buitron  in  1775. 
In  the  same  way,  informal  grants  were  made  to  the 
inhabitants  of  San  Josd  in  1777.  Neve's  regulaticm 
established  the  mode  of  granting  land,  as  we  have 
seen,  providing,  likewise,  for  the  gradual  extension  of 
towns  by  the  grant  of  new  lots  and  fields.  All  grants, 
however,  were  forfeited  by  abandonment,  failure  to 
( ultivate,  or  non-compliance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  law.  Such  lands  could  not  be  alienated  at  all 
until  full  possession  had  been  given. 

It  is  known  that  in  1784  Governor  Pages  allowed 
several  men  to  temporarily  occupy  certain  lands.  In 
17H0,  he  was  authorized  to  grant  tracts  not  exceeding 
time  leagues  in  extent,  nor  encroaching  on  the  area 
of  any  pueblo,  nor  causing  detriment  to  any  mission 
or  Indian  rancheria.  The  grantees  had  to  build  a 
store  house  on  each  rancho,  and  to  keep  at  least 
2,000  head  of  live  «tock.  Governor  Borica,  in  1795, 
for  substantial  reast.as,  opposed  the  granting  of  ran- 
chos,  though  recommending  that  settlers  of  good 
character  should  be  allowed  to  occupy  lands  near 
missions,  to  be  granted  them  at  a  later  day  if  deemed 
exjX'dient.  Several  ranches  existed  at  the  time  under 
such  temporary  permits.  Preference  was  given  by 
tlic  government  to  this  arrangement,  possibly  because 

Cal.  Past.    17 


2S8    COLONIZATION,  PUEBLO  SYSTEM   AND  LAND  GRANTS. 


the  settlers  were  not  willing  or  able  to  comply  with 
the  terms  demanded  in  the  case  of  full  jjranta.  S<»iii(> 
ranchos  ()ccuj)ied  by  sjjecial  pennits  were  subsequently 
taken  from  the  holders  because  needed  by  the  urn- 
sions. 

At  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  there  were 
in  California  eitrlitccn  missions  and  four  pres'uiius 
without  settlers,  but  each  was  intended  to  beeonir  in 
due  time  a  pueblo ;  three  towns  of  Spanlanls,  so  calKd, 
with  alK)ut  100  heads  of  families;  and  finally,  twenty 
or  thirty  men  occupyhig  ranchos  under  provisional 
pennits,  which  involved  no  legal  title  to  the  lands. 
Tlie  Spanish  c6rtes,  in  1813,  passed  a  decree  to  reduce 

f>ublic  lands  to  privates  ownership;  but  this  drdvc. 
ike  another  of  the  same  year  f(f>r  the  seculari/ation  of 
missions,  was  unknown  in  California  before  18*J0,  and 
was  then^fore  ino|»t!rative.  Colonization  rules  wnv 
decreed  by  the  ^[exican  government  on  Novenii»r 
21,1 828,  to  give  effect  to  an  act  of  ctmgress  of  AiiLrust 
18,  1824;  but  they  did  not  authorize  the  distribution 
of  mission  lands.  The  mode  of  granting  lands  to  in- 
dividuals prescribed  by  the  law  was  the  one  ratlirr 
car«>lessly  practised  till  1846.  A  law  of  April  fi,  I  s:!(), 
somewhat  modified  those  of  1824  and  1828,  autlioriz- 
h»g  the  national  goveniment  to  seize  all  lands  re()uiiv(l 
for  national  defences,  and  forbade  frontier  colouiwitioii 
by  f(»reigner8  who  were  citizens  of  an  adjoining  nation. 
In  1822,  after  the  Spanish  sovereignty  had  Ci-asnl. 
th(^  provincial  diputa<Mon  passed  an  act  establisliinj; 
avuntamientos  for  towns,  but  the  chan«je  fr«»m  tin-  old 
syst*!)!  was  only  in  name,  and  in  the  addition  ot  a 
treasurer  and  secretary  to  the  former  list  of  officials. 
After  the  government  of  Mexico  bccanie  centralized. 
and  the  new  rd«rime  took  effect  in  California,  avunta- 
mientos  were  suppressed,  being  replaced  by  justices  ot 
the  peace  and  prefects. 

Monterey,  a  presidio  since  1770,  was  made  a  town 
in  1820.  In  1828,  the  ayuntamiento  adopted  an  (trdi- 
nance  for  the  preservation  of  good  order.     In  1^30, 


ORGANIZATION  OF  PUEBLOS. 


ilio  territorial  diputacion  fixed  the  extent  and  bouii- 
<l;uuH  ot'tlio  town  lands.  I  find  that  Monterey  was, 
ill  1S40,  raist'tl  l)y  tliediputaeion  to  the  rank  i)f  aeity, 
jiiul  ilcc'lared  to  he  the  capital  of  the  then  department 
of  California.  Los  Anjjtelea  had  been,  hv  a  decree  of 
the  Mi'xiean  conj^ress  of  May  23,  1835,  made  not  only 
a  city,  hut  the  capital  of  the  territory,  which  naturally 
caused  nmch  disj>K'asure  among  the  |)eoplc  in  tl 
north,  with  conesjwnding  elation  in  the  south ;  but  as 
the  people  of  Los  Angeles  maik'  no  provision  of  build- 
iii'^s  for  public  uses,  the  matter  dropped  out  of  sight 
for  some  tune.  An  attempt  was  subsecjuently  made 
to  make  that  decree  eflective,  which  failed,  and  it  was 
oiilv  in  1845  that  Los  Auijeles  actually  became  the 
scat  of  government,  renjaining  so  until  the  country 
ctascd  to  be  an  appendage  of  the  Mexican  republic. 
As  a  result  of  the  seiularization  of  the  missions, 
lu  w  pueblos  were  organized,  namely,  San  Juan  de 
AiL,'iu'llo,  Las  Flores,  San  Diegulto,  and  San  Pascual 
ill  the  south,  San  Juan  de  Castro,  San  Francisco,  and 
Siiiionia  in  the  north.  Santa  Biirbara,  the  former 
inesidio,  also  became  a  tt)wn. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 
Qnanto  maa  que  oada  uno  m  hi  jo  <le  mut  obraa. — Cervantei. 

The  theory  of  the  mission  system  was  to  make  tlie 
savages  work  out  their  own  salvation,  and  that  of  tin- 
priests  also.  In  fact,  whatever  work  was  to  be  doiio, 
it  was  foreordained  that  the  natives  should  do  it. 
Work  was  a  necessity  of  civilization.  Souls  to  saw. 
was  a  necessity  of  the  church.  Servants  to  raise 
rattle  and  till  the  laud  was  ever  an  indisponsaMo 
factor  in  missionary  economy.  Here  were  all  tlio 
t'lemeiits  for  a  new  church  mihtant,  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth. 

Since  that  beauteous  mischief,  unreflective  Pandora, 
opened  her  box,  evils  have  been  abroad;  the  "ods 
concealed  our  food,  h«d  from  us  fire,  and  then  decreed 
tliat  we  must  work  to  find  them  if  we  would  not  go 
hungry  and  cold. 

l*ity  the  poor  Spanish  man  who  does  not  like  to 
woikl  The  motto  of  the  Zacatecas  padres,  as  indeed 
of  many  more  modem  churchmeri,  was,  "  Divert  irse 
hoy  que  ya  mafiana  es  otro  dia."  This  California 
<'ountry,  about  as  well  any  could,  suited  the  Moxieaii 
settler,  with  his  inherent  indolence,  relieved  onlv  bv 
slow,  spasmodic  eneivy.  With  the  iichest  of  soil 
around  him,  which  to  the  scratching  of  the  wooden 
plough  would  yield  sixty  and  a  hundred  to  one,  lie 
disdained  tillage,  partly  because  this  labor  had  lietii 
turned  over  to  Indian  serfs,  partly  because  there  was 
no  market  for  cereals.     The  plodding  tasks  and  nar- 

(260) 


OPPOSED  TO  WORK. 


961 


row  confines  of  the  farm  were  not  for  him.  Alore 
suited  to  the  ehivalric  instincts  of  the  Mexican,  com- 
ing to  him  honestly  in  his  Spanish  blood,  wac  general 
(iuiniiiation  over  animals,  with  lordly  command  of 
imn  and  horses  to  aid  him  in  controlling  vast  herds 
and  docks.  It  pleased  him  to  have  at  his  bidding 
11  suite  of  dusky  retainers,  drawn  from  wandering 
trilft's;  for  the  settlers  served  one  another  only  as 
I'rionds  and  brethren,  connected  as  they  often  were 
by  (''»nsanguinity  in  greater  or  smaller  decree. 

With  few  iniiabitants,  and  a  vast  extent  of  country, 
land  was  of  little  value,  and  could  be  occupied  as  fancy 
dictatt^d,  the  stock-raiser  extending  his  range  beyond 
origliml  limits  whenever  the  communal  tract  round 
till'  |)ueblo  became  too  narrow  for  a  rising  ambition. 
Cattle,  indeed,  roamed  in  a  half- wild  state  upon 
the  plains,  and  wiry-limbed,  swift  horses,  of  larger 
>izc  and  1»  nger  neck  than  the  Mexican  prototype, 
wtre  subordinated  at  times  by  nomadic  rt^nclleros. 
Cattle  formed  a  ready  recourse  with  which  to  obtain 
from  flitting  trading  vessels  such  ccmiforts  and  luxuries 
as  i^rowing  taste  suggested.  The  annual  rodeo  con- 
stituted the  stock-taking  period,  when  additions  to  the 
litrds  were  counted  and  branded,  old  marks  inspected, 
and  stragglers  from  adjoining  ranges  restored  to 
claimants.  The  occasion  became  a  rural  festival, 
t'n»m  the  necessary  congregation  of  neighbors  for  mu- 
tual aid  and  8U})ervision  of  interests.  Wives  and  sis- 
tors  lent  their  charms  to  the  meeting,  and  animation 
to  the  scene,  by  inspiring  the  horsemen  to  more  dash- 
ing feats,  either  in  rounding  up  the  herds,  or  dur- 
in<f  the  sports  that  formed  the  appropriate  finale  to 
the  event. 

Tliese  were  the  equestrian  days  of  California.  The 
saddle  was  the  second  and  life-long  cradle  of  the  race. 
Tlie  men  in  walking  grew  awkward,  as  indicated  by 
the  uneven  gait,  attended  by  the  jingling  of  the  im- 
mense spurs  at  the  heels.  Hiding  began  in  early 
childhood.     The   boy,  mounted   by  a  friendly  hand, 


LOTOS-LAND  SOnETY. 


sj)o(J  away  in  exhilarating  race,  whirling  the  lariat  at 
whatsoever  attracted  his  fancy,  and  speedily  acquiring 
skill  for  veritable  game.  The  saddle  hecauie  an  object 
of  dearest  pride,  elaborate  with  stamped  leather  and 
glittering  adornments,  which  extended  from  the  higli 
p(»niniel  to  the  clumsy  wooden  stirrup,  partly  hidden 
by  the  leather  cover  that  shielded  the  foot.  Tlio 
bridle  was  of  braided  rawhide,  with  a  large  and  crud 
bit.  Little  was  thought  of  long  horseback  journeys, 
and  camping  under  the  open  sky,  with  the  saddle  fctr 
a  pilh)w  and  blankets  for  a  cover.  The  horse  might 
be  exchanged  from  among  the  bands  roaming  in  all 
directions.  Even  the  women  preferred  riding  to  driv- 
ing in  the  clumsy,  springless  carretas,  with  frames  df 
rawhide,  and  sections  of  logs  for  wheels.  Wagon- 
roads  did  not  exist.  When  women  rode,  they  would 
•icnerally  be  seated  in  front  of  their  cavalier,  shacUd 
by  his  huge  sombrero. 

The  Californian  ever  aspired  to  gallantry;  with  a 
graceful  figure,  when  mounted,  he  was  well  favorccl. 
Latin  peoples  are  more  demonstrative  in  their  ma  li- 
ners than  Anglo-SaxonsJ  more  picturesque  in  their 
politeness.  The  common  jjeople  are  more  cordial, 
and  the  better  bred  young  men  more  gallant.  To 
French  politeness  Spaniards  add  chivalrous  courtesy. 
With  only  a  lasso  for  a  weapon,  he  ranked  not  as  a 
soklier,  but  was  not  the  less  venturesome  and  dashini; 
in  facing  wild  herds,  in  bearding  the  grizzly,  in  moiiiit- 
inu:  and  taming  the  wild  horse.  Frank  and  <j[«»i'd- 
natured,  polite  and  ever  punctilious,  he  proved  a  yeod 
friend  and  admirable  host,  until  checked  somewhat  in 
certain  directions  by  the  rebuff  and  deception  on  the 
part  of  blunt  and  grasping  foreigners.  Spoiled  pai  tly 
l)y  bountiful  nature,  he  yielded  his  best  efforts  to 
j)rofitless  pursuits,  heedless  of  the  morrow.  Moved 
by  impulses  which  soon  evaporated,  his  energy  wan 
both  unsustained  and  misdirected,  and  he  fell  a  leady 
prey  to  unscrupuh)us  schemers.  He  lived  for  the 
enjoyment  of  the  hour,  in  reverie  or  sfxirt,  rejnii  iiig 


RELIGION  AND  LAZINESS. 


2G3 


(>•(  1(1(1 


vliut  ill 

on  till' 

|)jirtly 

:)rts   to 

Moved 

y  was 

iviuly 

lor   the 
.j,. icing 


in  bull-fighting  and  bear-baiting,  eager  fur  the  chase 
as  for  the  fandango,  and  sustaining  the  Hagging  ex- 
citement with  ganibhng,  winning  or  losing  with  an 
iiui)eiturbability  little  in  accord  with  his  othi'iwiso 
movable  nature;  yet  he  gambled  for  excitement,  while 
tlie  foreigner,  who  freely  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in 
round  oaths  or  ejaculations,  was  impelled  mainly  by 
avarice, 

Sunday  ni(-rning  was  spent,  where  possible,  in  de- 
votion, with  senses  quickened  to  loftier  feelings  i>y 
tlie  solemnity  of  the  place,  the  illuniinat'.  u  splendor 
(»f  the  altar,  the  beauty  of  the  chant,  the  awe-imposing 
ritual.  This  duty  was  quite  irksome,  however,  in- 
volving as  it  did  so  great  a  restraint.  After  service, 
amends  were  made,  the  remainder  of  the  day  being 
passed  in  active  games  or  social  entertainments.  The 
load  of  sins  renu)ved  by  penance  or  confession,  the 
soul  was  ready  to  take  on  a  fresh  load  of  iniquity,  to  be 
as  easily  removed  another  day.  And  when  in  winter 
time  the  sun  hurried  the  day  along,  and  night  slack- 
I'licd  its  pace,  then  lovers  met.  The  old  fashioned 
rule  in  Spain  was  that  a  kiss  was  equivalent  to  be- 
trothal; but  there  were  here  many  kisses  for  (ivery 
httrothal,  and  many  betrothals  for  every  marriage, 
and  sometimes  a  marriage  without  a  priest.  The 
i,MiiUir  and  violin  were  in  constant  use,  the  players 
Ixiiig  always  ready  for  dance  and  song,  the  simple 
music  being  usually  mrrli^t)  by  a  plaintive  strain.  The 
sillying  was  frequently  improvised,  especially  in  honor 
of  ^Micsts,  or  in  sa.<  astie  j»lay  upon  men  and  events. 

Lazy  some  of  them  might  be,  and  were;  day  after 
day,  at  morning  and  at  night,  lazily  they  told  their 
rosary,  lazily  attended  mass,  and  lazily  ate  and  slept. 
TIk  y  were  as  sleepy,  and  indcdent,  and  amorous,  as  if 
tilt  y  ft'd  exclusively  on  mandrakes.  But  the  languor 
ortiiimi  was  not  common  with  them.  They  could  do 
iiotliing  easily  and  not  tire  of  it.  Theirs  was  that 
abiHumity  wherein  rest  was  the  natural  condition. 

Sujiremest  happiness  was  theirs;  the  happiness  that 


S64 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY, 


I 


knows  no  wan  i;,  that  harbors  no  unattainable  longing, 
no  lU'siros  that  might  not  be  gratified,  tiie  hai)pine^a 
of  i«j;M()ranro,  of  absence  of  pain.  Nor  might  it  trutli- 
fully  be  «aid  of  them  that  theirs  was  only  a  ncgativi; 
happiru'ss.  Was  it  not  happinensto  breathe  the  intoxi- 
cating air,  to  revel  in  health  and  plenty,  to  bask  in 
the  Hunshine  and  fatten  on  luscious  fruits,  to  enjoy 
all  of  (lod's  best  gifts  uncursed,  in  their  Eden  to  pos- 
sess their  souls  in  peace?  And  of  the  doings  of  tlie 
outer  world,  of  past  ages,  of  t)rogress-  —these  are  not 
happiness;  does  not  knowleclge  bring  with  it  vastly 
more  of  pain  than  pleasure?  Yet  sadness  they  were 
not  wlu>lly  free  from;  a  shade  of  ntelanchoiy  is  ehar- 
acteristie  of  tlieir  features.  But  what  of  that  {  1  )()<•« 
not  the  serenest  joy  often  spring  from  quiet  hiarts, 
and  sad  thoughts  find  expression  in  sweetest  song? 

There  were  not  lacking  verse-makers  among  tht  in, 
though  in  poetry  no  attempt  was  made  to  achieve  the 
upper  regions  of  Parnussus,  their  half-Hedged  muse 
bring  apparently  content  to  flutter  round  the  moun- 
tains bare. 

Like  their  language,  the  Spanish  are  a  pontic, 
rytiimic  people;  yet  stern,  majestic,  and  with  a  nnl.in- 
eholy  tone.  In  their  softer  moods  they  are  toiuii- 
ingly  sweet  and  tender,  but  when  roused  their  tongut; 
is  ttrrible. 

The  empirical  law  of  human  nature,  which  asserts 
that  youth  is  impetuous  and  old  age  cautious,  finds  in 
the  nispano-('alifornians  an  exception;  the  yoiing 
men  were  impetuous,  tiiul  the  old  men  scanrly  1<  s.s 
so.  A  life-long  expeii«  nee  failed  to  generate  circum- 
spection. 

Though  bursting  with  conditions  favorable  to  wealth, 
tlnrc  was  c(»n>paratively  little  wealth  in  the  land. 
(Jold  lay  Kcatteri'd  in  tlie  streams  and  imbeddid  in 
the  crevices  of  t!»e  Sierra  foothills,  and  the  vall<  vs 
W«'re  fat  with  grain-producing  soil.  Yet  there  la«  kid 
the  applied  labor  that  should  turn  thest^  resoun-es  into 
tangible  riches.     Some,  nevertheles.s,  actpiired  what 


POVERTY  AND  PLEASURE. 


26ft 


mijjfht  be  called  wealth  in  those  days,  though  not  by 
voluntarily  saving  j>art  of  their  earnings,  but  bocaUKe 
tin  y  could  not  spend  their  accumulations.  They  did 
not  love  money.  Any  time  they  would  fwmr  out  a 
•gallon  of  it  for  a  pint  of  pleasure;  but  the  trouble  was 
too  often  that  there  was  nothing  to  buy. 

Lifo  then  was  uidike  any  of  the  n)<»dificationH  of 
feudal  Europe;  it  was  unlike  the  fixtrl  features  of 
Oriental  8(»cit'ty,  the  nomadic  communities  of  Arabia, 
the  aristocrtitic  tribes  of  America,  or  any  of  tin;  great 
tyi>es  of  human  society,  aboriginal  or  cohmial,  that 
liad  ever  before  existed.  Idleness  there  (li<l  not  seem 
to  visit  tiie  people  with  its  usual  curse.  Firmly 
enough  they  held  that  pleasure,  up  to  a  certain  point, 
must  be  classed  among  the  utilities,  as  well  as  ph>ugli- 
iii.;  <»r  siieep-raising,  for  witlnjut  enj«>yment  tiie  race 
would  speedily  tlegentsrate. 

The  products  of  these  engendering  conditions  were 
<i  (  le  most  material  and  practical  kind,  such  as  werts 
\\raith  and  wealth  producing.  As  the\'  w«'re  not 
liti'^eiy  exciianged  for  mone}',  silk,  foreign  wine,  and 
toliacco.  not  sunk  or  squandercil  in  these  things,  thry 
\vt  re  left  to  increa.s»%  which  they  did  rapidly.  All 
were  productive  consumers  as  well  as  productive 
ialiorers.  Ijittle  was  lost  or  sijuandered  in  luxuries 
11  |»leasures.  Luxury  and  pleasure  then;  v»'ere  an 
al»ini(laneo  of,  but  thi>y  were  of  such  a  character  as 
not  to  be  (l«>pen«li'nt  U]>on  money  or  wealth. 

N  tars  passed  by  with  never  a  broken  siesta  of  priest 
(tr  <'oMiandante,  with  never  a  n(»on  dav  <listurl>aiM'e, 
iiii'Mav  and  midnight  were  alike  saen-d  to  slumber. 

Though  farming  was  limited,  their  wants  being  not 
oxtensiv*'  in  this  direction,  und  the  «'are  of  horses  and 
cjittie  claiming  the  most  attentiiui,  yet  seed-time  uiul 
li.irvest  were  epochs  in  their  (juiet  lives,  and  sonie- 
tiiih-»  pruning  and  vintage,  for  in  due  time  the  padres 
liiitl  Well  Hlh'd  wine-cellars,  in  the  disposition  of  which 
tiny  themselves  wei'e  not  their  worst  custuners.  In 
tilt  if  farming  operations,  as  in  everything  else,  they 


LOTOS  LAND  SOCIETY. 


lu'ld,  with  Hesiod,  to  their  lucky  and  unhieky  days. 
The  old  men  saw  visions,  the  young  men  dreanud 
dreams.  Nor  were  women  old  or  younj.?  without  tiieir 
schemes — innocent  and  childlike  littU-  [dots  they  wvrv ; 
not  hloodless,  indeed,  for  tiie  blood  of  young  men  and 
maidens  is  rich  and  warm;  but  there  was  little  uf 
blood-spilling  in  these  dreams  and  sehemes  other  than 
the  blood  of  bullocks  fat  for  feasting. 

Living  thus  surrounded  by  such  scenes  of  natural 
beauty,  amidst  olive  orchards  and  vineyards,  evtr 
looking  forth  from  sunny  slopes  on  the  iuiglit  waters 
of  bay  and  sea,  living  so  nmch  in  the  oj)en  air  witli 
higli  exhilaration  and  healthful  exercise,  many  a  yoimg 
woman  jjlowcd  in  her  lustrous  boautv,  and  many  a 
young  man  unfolded  as  perfect  as  A|)ollo.  Even  the 
old  were  cheerful,  strong,  and  young  in  spirit. 

Gatiiered  at  theii  festivals,  it  might  be  said  of  the 
as8end)lv  as  some  one  said  of  the  lonians  Ljathercd  it 
DvV>s.  so  fresh  and  blooming  were  they,  as  if  blessed 
with  endless  youth.  And  indeed,  life  here  was  ahn.'st 
like  a  returning  «)f  the  world  to  its  infancy;  a  r<tui  i~ 
ing  of  mankind  to  artless,  thoughtless  boyh.od,  whrn 
science  held  little  sway,  and  men  lived  sim[)le  lives, 
and  excess  of  piety  and  excess  of  culture  had  ni»t 
sobered  the  mind  and  made  serious  tiie  art  <»f  living. 
It  was  almost  as  in  the  early  days  of  (jireec(.\  \vh<n 
religion  was  i»ut  a  \'.\c  of  tlie  beautiful;  when  every 
star  was  tenanted  by  a  god,  and  every  stieain  was 
made  to  move  and  sing  by  some  laugliter-loving 
nvmpli;  when  Jove  himself  hurled  tlie  thunder  ami 
Hashed  the  lightning,  an',1  made  tlie  <  louds  to  nid'e, 
such  things  as  laws  of  nature  being  yet  uid/card  ef. 
And  of  the  young  women  at  work,  one  miglit  alnmst 
iinaLane  them  the  princess  Nausiiaa  and  her  maidens, 
washing  in  the  streaui  the  hous<'hold  linen,  stani|'inLj 
it  clean  with  their  )>retiy  l>are  feet,  and  ending  tiieir 
labors  with  ball-ganie  and  Uincjuet.  l^y  tht'ir  l»ehi!\ii>r 
one  would  think  they  were  Imrn  in  tht;  silver  age  <t 
Hesiod,  wlu'ii  childliood  lusted  for  a  hundred  Mars, 


DECLINE  OF  SAVA(;ISM. 


2C7 


[lays. 

tlifir 
\\vi\' ; 
i\  and 
tie  of 
'  than 

atural 

,    t'VtT 

watfis 
r  witli 
young 
luny  a 
on  tli»! 

of  the 
iTcd  it 
bleSM'd 
« ahu''>t 

r-'tui  i~ 

I,  Wli-'U 
u\    II' 't, 

>,  wlu'U 
n  evt  ry 
mi  Nv;'^ 
i-lovin;4 
(1.  r  am! 

eavd  <>t. 
t  ahii"»t 
iiaidfiis, 
i,uiH>iii:^ 

11.4  thrir 

K'lli!vi"r 

,,.  ajfr  .  f 
d  years, 


fur  none  of  these  were  one  hundred,  and  tliey  all  acted 
like  children. 

As  nature  grows,  so  grows  man's  uitelligencc ;  as 
nature  speaks,  so  speaks  the  lieart  of  man.  The  hinl 
sinijfs,  and  man  prays;  human  lift;,  like  leaves,  ennics 
and  "^otis,  and  no  one  kni>w.s  whence  orwJiither.  1'liat 
which  built  mountains  builds  churches;  seas  and  for- 
ests, like  nations,  are  born  and  die;  that  wliieh  unfolds 
the  hidden  seed  unfolds  the  germ  of  intellect;  nature 
antl  man--wild  man  or  tam«'d  -arc  one,  and  all  alike 
are  but  blind  chance  or  the  developtnent  of  infinite 
thttugiit. 

In  America,  wherever  tlie  European  plants  himself, 
tli«'  native  is  overshadowed.  And  tlu;  lower  in  the 
sciile  of  l)umanit.y  he  is,  the  quicker  lie  dies.  No  )>(•!>- 
}'K'  have  longer  endured  the  intimate  contact  of  Kuro- 
jicans  than  the  Nahuas  of  the  Mexican  tabh-huid. 
T!ie  Tasmanians  Iiave  gone,  and  the  Australians,  the 
\t w  ZralaiukTs,  and  the  llawalians  are  fast  going. 
Our  fond,  our  <lrink,  our  <lolheH,  our  shelter,  (»iir 
I'iitv.  our  crucltv,  our  diseases  -  all  tetid  to  wa.stc 
ih.  in  away.  Being  intellectually  vnak  and  inferittr, 
tin  y  sink  into  the  earth  beside;  their  neighbor  of  ranker 
iii(!i\  !<luality. 

Tiikf  from  the  mountains  or  prairies  hardy  wild 
c.ittir;  c(»ntine,  \'vct\,  and  fatt«n  them,  and  they  aic 
tlic  first  to  fall  before  somi-  riiiderpest.  Wild  in-asts 
iit'Vtrean  be  made  to  \v oik  beside  domesticated  iini- 
ni.ijs.  \  civilized  horse  would  kill  a  do/i-n  of  the 
um.inied  kind  at  ploughing,  whereas,  fret.',  the  wilil 
liuis,,.  Would  soon  run  the  tanie  one  to  death  on  the 
l>r;iiri('s.  (.)ur  })resent  civilization  te!i<ls  to  toughen 
nun;  it  does  not  enervate  antl  degrade,  like  that  <if 
aii'icnt  (jireoce  and  Kome.  In  Spain,  in  Sieily,  and 
ill  <  Jual,  the  barbarian  with  the  Jloman  endured,  'fhe 
ti'iitfu  t  was  i)enefieial  rather  than  prejutjieial  t(»  both 
I'Mihaii.oi  ami  IJoman.  Jhit  then,  tliese  barbariaiis 
vv'  ic  nttt  exactly  .ravages,  nor  wen^  the  Romans  then 
t'l'  hardy,  warliki^  pettple  tliey  once  were. 


m 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


'f'i 


The  savage  is  not  so  far  removed  from  us  as  we 
may  at  first  suppose.  All  are  childron  of  one  eojiinmn 
futlier;  and  weighed  in  the  great  balance  of  life  and 
immortality,  the  primitive  man  will  if  anything  turn 
tiio  scale.  Every  one  of  the  great  blessings  upon 
which  civilization  so  prides  itself  carries  with  it  to 
some  extent  a  counteracting  curse.  Man,  in  emerging 
from  a  savage  state,  has  nmch  to  give  up.  The  rv- 
strainfy  of  civilized  life  to  the  savage  are  like  prison 
walls.  He  caimot  jump  at  once  from  unbounded  lib- 
erty, from  perfect  fn-edoni  in  tlioughtand  action,  from 
health  and  the  full  enjr*yment  of  nature,  into  the 
F trait-jacket  (»f  forms  and  refinements,  without  un- 
derj^.Mng  a  severe  struggle.  Tbe  growth  must  bo 
gra<luai.  The  seed  cannot  at  once  be  transformed  into 
a  tree,  rjor  tlie  child  into  the  man.  fJvery  attcnii't 
that  has  ever  yet  been  made  to  abruptly  cluiugo 
the  life  and  condition  of  the  Indian  has  proved  a  fail- 
ure. Even  the  catholic  fathers  in  California,  actuated 
by  th«>  kindest  motives,  devoting  their  lives  to  the 
amelioration  of  one  of  the  most  abject  races  of  the 
World,  raising  tlieni  from  a  condition  of  nakidness, 
hun;.r'  '•,  want,  and  exj>osure,  and  comfortably  clothing, 
Iioijoiiig,  and  fei'ding  them,  were  doomed  to  see  them 
gradually  i\u\e  away.  They  can  no  more  endure 
kindi«KH  than  cru«lty. 

Their  sonjjs  of  native  rdadness  were  changed  to 
minor  moods,  as  they  were  made  to  sit  in  sackcloth, 
and  cry  peccavi ! 

The  savages  are  great  itnitators;  and  once  tlie 
missionaries  succeeded  in  gaining  their  good-will,  they 
soon  were  full  of  some  kind  of  enthusiasm,  they  hardly 
knew  what.  These  strange  white  men  they  felt  to 
be  their  superior,  hence  to  do  as  they  did  soon  became 
the  fashion  among  them,  even  to  falling  down  and  wt>r- 
shipping  a  snint-figure  with  crucifix  and  skull,  glaring 
down  upon  them  from  the  church  wall  —eertyjiinly  no 
small  tax  upon  the  credulity  of  the  wavaj^e  or  civiii;<kd 
mind. 


LATIN  AND  AMERICAN  RACES. 


969 


19  we 

imn»ii 
e  and 

turn 

upon 

it.  to 
jrginjr 
lie  w- 
prison 
A  lU)- 
I,  from 
to  tlio 

lit    Ull- 

ast   1)0 
ed  into 
.ttcnipt 
chanjj^e 
I  a  lail- 
ctuatvd 
to  the 
of  the 
I'dness, 
othin*,', 
e  them 
endure 

ured    to 
'kcloth, 

hoe    the 
lilhthry 
lianlly 
felt  to 
l)(H^ftiue 

|,nd  wor- 
gh\rinjr 

iiinly  no 
civih^*  d 


So  far  as  the  natives  were  concerned,  between  tho 
fathers  spiritual  and  the  soldiers  temporal  it  was  an 
absolute  despotism  they  were  under,  with  no  inter- 
mediate class  between  the  rulers  and  the  ruled;  and 
if  they  avoided  Scylla  the  g«»vernment,  they  were 
sure  to  fall  on  Charybdis  the  church. 

The  natives  were  of  necessity  forced  to  obey  their 
Kf)intual  advisers,  and  indeed,  soldiers  of  the  presidio, 
and  citizens  of  the  pueblo,  rancheros,  vatjueroa,  and 
loinijrrre,  were  all  subject  to  a  mild  clerical  espionage. 
]irt\v(.'en  the  intellectual  caliber  of  the  missionaries 
and  that  of  tho  natives  there  was  a  great  difference, 
with  no  intermediate  cla.ss.  It  was  the  cunniitg  of 
livilization,  the  cunning  of  Christianity,  the  ('unning 
of  zealous,  st'lf-dt.'voted  fanaticism,  in  close  and  deadly 
fontaxt  with  savage  simplicity.  Had  there  been  any 
to  stand  between  them,  any  to  question  thi;  one  as 
to  thi-  validity  of  his  pn.'tensitms  and  encourage  the 
other  to  disobedience,  the  missionaries  never  would 
have  succetjded. 

Natural  advantages  eXv-rcise  a  powerful  inHuenco 
upon  a  people,  particularly  where  they  are  indige- 
nous. }iut  those  countrii'S  possessing  the  greatest 
ad\antages  of  sttil  and  climate  do  nt)t  always  produce 
till-  greatest  people.  Of  en«'rgy  there  was  enough 
among  the  Spanish  colonists,  but  it  was  of  that 
.-pasmodic  kind  which  aroused  by  passion  subsides 
iM-tbre  beneficial  results  are  secured.  It  was  the  \ery 
opposite  of  tha+.  tenacious  and  stubborn  piinelplc 
wiiirli  governed  the  A)iglo-Saxons  in  Anieriea,  whose 
p;(ti»  nt  and  self-denviny:  industrv  laid  the  roundutit)ns 
of"  >iij»erior  political  institutions. 

Roth  Indian  and  S[>aniiud  wvm  alike  in  natural 
iiie!  deuce,  love  of  luxury,  fondness  for  anmsement,  and 
hatred  of  menial  oeeupations.  Both  would  undergo 
l!>e  greatt^st  hardships  without  a  murnuir;  1  ut  when 
til'-  j>as.sion  had  cooled,  or  when  the  exigency  which 
tailed  forth  these  spasms  of  energy  luvd  passed,  there 
came  a  reaction  in  which  indulgence  was  in  as  great 


270 


LOraS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


I 


excess  as  the  discipline  had  been  severe.  For  i\u' 
C(»iitiiiU()us  a[>plicati<m  of  those  faculties  of  body  and 
niiml  which  alone  achieve  permanent  ffreatness,  the; 
Latin  races  were  children  beside  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

For  a  time  few  forei<4;ru'rH  were  liere,  the  population 
lu'inLf  chieHy  Indian  and  Mexican,  with  presently  in 
tenninablo  uitermixtures.  All  othors  were  rt'}j;ai«l«(l 
with  more  or  less  sua[)icion,  and  wtTe  plainly  made  to 
understand  that  their  presence  was  not  desired,  unl<  ss 
they  would  become  catholics,  and  marry  a  woman  of 
the  country,  which  indeed  many  did. 

Across  the  mountains  came  the  uncouth  sons  of 
the  Saxons.  At  one  time  in  all  the  mi.ssion  churcjies 
te  deum  was  sung  for  divine  Interposition  to  save  tl it- 
country  from  the  Americans.  And  when  the  sttjiii 
gers  came,  all  along  this  line  of  mis.sions  the  past  was 
there;  these  buildings  mi;j:ht  be  a  thousand  yenrs  old, 
howsoever  virgin  the  country.  Innnigration  brought 
imiovation,  st«>amboats  and  stage-coaches  W(!re  tlic 
curse  convtn'ing  to  silent  ranchos  and  sleep}'  pii('l»|<N 
vagabonds  and  sharpers.  As  a  rule,  there  was  im 
public  house  in  these  towns ;  such  things  were  uii- 
lu'eded  where  hospitidity  only  placed  the  di.stril)Utiir 
under  obligations. 

A  bitter  feeling  sprang  uji  early  between  the  Cali- 
fornians  and  the  Mexican  govermnent,  resulting  f'n>iii 
the  policy  of  the  latter  to  turn  their  country  into  a 
H-nal  colonv  for  Mexican  convicts.  This  disi)leasun) 
)eeame  further  increased  wiieii  the  governm<'nt  iv- 
8olve<l  to  fill  all  the  otheial  po.sUions  with  Mexicans, 
to  the  exclusion  of  Californians.  This  feeling  sonii 
grew  to  oi»e  of  hostility  towanl  the  p«'oplo  of  MexiiM, 
or,  as  they  were  called,j"los  de  la  otra  ban<la."  *'Thi' 
be.st  of  the  Mexicans  among  us,"  saya  Alvirailo, 
**Wi'r(!  insulting  and  otfeiisise  and  W(>re  far  more  cd- 
dially  hated  than  any  foreigmrs."  Alvarado  had 
onc<*  inflicted  chastisement  witli  his  own  hands,  on  a 
Mexican  schoolmate  named  Kouiero,  for  making  in- 


CAUFORNIANS  VERSUS  MEXICANS. 


m 


suiting  remarks  on  tho  dress  of  the  administration  of 
wliic'li  lie  was  a  meiiiher.  A  (juarrel  hctwotn  Alva- 
railo  and  Alfurez  Pliejj^o  was  another  event  }j[r«»winj^ 
out  of  the  sectional  liatred.  The  character  and  con- 
duct of  the  battalion  of  cholos,  brought  by  (Jcneral 
^fiilu'ltorena  in  1842,  capped  the  climax,  cxaspcrnt- 
liii,^  the  Californians  to  open  rebellion,  for  the 
sdlcUers  were  not  only  vicious  and  a  disgrace  to 
tlie  service,  but  altogether  useless,  and  a  burdefi 
which  the  slightly  developed  country  ct)uld  ill  sup- 
port. 

Said  JostS  do  Jesus  Vallejo  to  Cerruti:  "CJeneral 
Mieheltorena  sent  to  Mexico,  by  Coronel  Telle/,  a 
1>  ison  in  whom  he  placed  full  confidence,  st^veral  otfi- 
( iai  notes  addressed  to  the  minister  of  war  of  the 
Mexican  republic,  demanding  of  him  assistance  to 
fi^^Iit  the  Californians,  whom  he  repri'sented  as  un- 
w.iithy  of  his  confidence,  because  they  were  unit<'d  i»y 
iiiasduie  bonds  and  all  conspired  against  him.  I  be- 
lieve tluit  Oeiu'ral  Michelhnvna  would  have  done  a 
>rre!it  deal  better  if  he  had  franklv  c()nfessed  that  tho 
siiltliers  under  his  orders  were  tliieves  and  not  militiiry 
men.  and  such  a  pack  of  cowar<ls  that  our  raneheros, 
iiiHimted  on  their  horses,  carrying  in  t]i«'ir  arms  their 
_\niiMg  chlMren,  fought  one  against  three,  and  van- 
Muislied  them."  Tlu'  foUowinix  ^vill  ijive  some  id<.a  of 
what  tiie  (juarr«>l  was  eom|)osed  of: 

(Jeiieral  Micheltorena's  «)tlieers,  wiili  a  few  lioiiora- 
hle  exceptions,  were  corrupt  and  altogether  l)a(l. 
Colonel  (hirfias,  an  old  veteran,  who  had  beeu  a[>- 
poiiited  < onnnander  of  the  battalion,  refused  the  com- 
iiiaiid,  and  told  the  general:  "^fost  of  your  officers 
are  a  miserable  set.  If  you  send  tliem  to  buy  six 
jLiKe  \\(»rth  of  cigarettes,  they  will  lose  the  coin." 
Among  them  was  a  Lieutinmnt  Aguado,  whoso 
Sf-rvant  was  a  choU>  soldier.  The  latter  was  i'oming 
Hem  tli(!  direction  of  the  orchards — in  Los  Angeles, — • 
\vni|ipr(l  in  a  striped  woolen  bl.mket,  and  meeting 
the  lieutenant,  oitened  his  wraj)  a  Utth!  to  show  the 


tw 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


I 


head  of  a  largo  turkey,  and  said,  "My  lieutenant,  see 
what  a  fine  viohn  (base  viol)  I  have  with  me."  "  That 
is  ri«;fht,  my  son,  take  it  to  my  (juarters,"  aiiHWcrtd 
Aguado,  who  well  knew  he  would  have  for  his  dinner 
a  good  share  of  the  stolen  turkey. 

Manuel  Requena,  a  citizen  of  Los  Angeles,  notified 
Alcalde  Coronel  in  1842  that  his  poultry  yard  liad 
been  robbed  of  a  number  of  turkeys,  and  that  he  had 
reason  to  believe  the  thieves  were  some  of  Michrl- 
torena's    lambs.      An    Indian  woman  identified  om- 
of  them    at    the    barracks.     On    being  asked   what 
had    become   of    the   turkey,    he   answered   witli  u 
question  and  a  reply  thereto.     Didn't  you  rect-ive  a 
nice  little  stew  from  my  woman?     And  you  ate  it? 
So  did  I  and  my  companions.     He  alleged  not  havin.; 
stoK'n  the  turkey,  and  explained  the  pnK'ess  by  wliidi 
he  came  to  have  it,  drawmg  out  of  his  ix)cket  a  line;  at 
th(5  end  of  wliich  were  several  pieces  of  criKiked  ncedl*  s 
securing  a  number  of  grains  t)f  com.     He  added  tint 
it  was  a  way  he  had  of  anmsing  himself,  and  in  passin ,' 
liequena's  house,  he  threw  those  little  gniins  on  tlu' 
other  side  of  the  fence  to  see  if  he  could  catch  somo 
crows  or  other  birds.     Presently  he  felt  a  pulling  ;»t 
the  line,  whereupon  he  slowly  and  carefully  dnw  it 
to  himself,  fearing  that  the  line  might  jwirt;  finally  Ik- 
discovered  that   the  violincito  had   entangled  its.  If. 
He  then  wrapped  it  up  in  his  serajx),  judging  tliat  it 
was  his  by  rij'ht   of  conquest.     Being   told  by   lis 
coK>nel  that  this  was  theft,  he  answered  that  he  had 
always  understood  theft  to  be  takhig  things  wltlxiut 
tlieir  owner's  consent;  but  in  the  present  case   tin- 
little  animal  had  come  to  him  of  its  own  accord.    Tlii^ 
ingenious  pleadhi^  did  not,  however,  save  him  fr 'in 
tlie  punishment,  m  the  form  of  blowe  with  witln  s. 
that  his  commander  ordered  applied  to  his  bare  Imrk. 

The  first  foreigners  wlio  established  theins.l\rs 
among  the  Californians  wcsre  regarded  by  those  wlif 
came  later  from  Mexico  as  renegades  and  apostat»\s 
or  even  traitors  to  their  countrymen.     They  ac(  u^ccl 


CUAILVCTER  OF  THE  CAUFORXIAXS. 


flit 


tlitin  of  secrotly  plottiu«^  for  their  expulsion,  foarlii<^ 
that  their  aseeiMleiiey  over  tlu;  MexicauH  was  in  <lan- 
ifrv  nt'ljein}^  sliarutl  or  ilestroyetl  l>y  the  poor  i)Ut  liolj 
ami  entcrprisinyf  settlers  who  were  beginning  to  reach 
tin  country.  The  majority  of  tliesc  older  eniiijfranta 
hail  (••tntornieti  to  the  catholic  rclijifion,  anil  were  ac- 
customed to  «)ut-Mexican  the  Mexicans  in  <lrinkin<^, 
;^aiiil>liii|L;,  and  fandan;^oin<;,  that  they  might  ohtain 
t'iiNof  of  the  Californians,  and  l)ecome  traitors  in  the 
eycH  of  the  minnows  of  Mexico — the  female  minnows 
e8jMcially. 

The  character  of  the  Californians  was  what  in 
tilt'  main  would  be  called  ufo<xl — mild,  well-meaning 
iiiough,  though  not  very  pronounced.  They  hail  re- 
it  ivcd  l)ut  little  training,  scarcely  any  education,  yet 
tin  V  jMtssessed  virtues  worthy  of  record.  They  were 
kiiitl-hcarted  and  liberal;  a  person  c«>uld  travel  from 
Sail  Diego  to  Sonoma  without  a  coin  in  his  pocket,  and 
IKV(  !•  want  for  a  roof  to  cover  him,  a  bed  to  sleep  on, 
loud  to  eat,  and  even  tobacco  to  smoke.  Serrano  says 
in  Iraxclling  he  once  came  to  the  house  of  some  juior 
|ico|i|<'  who  had  but  one  bed;  this  they  wished  to  give 
liim  and  sleep  themselves  on  hides  s|>read  on  the 
j,nnun(l.  The  guest  resisted,  until  they  considered 
tiicmstlves  slighted,  and  he  was  forced  to  yield.  This 
liii>|»itality  was  not  only  extended  to  acijuaintances, 
hut  to  strangers;  and  if  any  one  attempted  to  pay  for 
St  ivices  rendered,  the  poorest  Californian  would  never 
actt  pt  any  reward,  but  would  say,  "Senor,  we  are 
not  ill  the  habit  of  selling  food." 

"  ( )ii  arriving  at  a  ranclio,"  savs  Arnaz,  "  the  traveller 
was  received  with  joy,  and  the  best  things  were  |»re- 
jian  (I  for  him,  with  horses  and  servants  on  leaving. 
K\(  II  their  beds  were  given  up.  When  the  missions 
tinuiished  a  man  could  travel  from  one  end  of  Califor- 
nia to  the  other,  obtaining  horses,  servants,  food,  etc., 
without  cost  to  him,  and  this  hospitality  was  kept  up, 
or  iicaily  so,  by  rancheros  after  the  decline  of  the  mis- 

CaL.  Takt.    18 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


IIM    1112,5 


112 


IM 


2.2 


12.0 


1.4    ill  1.6 


V] 


<? 


/^ 


^» 


-> 


/ 


'/ 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER  N.Y.  14580 

I  716)  872-4503 


4^ 


% 


L^ 


^ 


^v 


ll 


274 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


sions.'  Some  of  Belden's  party  reached  Aguirro's 
ranoho  unable  to  speak  Spanish,  and  hardly  knowing 
how  to  get  along.  He  made  signs  for  food.  The 
Californians  lassoed  a  bullock,  killing  it,  and  UAd 
them  to  leave  the  hide  and  take  as  much  meat  as 
they  wanted,  and  refused  to  accept  pay. 

Every  man  travelling  carried  his  scrape,  whicli 
served  him  well  in  rainy  or  cold  weather;  at  night 
it  was  a  covering  to  sleep  under.  He  could  always 
count  upon  a  hide  to  lie  on  in  the  common  house;?, 
and  a  simple  bed  in  those  of  the  better  class. 

At  the  missions  the  same.  The  traveller  being  fed 
was  lodged  in  the  guest's  apartment;  his  horse  was 
taken  care  of,  and  when  he  departed  he  was  given 
provisions  for  the  remainder  of  his  journey.  If  liis 
horse  was  tired  out,  he  was  given  another,  until  such 
time  as  he  returned  to  exchange  it  for  his  own.  "  And 
so,"  says  Robinson,  "any  stranger  travelling  throut,']! 
the  country  could  stop  at  any  one  of  the  missions  as 
long  as  he  pleased — for  months,  if  he  chose;  his  plate 
would  always  bo  laid  at  table,  and  every  possible  at- 
tention paid  to  him.  When  ready  to  leave,  all  he  liad 
to  do  was  to  tell  the  padres,  and  his  horses  would  he 
ready,  with  a  guide,  and  provisions  for  the  road,  which 
were  generally  a  chicken  or  two,  a  boiled  tongue,  a  loaf 
of  bread,  boiled  eggs,  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  a  bottle  of 
brandy,  and  the  traveller  was  at  no  expense  whatever." 
A  gentleman  bummer,  as  the  slang  of  to-day  would 
have  it,  could  thus  spend  a  lifetime  going  round  from 
mission  to  mission,  and  be  always  well  received,  and 
all  free  of  charge.  He  must  have  a  constitution  that 
could  endure  some  religion,  however.  The  padres 
were  always  glad  to  have  strangers  come. 

"It  is  a  proverb  here,"  Bidwell  remarks  in  1841, 
"and  I  find  a  pretty  true  one,  that  a  Spaniard  will 
not  do  anything  which  he  cannot  do  on  horseback. 
He  does  not  work,  perhaps,  on  an  average  one  month 
in  tlie  year.  He  labors  about  a  week  when  he  sows 
his  wheat,  and  another  week  when  he  harvests  it;  the 
rest  of  the  time  is  spent  in  riding  about." 


PHYSIQUE. 


275 


'  knowing 

,od.     The 

and   told 

\  meat  as 

,pe,  which 
,  at  ni<iht 
ild  always 
on  houses, 

IS. 

r  being  fed 

,  horse  was 

was  given 

ey.     11'  l»i^ 
•,  until  such 

)wn.    "A»<^ 
ing  through 
missions  as 
ic;  his  ])latc 
possible  at- 
|e,  all  he  had 
^es  wouhl  he 
road,  which 
ongue,  ali>af 
Id  a  bottle  of 
[e  whatever. 
io-day  would 
round  from 
.'cceivcd,  and 
ftitution  that 
The   padies 


Both  the  men  and  women  were  quite  fine-looking, 
tall,  robust,  well-made,  handsome  in  feature,  and 
lualthy  in  appearance.  There  was  here  a  greater 
pnrity  of  race  than  in  Mexico.  Many  of  the  women 
were  as  fair  as  those  of  New  York,  and  had  rosy 
cliccks,  contrasting  with  their  jet-black  hair,  eye 
hrows,  and  eyelashes.  Their  beauty  was  by  no  means 
of  an  inferior  order.  Both  the  men  and  women  had 
small  feet. 

Vischer  saw  in  San  Diego  and  Santa  Barbara  the 
('i'ii(lles  of  California  society,  the  classic  type,  Greek 
or  Koman,  running  through  whole  families,  with  a  fre- 
quent occurrence  of  the  oriental  and  Gothic.  Their 
cKnieanor  was  one  of  quiet  dignity,  all  affectation  be- 


nio-  absent 


A.S  I  have  said,  the  people  were  all  indolent;  only 
Ik  re  and  there  was  one  who  showed  any  inclination 
to  better  his  condition.  They  were  not  vicious,  and 
<lrunkenness  was  a  rare  thing  in  the  country.  They 
lived  comfortably,  and  were  happy.  Their  wants 
originally  were  few  and  simple.  They  knew  nothing 
heyond  their  own  country,  and  had  no  desire  for  any- 
thing but  what  their  own  land  afforded  them,  until 
other  things  brought  by  the  incoming  vessels  attracted 
tlieir  attention.  They  passed  away  their  time  with- 
out care,  had  their  amusements  when  n()t  occupied  in 
their  necessary  labors,  and  never  gave  a  thought  to 
tlie  future.  In  a  moral  point  of  view,  they  com- 
pared favorably  with  the  people  of  other  countries. 

The  Californians,  generally.  Mere  the  liappiest  and 
most  contented  of  communities,  more  free  from  care, 
anxiety,  and  trouble  than  any  others  in  the  world. 
They  were  simple-minded,  and  not  at  all  sanguinary; 
shedding  blood  was  abhorrent  to  their  nature.  They 
were  different  from  many  of  their  countrymen  of  other 
l)arts  of  Mexico  in  this  regard.  "Their  fine  physique 
was  due,"  says  Torres,  "probably  to  the  quantity  of 
roast  meat  eaten,  without  vegetables." 

One  who  left  New  Mexico  in  consequence  of  the 


11 


270 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


I   ^'      !: 


:l  :! 


I         1 


insecurity  of  life  and  property  of  foreigners  there,  and 
came  to  California  not  with  any  intention  of  remaining, 
savs:  "Rcceivinjj  so  much  kindness  from  the  native 
Californians,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  there  Mas 
no  place  in  the  world  where  I  could  enjoy  more  tiue 
happiness  and  true  friendship  than  among  them.  Then' 
were  no  courts,  no  juries,  no  lawyers,  nor  any  need  of 
tliem.  The  people  were  honest  and  hospitable,  and 
their  word  was  as  good  as  their  bond;  indeed,  bonds 
and  notes  of  hand  were  entirely  unknown  among  the 
natives," 

All  over  this  great  west,  for  that  matter,  travellers, 
trappers,  wanderers,  were  treated  with  a  kindness  and 
hospitality  that  they  felt  to  be  beyond  thanks  or  recom- 
pense. Those  who  quietly  remain  at  home  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  indulgent  ease  can  hardly  comprehend  tho  joy  of 
houseless  missionaries  and  pioneers  in  meeting  friends, 
and  friendly  receptions  now  and  then  in  the  course  of 
tlieir  weary  journeyings.  But  the  settler  in  a  strange 
land  could,  Knd  he  always  was  kind  to  strangers.  He 
knew  t<io  well  that  solitude  could  have  no  charm,  sa\'c, 
perhaps,  infrequency.  He  had  felt  that  faintnoss  and 
sickness  which  come  to  the  rudest  heart  with  loii:;- 
separations  from  friendship  and  sympathy.  The  soH- 
tary  are  generally  the  most  hospitable.  From  the 
lonely  and  wandering  Tartars,  the  little  band  of  AraI)S 
that  huddle  round  a  well,  or  the  half-dozen  huts  tliat 
constitute  a  western  settlement,  the  stranger  is  never 
turned  empty  away.  The  having  suffered  like  tilings 
is  at  the  root  of  this,  as  of  most  other  virtues  of  deed 
or  expression.  Wiio  can  pity  the  poor  like  the  pom:' 
Who  can  sing  of  blindness  like  !Milton,  or  of  love  like 
Sappho,  or  depict  an  exile  like  Hugo? 

Particularly  is  the  hijo  del  pais  well  formed,  graeeful 
in  his  movements,  and  athletic.  Spending  his  life  in 
manl}'^  pursuits,  roaming  his  native  hills,  breathing  tlie 
pure  air  of  the  Pacific,  the  horse  his  conqxmion,  tho 
lasso  his  weapon,  he  carries  about  him  and  into  all  lii* 's 
commonplaces  the  chivalrous  bearing  of  the  cavaliers 


MIND  AND  MORALS. 


877 


lerc,  and 
auaiiung, 
be  native 
there  was 
Liore  true 
;u.    There 
ly  need  of 
table,  and 
jed,  bonds 
.mong  the 

travellers, 
nduess  and 
9  or  rcconi- 
itheenjoy- 
id  the  joy  of 
hig  friends, 
le  course  ot 
in  a  stran;4'e 
kigers.     11'-" 
harm,  save, 
bintness  and 
i  with  Ion-- 
The  soli- 
Froni  the 
nd  of  Arabs 
!n  huts  that 
^er  is  never 
like  thin:is 
,ues  of  deed 
:e  the  |>oor( 
of  love  like 

led,  graei>fal 
his  life  ui 
'eathing  the 
kHXinion,  tjie 
[into  all  life's 
the  cavaliers 


of  old  Spain.  His  courage  no  one  will  question  who 
lias  seen  him  face  a  herd  of  wild  cattle,  'or  lasso  a 
grizzly,  or  mount  an  unbroken  horse,  or  fix  his  un- 
thnching  gaze  upon  the  muzzle  of  a  pistol  pointed 
at  his  breast.  He  is  by  nature  kind  and  frank. 
The  treatment  he  received  at  the  hand  of  hard- 
featured,  ill-mannered,  grasping,  and  unprincipled 
strangers  taught  him  to  be  suspicious;  but  his  confi- 
dence once  gained,  he  is  yours  wholly  and  forever.  In 
]i is  ardent  nature  there  is  no  half-way  course :  either 
ho  loves  or  hates;  in  his  eyes  every  one  he  meets  is 
either  for  or  against  him,  every  one  is  either  friend  or 
foe. 

Absolutely  unconfined,  socially  and  politically,  or  as 
nearly  free  as  it  were  possible  for  poor  erring  humanity 
to  be  who  cannot  escape  a  master  of  some  sort,  or  who 
make  any  pretensions  to  government,  religion,  or  social 
ethics — masters  of  all  their  eyes  surveyed,  the  beauti- 
ful earth  and  its  fruits  as  free  as  the  sweet  air  and 
sunshine,  lands  unlimited,  cattle  on  a  thousand  lulls, 
with  ready-made  servants  to  terid  them,  born  here, 
basking  here,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  afraid, 
with  woman  to  love,  and  oiFspring  to  rear,  and  priest 
to  shrive,  with  heart  full  and  stomach  full,  yet  relieved 
from  skull-crackinof  brains  withal — how  should  thev 
be  else  than  happy,  than  lovers  of  home  and  country  ? 

Life  at  San  Diego  in  1825,  what  was  it?  Life, 
not  death,  for  nine  tenths  of  life  is  death  or  a  dream- 
ing. "Ah,  what  times  we  used  to  have!"  exclaims 
what  a  little  later  was  a  wrinkled  old  woman  of  refiect- 
ivo  memory.  "Every  week  to  La  Playa,  aboard  the 
.shij)s— silks !  oflftcers !  rebozos!  music !  dancing  I  frolic  I " 
Such  was  the  impression  a  ship  at  La  Playa  every 
\veek  for  one  or  two  weeks  created  on  the  female  mind 
in  the  year  1825. 

"Days  of  primitive  simplicity,  its  traces  not  yet  all 
gone  from  among  the  descendants  of  the  founders," 
eoiitinues  the  sighing  one.  "The  summer  labors  and 
harvest  and   their  cattle  filled  most  of  their  wants. 


1  . .  ■  1'  ■  ,i  ■ 


r 


278 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY, 


The  missionaries  drew  a  heavy  commerce  from  ahroad 
that  supplied  many  luxuries  in  excliange  for  tlie  pro- 
duets  of  individual  industry.  The  arrival  of  a  ship  was 
more  than  a  sensation;  its  date  served  the  memoiy 
to  reckon  ordinary  events  thereafter.  And  cold  the 
heart  not  to  relish  the  gayety  and  enjoyment  that 
followed  the  dropping  of  the  anchor  at  La  Playa. . 
Liberality  on  one  side,  unbounded  hospitality  on  tlie 
other,  contributed  to  gild  and  prolong  the  festive 
hours." 

In  the  south  society  was  most  refined  at  Angeks 
and  Santa  Bilrbara,  these  settlements  bein};  larsjfor 
and  the  people  more  wealthy  than  elsewhere  on  tliu 
coast.  Moreover,  at  these  points  larger  military  forces 
were  in  garrison,  and  the  officers  were  men  of  a  culture 
far  superior  to  that  of  the  rough  ranclieros,  wherefore 
an  improvement  in  manners  was  felt.  In  this  vicinity, 
too,  were  to  be  found  choice  lands,  together  with  tlie 
most  inviting  climate ;  and  these  lands  were  secured  by 
the  most  influential  of  such  as  came  to  the  country'. 

Sail  Diego  would,  undoubtedly,  have  been  the 
metropolis  of  early  Alta  California  had  the  country 
immediately  surrounding  the  harbor  been  as  fertile  as 
the  valleys  of  Santa  Bdrbara  and  Los  Angeles,  which 
latter  place  bore  off  the  palm — although  in  point  of 
respectability,  Santa  Bdrbara  was  not  far  behind. 

The  blood  of  Spain,  already  somewhat  mixed  with 
that  of  the  people  of  Montezuma,  was  still  further 
reduced  by  the  occasional  union  of  the  Mexican  and 
Indian.  When  in  1835  the  government  began  to  make 
grants  of  land,  and  the  missions  were  secularized  and 
sold  and  the  troops  disbanded,  many  of  the  connuoii 
soldiers  wived  with  Indians.  Hence  came  the  baser 
stock  of  Hispano-Californians,  such  as,  in  the  time  of 
gold  discoveries,  were  yclept  greasers. 

Thus  there  were  two  distinct  classes — that  which 
sprang  from  the  admixture  of  jVIexican  and  Indian, 
and  that  of  Mexican  blood  alone. 

Whiteness  was  the  badge  of  respectability,  and  the 


POPULATION. 


279 


m\  abroad 
)r  the  i>i<»- 
a  sliip  was 
le  mcuKtvy 
1  cold  the 
ment  that 
La  Playa. . 
lity  oil  the 
the   festive 

at  Angehs 
eiiig  hargcr 
lere  on  the 
litary  forces 
of  a  culture 
s,  wherefore 
his  vicinity, 
ler  with  the 
•e  secured  hy 
e  country, 
e    been   the 
the  country 
as  fertile  as 
igeles,  which 
in  point  of 
behind, 
mixed  with 
still  further 
^exican  and 
jgan  to  nuike 
!ularized  and 
the  conuucni 
le  the  baser 
the  time  of 

-that  which 
and  Indian, 

lilitv,  and  llic 


white  Anglo- American  mated  with  her  he  cliose  from 
among  the  rich  dusky  daughters  of  Mexican  descent. 
TJiisclaim  is  to  this  dayrathcr  a  sensitive  point,  not  only 
with  tlie  Mexico-Californians  themselves,  but  with 
tlie  Americans  and  Englishmen  who  married  here. 
A  too  close  scrutiny  of  the  blood  with  which  thoy 
alUed  themselves  is  not  always  palatable  to  the  fathers 
(f  dark-complexioned  children,  especially  if  the  fathers 
\)c  rieh  and  respectable  and  the  sons  and  daughters 
(■(hieated  and  accomplished. 

]\[orinoau's  observations  in  1834  are  not  wide  of  the 
mark.  "Since  the  time  of  La  Perouse,"  he  says,  "the 
Creole  population  of  California  has  increased  rapidly. 
The  immber  of  births  is  triple  that  of  deaths.  There 
are  often  nine  or  ten  children  in  a  family.  This  is 
owing  to  the  wod  climate,  and  tlie  exercise  which  the 
youths  take— lassoing,  riding,  etc.  Their  violent  ex- 
ercise and  lack  of  education  make  the  Californians 
rough  and  almost  brutal.  They  liave  little  regard  for 
their  women,  are  of  a  jealous  disposition,  and  are  strict 
witli  their  families.  Although  brusque,  they  are  kind 
to  strangers.  Their  wives  are  dunces,  attached  to 
their  children,  and  hospitable.  Being  almost  all  rc- 
lited  to  each  other,  thoy  live  In  great  intimacy. 
1  !u  re  is  no  difference  of  rank  among  them.  One  who 
h;!s  become  rich  by  his  Industry  is  neither  admired 
nor  envied  by  any  one.  Theft  is  extremely  rare. 
!Murder  Is  without  example.  They  do  not  like  work, 
l)ut  are  all  day  in  the  saddle,  looking  after  their  herds, 
or  huntinjr.  The  women  manage  the  householiL  In 
the  evenings  they  sometimes  go  to  pass  the  time  with 
a  neighbor,  and  play  cards  for  money.  Without  prid- 
ing thenisolves  on  their  politeness,  they  sometimes 
^i;iM!  balls,  and  dance  to  the  guitar  and  violin.  Besides 
the  jota  and  jarabe,  which  they  dance  In  pairs,  they 
have  a  favorite  dance  executed  by  a  single  woman. 
From  the  crowd  of  admirers  are  thrown  pieces  of 
nioiuy  at  the  feet  of  tlic  dancer,  while  the  tallest  cava- 
lier places  his  hat  on  her  head  and  his  cloak  on  her 


280 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY 


.1 


F:IH  'I 


l.!^i 


1(1 


shoulder;  a  gage  which  he  may  not  take  back  with- 
out making  an  offering  to  tlie  beauty.  The  Creoles 
served  no  drink  at  their  festivals  but  brandy ;  lately 
they  have  used  French  wines.  The  \v(mien  preflr 
Frontignac  and  the  men  Bordeaux.  If  the  men  are 
fond  of  violent  exercise,  the  women  like  spectacles  of 
a  similar  kind,  such  as  bear  and  bull  fights  und  horse- 
races."    Which  is  as  this  man  saw  it. 

Laplace  avers  that  "whatever  good  qualities  the 
native  Californians  may  have  inherited  with  their 
Castilian  blood  are  more  than  counterbalanced  by 
their  laziness,  pride,  vindictiveness,  and  jealousy  of 
foreigners.  For  the  most  part  they  are  very  igno- 
rant, and  pass  their  time  smoking  and  sleeping  when 
not  gambling.  They  are  indifferent  husbands,  faith- 
less and  exacting,  and  very  hard  masters.  The  women 
are  pretty,  but  vain,  frivolous,  bad  managers,  and  ex- 
travagant. They  prefer  to  take  their  husbands  from 
among  the  foreigners.  The  houses  of  the  lower  class 
were  scarcely  better  than  Indian  huts.  An  air  of 
squalor  and  slovenliness  was  over  things  and  persons. 
Kjome  of  them  when  mounted  and  equi[)ped  had  a  fine, 
brave  appearance,  not  in  their  case  always  a  proof  of 
braverj^  Their  daughters  and  wives  were  gracious 
and  attractive." 

*'  The  state  of  society  here,"  says  Wilkes,  "  is  ex- 
ceedingly loose ;  envy,  hatred,  and  malice  predominate 
in  almost  every  breast,  and  the  people  are  wrctcluJ 
under  their  pi'esent  rulers.  Female  virtue,  I  regret 
to  say,  is  also  at  a  low  ebb ;  and  the  coarse  and  lasci- 
vious dances  which  meet  the  plaudits  of  the  lookers- 
on  show  the  dcsfraded  tone  of  manners  that  exists." 
AYilkes  found  the  men  with  no  trades,  and  dependent 
for  everything  upon  the  Indians  at  the  missions.  The  y 
were  so  indolent,  and  withal  had  so  much  pride,  tliat 
they  regard  all  manual  labor  as  degrading.  "An  an- 
ecdote was  related  to  me,"  he  says,  "  of  one  who  had 
been  known  to  dispense  with  his  dinner,  althcugh  the 
food  was  but  a  few  yards  off,  because  the  Inoian  was 


III  i 


PATRIARCHAL  CUSTOMS. 


281 


not  at  hand  to  bring  it  to  him.  .  .  .  Priest  and  layman 
ai  e  ahko  given  up  to  idleness  and  debauchery."  They 
delay  paying  their  debts,  but  always  pay  in  the  end  if 
tiny  can.  Had  Wilkes  seen  more,  perhaps  he  would 
not  have  been  quite  so  dogmatical. 

The  constant  horse-riding  made  them  slovenly  in 
ap]»oarance  and  manner.  They  were  so  little  used  to 
walking  that  they  waddled  from  one  side  to  the  other. 
They  were  roused  from  idleness  only  by  the  necessity 
of  lookini;  after  the  herds. 

Arrillaga  and  many  other  governors  were  continu- 
ally complaining  to  the  viceroy  of  the  need  to  repair 
this  or  that  fort  or  house,  the  want  of  artillerymen  at 
ct'itain  forts,  and  the  need  of  padres  at  presidios,  all  of 
wliich,  by  a  little  thought  and  energy,  could  have  been 
accomplished  by  the  soldiers  at  no  expense;  artillery- 
men could  have  been  sent  from  a  central  presidio  to 
train  soldiers  in  gunnery  at  other  points,  and  i)ious 
readings  might  have  been  held  by  sergeants. 

Little  wonder  is  it,  therefore,  that  in  looking  back 
the  old  inhabitants,  sorrowing,  maintain  that  Cali- 
fornia was  a  perfect  paradise  before  the  foreign  im- 
ini<,aation  set  in  to  corrupt  patriarchal  customs ;  then 
robbery  and  assassination  were  unheard  of,  blasphemy 
rare,  and  fraudulent  creditor  not  known.  Captains 
would  sell  goods  along  the  coast,  and  return  in 
twelve  or  eighteen  months  after  to  receive  payment 
in  ])roduce.  "  I  never  heard  of  a  complaint  against 
Californian  rancheros,"  says  Fernandez,  "from  Argue- 
llo's  to  Figueroa's  time." 

^richeltorena  relates  that  Santa  Anna,  on  sending 
hiui  to  this  country,  said  that  the  Californians  were 
lambs  which  he  commended  to  his  care.  "I  wish," 
retorted  the  governor  later  during  the  revolts,  "that 
Santa  Anna  would  come  to  pasture  them  now. 

"The  Californians  vent  their  grief  too  reservedly," 
says  Hayes,  in  185G.  "  It  is  only  to  their  friends  they 
unbosom    themselves,  and  always  very  quietly.     As 


i«:t 


Ill  J 


282 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


.'I  1 


f-'i 


yet  they  have  not  come  universally  to  appreciate  their 
position  as  a  part  of  the  people." 

"Nature  gave  the  Californians  high  talents,"  says 
Bantlini,  "frankness,  and  simple  manners.  They  weru 
hospitable,  and  were  capable  of  making  great  sacrifices 
to  aid  the  afflicted.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  one  of 
tlie  many  white  men  who  professes  a  trade;  their  oc- 
cu[)atioii  is  tending  stock,  some  small  cultivation,  and 
idling." 

Speaking  of  the  characteristics  of  the  families  wlio 
came  to  pastoral  California,  Sepulveda  says:  "Settled 
in  a  remote  part  from  the  centre  of  government, 
isolated  from  and  almost  unaided  by  the  rest  of  tlic 
Mexican  states,  and  with  very  rare  chances  of  com- 
munication with  the  rest  of  the  world,  they  in  time 
formed  a  society  whose  habits,  customs,  and  manners 
ditfered  in  many  essential  particulars  from  the  otlier 
people  of  Mexico.  The  character  of  the  new  settlers 
assumed,  I  think,  a  milder  form,  more  independence, 
and  less  of  the  restless  spirit  which  their  brothers  in 
old  Mexico  possessed.  To  this  the  virtuous  and  in- 
telligent missionaries  doubtless  contributed  greatly." 

In  January  1845  Larkin  at  Monterey  writes  to 
Parrott  at  Mazatlan:  "The  people  here  do  not  know 
what  Mexican  family  to  associate  with,  it  being  im- 
possible to  decide  whether  the  officer  and  his  woman 
are  man  and  wife  or  not.  This  has  held  so  too  often 
in  Monterey,  from  the  generals  to  the  ensigns.  Ur 
Mora  was  sent  out  here  when  I  came  up,  with  his 
wife,  as  he  said — opened  house,  purchased  furniture, 
received  company,  and  paid  visits.  In  a  few  weeks 
came  an  order  from  the  government  in  Mexico  to 
retain  part  of  his  pay  for  his  wife  in  Mexico,  In 
twenty-four  hours  this  man  and  wife  had  not  a  Cali- 
fornian  house  open  to  them,  to  my  knowledge.  This 
is  not  a  single  case.  This  couple  have  now  gone,  with 
three  or  four  more  officers,  and  50  to  75  soldiers  have 
run  away.  If  General  Micheltorena  would  despatch 
the  whole  of  them,  and  depend  on  the  Californians, 


COLOR  AND  CASTE. 


283 


ite  their 

ts,"  says 
ley  wen; 
sacrifices 
is  one  of 
their  i>o- 
,tion,  and 

lilies  who 
•'Settled 
^'ernnient, 
;st  of  the 
s  of  coni- 
.y  in  time 
1  manners 
the  other 
3\v  settlers 
ependence, 
jrothers  iu 
us  and  in- 
greatly.' 
writes  to 
not  know- 
being  im- 
Ihis  woman 
|o  too  often 
;ns.     I>r 
J,  with  his 
furniture, 
few  weeks 
[Mexico  to 
fexico.     Ii^ 
[not  a  Cali- 
Idge.     This 
gone,  with 
hdiers  have 
Id  despatch 
talifornians, 


liG  w^ould  do  well.  At  present  soldiers  use  knives  and 
otfiecrs  swords  too  much  for  good  order."  Perhaps 
the  consul  was  a  little  more  particular  and  prudish 
than  he  would  be  were  he  living  in  Monterey  to-day. 

In  1796  I  find  the  governor  referring  to  a  tailor  in 
very  courteous  words.  Coupled  with  this  conventional 
pohteness  of  the  governor  were  some  fiery  doings  on 
the  part  of  the  females.  In  the  San  Diego  archives 
it  is  recorded  in  1843  that  a  man  was  fined  fifty 
dollars  in  a  conciliation  suit,  because  his  wife  had 
severely  beaten  an  Indian  servant,  a  niece  of  the 
alcalde  of  a  town.  Thus  it  seems  that  gende  woman 
had  her  race  prejudices.  When  a  negro  was  taken 
from  the  Bouchard  party,  a  strong-minded  female, 
^vho  proposed  to  burn  him  alive,  tried  to  find  out  if  he 
had  a  tail,  as  the  holy  fathers  had  taught  them  to 
believe  that  all  heretics  had  a  tail.  This  upon  the 
authority  of  Governor  Alvarado  in  his  manuscript 
Hixtoria  de  California. 

The  Creoles  had  no  servants  as  a  rule,  and  they 
rarely  were  able  to  get  Indians  from  the  missions  to 
tend  the  cattle.  Neighbors  regarded  the  property  of 
one  another  to  some  extent  as  commcn,  and  none 
cared  whether  the  other  slaughtered  one  o'"  his  bulh^cks 
or  t(jok  one  of  his  horses.  They  called  one  another 
cousins  though  no  relationship  existed.  When  fami- 
lies met  at  a  house,  every  woman  went  about  the 
household  duties  as  if  she  lived  there.  On  returning 
from  church,  they  often  remained  at  the  first  rancho 
belonging  to  one  of  the  party  for  the  night.  The  men 
went  to  kill  a  fat  calf,  and  the  women  set  about  different 
duties  as  if  they  were  at  home.  After  eating  there 
was  .singing,  music,  and  dancing. 

The  Californians  were  not  accustomed  to  see  negroes 
except  in  menial  positions,  and  of  these  there  were 
only  two  in  1831,  a  female  slave  brought  from  Peru, 
and  the  negro  captured  from  Bouchard's  party.  This 
was  the  reason  the  women  of  California,  especially, 
were  very  adverse  to  associating  at  balls  and  parties 


M 


LOTOS -LAND  SOCIETY. 


I  '     i''  i> 


with  the  gobcmador  negro  Victoria,  r.s  they  callfd 
him.  All  this,  however,  was  somewhat  u|)()n  the 
principle  of  the  so-called  respectable  women  of  our 
day  waging  war  on  prostitutes.  They  find  it  neces- 
sary to  do  so  in  order  to  keep  their  own  virtue  up  to 
the  social  and  commercial  standard.  Now,  the  women 
of  California  were  dark,  while  each,  above  all  tilings, 
aspired  to  be  of  lighter  skin  than  her  neighbor;  so 
she  daubed  on  the  cosmetics  and  powder,  and  held  up 
to  holy  horror  a  negro. 

One  governor  did  not  like  to  see  the  Spanisn  peo- 
ple decline  in  social  dignity,  and  in  1799  he  wrote  to 
the  viceroy,  referring  to  rather  indecorous  means  re- 
.sortcd  to  by  the  poor  subalterns  to  subsist;  such  as 
letting  their  wives  and  daughters  wash  their  own 
clothes,  and  make  bread  and  sew  for  others,  and  at 
the  same  time  fail  to  procure  shoes  and  stockings  for 
the  children. 

The  lower  classes  of  the  community,  which  were 
composed  chiefly  of  a  mixture  of  Spanish  with  aborigi- 
nal  blood,  presented  a  cadaverous  appearance.  Tlity 
were  bushy-headed,  black-eyed,  and  sinewy.  Exci'pt 
when  roused  by  some  excitement,  they  were  drowsy 
and  listless.  A  society  of  these  beings  presented  the 
appearance  of  having  been  recently  emptied  out  of  a 
dilapidated  graveyard  before  the  sounding  of  the  final 
trump,  and  sleepih,    resting  until  called  somewhere 


agam. 


The  following  tale  savors  more  of  the  manners  of 
unfledffed  fiends  than  of  the  nature  human.  On  tlic 
r2th  of  January,  1822,  in  a  thicket  near  the  Mission 
Dolores  of  San  Francisco,  the  body,  partially  eaten  by 
wild  beasts,  of  an  Indian  boy  and  a  bit  of  rope  of  raw- 
hide were  found.  By  order  of  Captain  Argiiello,  the 
matter  was  investigated  by  Lieutenant  Martinez.  It 
was  ascertained  that  the  remains  were  those  of  Juan, 
a  pajarero,  a  boy  employed  to  frighten  birds  from  the 
growing  grain.  The  other  pajareros  were  summoned, 
and  Braulio,  to  whom,  because  of  his  slight  knowl- 


Bii 


GOSSIP  AND  S.VLUTATI()N. 


285 


odijfo  (»f  religion,  no  oath  was  adniinisteretl,  stated  tliat 
uliout  the  5tli  or  (>th  of  the  month,  he,  as  ])ajarero, 
was  in  cliarge  of*  the  phmted  field  close  hy  the  mission. 
Miucelo,  aged  eleven  years,  invited  deceased  to  go  for 
wood,  which,  however,  the  latter  declined  to  do.  Mar- 
celo,  continuing  to  urge  him,  Juan  i]  rew  a  small 
stone  at  him,  which  struck  Ventura,  aged  nine  yt-ars, 
on  tlie  head.  Marcelo  and  Juan  then  grapjded,  the 
lutti-r  heing  brought  to  the  ground,  ^[arcelo  then 
called  Vicente,  aged  ten  years,  who  cried,  "Kill  him! 
kill  him!"  Vicente  then  tied  the  raw-hide  rojte, 
which  Marcelo  had  for  fetching  wood,  round  tlie  neck 
of  the  ])rostrate  boy.  Meanwhile  Marcelo  was  fasten- 
ing Juan's  hands,  and  called  out  to  Ventura  and  llde- 
foiiso,  nine  years  old,  to  come  and  as.^i.  '  The  four 
tarried  Juan  to  a  piece  of  rising  grountl  and  thn-w 
him  down.  A'icente  tig]it(>ned  the  rope  about  Juan's 
neck,  at  the  same  time  tilling  his  '^outh  witli  <virtli; 
Marcelo  had  charge  of  the  hands  while  he  kicke<l 
J  ',  in  the  stomach;  Ventura,  with  a,  iarge  stone, 
heat  Juan  upon  the  breast.  Thus  the  little  nmrderers 
choked  and  pounded  their  poor  ct)mrade  to  deatli, 
Juan  being  despatched,  the  four  boys  scratched  a  shal- 
low grave  in  the  sandy  soil  and  buried  the  body; 
which  done,  they  went  away,  taking  with  them  the 
dead  boy's  blanket  and  cotton  breech-clout.  After 
tluy  had  gone  away,  the  deponent  ran  oft'  to  the  mis- 
sion. The  four  boys  made  a  full  confession,  declaring 
that  they  knew  it  was  wrong  to  kill  any  one^  and  that 
their  hearts  ached  for  what  they  had  done  to  Juan. 

They  were  great  gossips  and  newsmongers.  Having 
lived  so  long  upon  the  little  events  of  their  spell-lxmnd 
days,  they  were  filled  with  inijuisitive  awe,  and  ear- 
nestly questioned  one  another  as  they  met,  and  what- 
ever the  occasion,  a  long  questioning  conversation 
followed.  They  had  their  rendezvous  in  every  town, 
where,  before  siesta,  they  assembled  to  talk — a  sort 
of  social  and  business  exchange.     Their  place  of  meet- 


'    V 


m.i  I 


286 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCTETY 


irig  was  usually  the  open  street,  and  if  the  sun  became 
oppressi'-e,  or  the  rain  troublesome,  they  either 
wrapped  their  capacious  cloaks  more  closely  around 
them,  or  withdrew  to  the  shelter  of  some  shed  or  shop. 

Before  1825  the  military  chiefs  and  the  padres 
were  regarded  as  demi-gods,  and  woe  to  the  unhap})y 
person  who  passing  within  a  hundred  varas  of  them 
did  not  take  off  his  hat.  Friends  then  termed  one 
another  valedor.  Bandini  and  Pico  addressed  each 
other  as  estimado  or  amado  compadre;  and  wives  as 
comadres. 

Indians  saluted  thus: 

"Ave  Marfa  Purisimal" 

"Sin  pecado  original  concebida!" 

"Mar  h,  DiosI"  (for  amar  h.  Dios.) 

"Marh-Dios!" 

The  second  and  fourth  lines  were  the  answers. 

Father  Junipero  taught  the  Indians  of  San  Carlos 
to  salute  all  with  "Amar  h,  Dios,"  a  fashion  which 
spread  all  over  the  country,  and  was  used  even  by 
pagans. 

Persons  of  the  same  christian  name,  in  writing  or 
speaking  of  or  to  one  another,  used  the  word  tocayo — 
namesake,  as  in  other  Spanish  countries. 

It  was  the  custom  for  any  of  the  pueblo,  white  as 
well  as  Indian,  meeting  a  padre  to  kiss  his  hand. 

The  population  being  limited,  it  was  impossible  to 
have  any  social  gathering  without  inviting  all  classes, 
and  impossible  to  pay  the  usual  attentions  to  social 
distinctions  between  different  grades  of  civil  and  mili- 
tary employes,  when  these  dift'erent  grades  were  held 
by  different  members  of  the  same  family. 

Says  Sir  Simpson:  "A  son,  though  himself  the 
head  of  a  family,  never  presumes  to  sit,  or  smoke,  or 
remain  covered  in  presence  of  his  father;  nor  docs 
the  daughter,  whether  married  or  unmarried,  cnt<  r 
into  too  great  familiarity  with  the  mother."  \\  ith 
this  exception,  Californians  knew  little  of  the  restraints 
of  etiquette ;   generally,  all  classes  associated  equally, 


OBEDIENCE  OF  CHILDREN. 


287 


writinjx  or 


and  on  particular  occasions,  such  as  one's  saint's  day, 
or  the  day  of  one's  marriage,  those  who  could  afford 
it  rjave  a  ball  to  the  whole  community.  Singing  and 
dancing  was  as  common  as  eating  and  sleeping.  For 
days  beforehand  sweetmeats  and  delicacies  were  pre- 
pared in  great  variety,  and  the  festivities  were  often 
continued  for  several  nights. 

"  All  are  musicians,  and  in  every  house  may  be  heard 
the  guitar  or  singing.  They  play  nothing  but  national 
nmsic,  fandangos,  boleros,  etc.  In  a  word,  the  Cali- 
fornians  are  a  happy  people,  possessing  the  means  of 
physical  pleasure  to  the  full,  and  knowing  no  higher 
kind  of  enjoyment." 

"Until  I  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,"  says  Pio 
Pico,  "I  was  in  complete  subjection  to  my  mother, 
my  father  being  dead.  When  younger  I  could  repeat 
the  whole  catechism  from  beginning  to  end,  and  she 
would  send  for  me  to  do  so  for  the  edification  of 
strangers." 

It  was  considered  improper  for  a  young  man  to 
smoke  in  presence  of  an  older  person,  even  though 
the  latter  was  but  five  or  six  years  older. 

A  Frenchman  says  that  the  Californian  is  hospita- 
ble, but  vain  and  shy.  "  The  father  expects  great  sub- 
mission from  the  children,  even  after  their  marriage. 
A  cliild  seldom  sits  at  table  with  the  father,  who 
oinorally  eats  alone,  served  by  his  wife  and  cliildren. 
Smoking  is  almost  innate  with  them,  and  a  man  is 
seldom  seen  without  hit,  cigar;  still  a  son  will  not 
smoke  before  his  parents."  What  would  this  French- 
man say  of  the  French? 

"I  saw,"  says  Arnaz.  "more  than  once  in  the  north 
and  south  an  old  man  lashing  his  son,  who  was  mar-» 
ried  and  had  children,  the   son  humbly  knec^ling  to 
receive  the  blows.     The  same  respect  was  shown  to 
the  mother,  and  nearly  the  same  to  all  <jld  people." 

They  were  strict  observers  of  the  habits  of  good 
society.  In  IS'M^,  we  find  Figueroa,  the  governor, 
sending   to   the  president   of  the  ayuntamiento  the 


4  if 


W] 


Mr 


288 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


I 


pamphlet  which  Joaquin  Gomez  de  la  Cortina  pub- 
lished about  the  rights  and  duties  of  society. 

The  cards  of  most  of  the  Mexican  governors  of 
California  had  the  arms  of  their  ancestors,  and  a 
family  motto,  either  of  a  religious  cast  or  of  a  warlike 
noture,  or  still  oftener  referring  to  some  act  of  gal- 
lantry. Governor  Figueroa's  card  bore  the  words 
Honor  y  Lealtad. 

Friendly  reunions  were  held  at  times  without  danc- 
ing. Fresh  meat  was  hung  up  under  a  tree,  and  a 
huge  fire  kept  burning  to  enable  any  one  to  cook  a 
steak  when  hungry. 

Social  rank  was  settled  by  the  amount  of  Spanish 
blood  each  could  lay  claim  to.  Dana  affirmed  there 
were  but  few^  of  pure  Spanish  blood.  These  kept  up 
an  exclusive  system,  and  were  ambitious  to  speak  pure 
Castilian.  From  the  extreme  upper  class  they  de- 
scended by  regular  shades.  Each  person's  caste  was 
decided  by  the  quality  of  the  blood,  and  the  least  drop 
was  sufficient  to  raise  one  from  the  position  of  serf 
and  entitling  him  to  full  dress,  long  knife,  etc.  An 
altogether  too  higli  estimate,  during  the  past  lialC- 
century,  has  been  put  upon  this  su[)erficial  glance  at 
the  early  Californians  by  this  sailor  boy. 

On  the  ranches,  after  supper,  every  one  went  to  bed ; 
or  they  amused  themselves  in  some  way,  [)layiii!4 
cards,  or  playing  the  vihuela,  a  kind  of  guitar,  singing 
and  dancing  in  a  family  reunion. 

People  generally  arose  at  G  or  7,  according  to  tlic 
season.  The  civilian  had  no  other  occupation  than 
stock-raising  or  agriculture.  After  the  desayuno,  lie 
took  his  yokes  of  oxen  and  wont  to  work;  or  attended 
to  cattle  and  the  stock  kept  for  service.  The  men  as 
a  rule,  tliougli  not  alwa3's,  looked  after  all  the  out-di or 
work;  the  women  attended  to  the  in-door  labor,  and 
the  bringing  up  of  the  children,  the  care  of  their  lius- 
bands  and  brothers. 

"  In  Monterey,"  it  has  been  said,  "  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  English  and  Americans,  who  are  called  IngUsts, 


v;i 


TRAFFIC  AND  HORSEMANSHIP. 


289 


na  pub- 

jrnors  of 
s,  and  a 
i  warlike 
t  of  gal- 
le  words 

out  danc- 
ee,  and  a 
,o  cook  a 

,f  Spanish 
ined  there 
3e  kept  up 
speak  pure 
3   they  de- 
i  caste  was 
!  least  drop 
ion  of  serf 
,  etc.     Au 
past  huU- 
1  glance  at 

ent  to  bed ; 
IV,  playiii'^ 
|tar,  singing 

ling  to  the 
jation  than 
3sayuno,  he 
lor  attended 
The  men  as 
the  out-door 
labor,  ami 
|>f  their  hus- 

arc  a  num- 
bed IngU'i'i^'^i 


from  tlicir  speaking  the  English  language.  These 
have  niarrietl  Californians,  have  joined  the  catholic 
church,  and  have  acquired  considerable  property,  owing 
to  tlieir  possessing  more  industry,  frugality,  and  enter-, 
prise  than  the  natives,  and  these  qualities  soon  bring 
the  whole  trade  of  the  town  into  their  hands.  They 
usually  keep  shops,  in  which  they  retail  to  advantage 
the  goods  purchased  in  large  quantities  from  vessels 
arriving  in  the  port.  They  also  send  merchandise  into 
the  interior,  receiving  hides  in  payment;  these  they 
again  barter  with  the  vessels  for  goods.  In  every 
town  on  the  coast  foreigners  are  to  be  found  engaged 
ill  this  lucrative  traffic.  In  Monterey,  but  two  shops 
are  kc^pt  l)y  natives.  The  people  are  naturally  sus- 
piciniis  of  foreigners,  and  would  not  have  allowed  them 
to  remain  in  their  towns  if  they  had  not  become  good 
oatliolics;  but  by  marrying  natives  of  the  country, 
and  bringing  up  their  children  as  catholics  and  Span- 
iards, taking  care  not  to  teach  them  the  English  lan- 
guage, they  managed  to  allay  suspicion,  and  even 
become  popular;  so  much  so  that  the  chief  alcaldes, 
both  at  ^lonterey  and  Santa  Bdrbara,  are  Americans 
by  I'irth. 

"Tlu!  men  are  always  on  horseback;  horses  being 
as  plentiful  in  the  country  as  dogs  and  chickens  are  in 
Juan  Fernandez.  These  animals  arc  never  stabled,  but 
are  allowed  to  run  wild  and  seek  for  pasture  where 
they  i>loase;  they  are  however  branded,  and  attached 
to  their  neck  is  a  long  green-hide  rope,  called  a  lasso, 
whidi  trails  Ijehind  them,  and  renders  them  easy  to 
catch  when  wanted.  One  is  generally  caught  in  the 
morning,  a  saddle  and  a  bridle  is  thrown  over  him, 
and  lie  is  used  for  the  day;  at  night  he  is  turned  loose, 
and  another  takes  his  place  the  next  day.  When  they 
S'o  long  journeys,  they  ride  one  horse  till  he  breaks 
down;  another  is  then  caught,  saddled,  and  bridled, 
and  rklden  till  his  strength  also  fails  him,  when  a  third 
undergoes  the  same  process;  and  so  on  until  the  jour- 
ney is  accomplished.     There  are  not  better  riders  iu 

Cal.  I'ast.    1» 


200 


LOTCS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


•!■■ 


the  world  than  the  Californians,  perhaps  from  their 
being  so  early  accustomed  to  equestrian  exercises ;  as 
they  mount  on  horseback  even  so  young  as  four  or 
five  years  old,  their  little  legs  not  being  long  enough 
to  come  half-way  down  the  horse's  ribs,  and  from 
thenceforth  they  are  so  continually  on  horseback  tliat 
they  may  almost  be  said  to  have  grown  there.  The 
stirrups  are  covered  or  boxed  up  in  front,  to  prevent 
the  feet  catching  when  riding  through  the  woods;  the 
saddles  are  large  and  heavy,  strappi^d  very  tight  upon 
the  horse,  and  having  large,  high  pommels,  round 
which  the  lasso  is  coiled  when  not  in  use.  They  can 
hardly  go  from  one  house  to  another  except  on  horse- 
back, there  being  always  several  of  these  animals  stand- 
ing tied  to  the  door-posts  of  the  little  cottages.  When 
a  cavalier  wishes  to  show  his  activity,  he  makes  no 
use  of  the  stirrups  in  mounting,  but  striking  his  horse 
sharply  he  springs  into  the  saddle  as  the  animal  starts; 
then,  with  a  prick  from  his  long  spurs,  he  dashes  off 
at  full  gallop.  Their  spurs  are  most  cruel  instruments ; 
they  have  four  or  five  rowels,  each  about  an  inch  long, 
and  dull  and  rusty.  The  flanks  of  the  horses  are  often 
in  a  terrible  state  from  their  use. 

"^.lonterey  is  also  a  great  place  for  cock-fighting,  as 
well  as  gambling  of  every  kind,  to  which  may  be  added 
fandangos,  dances,  and  every  sort  of  amusement  and 
knavery.  Trappers  and  hunters  who  occasionally  come 
down  here  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  bringing  with 
them  valuable  skins  and  furs,  are  greeted  with  every 
sort  of  pleasure  and  dissipation  whilst  their  money 
lasts ;  when,  however,  their  time  and  their  money  have 
been  completely  wasted,  they  are  quickly  sent  away 
stripped." 

The  cainameros  called  the  English  and  Americans 
'greasers'  because  they  bought  fat  and  tallow,  and  the 
latter  returned  t]i9  compliment  because  the  Californians 
sold  the  stuff.  Abrego  says  that  many  supercargoes 
knew  no  Spanish,  and  on  entering  a  house  would  say: 
"Seilor,  mi  quicre  grease,"  hence  the  name  greaser 


AT  MISSION  SAN  JOSfi. 


201 


heir 
;  as 
IT  or 
)Ugh 
from 
til  at 
The 
Bvcnt 
,;  the 
upon 
rouiul 
:;y  can 
horse- 
stand- 
When 
kes  no 
s  horse 
starts; 
shcs  off 
imcnts ; 
h  long, 
re  often 

iting,  as 
le  added 
snt  and 
lly  come 
[ng  with 
:h  every 
money 

Ley  hi^^'6 
it  away 

lericans 

and  the 

lifornians 

Ircargoos 

Uldsay; 

greaser 


e 


was  applied  to  supercargoes  or  captains  who  traded  in 
grease,  while  it  was  also  applied  by  them  to  the  Cali- 
fornians  who  sold  it. 

When  Joa6  de  Jesus  Vallejo  took  command  of  the 
mission  San  Josd,  there  were  5,000  Indians  there,  men, 
women,  and  children.  To  keep  this  body  in  order  but 
eight  men  were  required,  five  soldiers  and  three  offi- 
cers. An  outbreak  was  not  feared,  for  two  reasons: 
the  savages  were  of  a  mild  and  friendly  disposition, 
and  being  not  all  of  one  tribe,  but  of  different  and  oppug- 
nan'  peoples,  if  one  should  entertain  evil,  or  endeavor 
to  hatch  conspiracy,  the  others  would  be  sure  to  report 
it. 

To  feed  this  horde,  fields  of  wheat  were  cultivated, 
the  Indians  cutting  it  with  sickles,  and  carrying  it  on 
their  backs  to  the  thrashing  corral,  where  the  horses 
tramped  it  out,  the  wind  winnowing  it.  It  was  then 
sacked  in  bags  made  of  sail-cloth,  and  some  of  it  stored 
and  some  sold  to  the  Russians.  In  summer  on  Sat- 
urdays a  hundred  cattle  were  killed,  and  the  meat 
given  in  rations  to  the  Indians,  great  quantities  being 
dried  in  the  sun  for  winter  use.  To  those  who  would 
not  work,  or  who  absented  themselves  from  morning 
and  evening  prayers,  the  whip  was  applied,  the  culprit 
having  the  choice  of  a  raw-hide  or  hazel  twigs.  The 
mother  who  through  neglect  allowed  her  child  to 
die  must  carry  a  wooden  block  of  equal  size,  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  she  would  have  carried  the 
child  had  it  lived. 

"The  Indian  girls  and  widows,"  says  the  daughter, 
Guadalupe,  "were  separated  from  the  others;  a  whole 
sijuarc  of  houses  was  assigned  to  their  use,  where  they 
Avere  kept  seclude,^,  and  busy,  spinning,  etc.     A  large 

nd  of  water  was  in  the  court-yard  for  their  use  in 
washing  and  bathing.  They  were  visited  by  their  par- 
outs,  but  were  never  allowed  to  leave  except  to  walk  for 
exercise  or  to  go  to  prayers,  always  well  guarded  by  al- 
caldes. They  left  this  nunnery  or  cloister  only  to  be 
married.     Ten  or  twelve  of  them  would  gather  to- 


1 


•'ii 


h  ' 


I!  (. 


I' 


LOTOS-LAND  SOCIETY. 


gether  to  go  and  demand  a  husband  of  the  padre,  nam- 
ing  whom  they  had  selected,  and  it  is  said  that  it  was 
never  known  that  one  of  these  elected  husbands  refused. 

"Widows  lamented  as  much  for  this  imprisonment, 
which  was  sure  to  follow,  as  for  the  dear  departed. 

"Wheat,  barley,  and  hides  were  the  chief  articles 
of  trade  with  the  Russians.  In  the  winter  when  the 
roads  could  not  be  travelled  by  wagons,  about  a  thou- 
sand Indians  were  loaded  each  with  a  hide,  and  thus 
carried  them  to  the  embarcadero. 

"Among  the  whites,  one  of  their  customs  in  balls 
was  to  stop  in  the  middle  of  the  dance  at  the  wonl 
'  bomba,'  called  by  the  musicians,  and  the  gentleman 
who  occupied  the  floor  had  to  say  something  in  com- 
pliment to  his  partner.  This  was  commonly  said  in 
verse,  and  often  improvised  for  the  occasion. 

"Girls  who  persisted  in  marrying  against  the  con- 
sent of  their  parents  were  made  to  take  the  whole 
responsibility  of  housekeeping." 

In  conclusion,  we  may  sum  up  our  Lotos-land 
society  in  this  wise:  ignorant,  lazy,  religious,  the 
religion  being  more  for  women,  children,  and  Indians 
than  for  European  men — though  Coronel  speaks  of 
pausing  in  the  midst  of  a  fandango  or  rodeo  to  pray ; 
and  all  went  to  church,  though  they  gambled  freely 
afterwards.  It  was  common  for  heads  of  families  and 
all  circumspect  persons  to  wear  sanctimonious  faces  in 
the  presence  of  the  young,  refraining  from  the  men- 
tion of  wickedness  lest  they  should  be  contaminated. 
Morals  at  first  were  quite  pure ;  later  they  became 
very  bad,  syphilis  being  quite  common  among  all 
classes  and  both  sexes. 

They  were  a  frank,  amiable,  social,  hospitable  peo- 
ple, and  honest  enough  where  it  did  not  require  too 
great  an  exertion  to  pay  their  debts.  No  obligations 
of  any  kind  weighed  very  heavily  upon  them.  They 
were  an  emotional  race ;  their  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  floated  on  the  surface ;  they  not  only  possessed 
feeling  buH  they  showed  it. 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS. 


293 


m- 

ed. 
;ut, 

clos 
the 

lOU- 

tlius 

balls 
word 
3inau 
coiu- 
.id  in 

3  coii- 
whole 

s-laud 
3,  the 
iid'uins 

iks  of 

prav ; 

freely 
|es  and 

ices  in 
luen- 

iuated. 

)ecanie 

bug  all 


They  were  not  a  strong  community  in  any  sense, 
either  morally,  physically,  or  politically ;  hence  it  was 
that  as  the  savages  faded  be  tore  the  superior  Mexi- 
cans, so  faded  the  Mexicans  before  the  superior 
Americans.  Great  was  their  opportunity,  exceedingly 
o[rcat  at  first  if  they  had  chosen  to  build  up  a  large 
and  prosperous  commonwealth ;  and  later  no  less  mar- 
velous, had  they  possessed  the  ability  to  make  avail 
o:'  the  progress  and  performance  of  others.  Many 
were  defrauded  of  their  stock  and  lands ;  many  quickly 
s([uandered  the  money  realized  from  a  sudden  increase 
in  values.  They  were  foolish,  improvident,  incapable; 
at  the  same  time  they  were  grossly  sinned  against  by 
the  people  of  the  United  States.  There  was  a  class 
of  lawyers,  the  vilest  of  human  kind,  whose  lives 
were  devoted  to  a  study  of  the  cunning  and  duplicity 
necessary  to  defraud  these  simple-minded  patriarchs. 
Nevertheless,  as  I  have  said,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find  in  any  age  or  place,  a  community  that  got  more 
out  of  life,  and  with  less  trouble,  with  less  wear  and 
•wickedness,  than  the  people  of  Pastoral   California. 


le  peo- 
lire  t«^(^ 
Rations 

They 

id  a>^^^ 

Lssessed 


CHAPTER  IX. 


MILITARY  SYSTEM. 

So  Jove's  bold  bird,  high  balanced  in  the  air, 
Stoops  from  the  cloudii  to  truss  the  quivering  hare. 

— Homer. 

California  from  its  first  settlement,  and  almost  to 
the   end  of  the    Spanish   domination,  was   under  a 
strictly   military    rule.      A  provisional   arrangonicnt 
existed  until  the  beginning  of  1781,  when  Governor 
Felipe   de    Neve's  Reglamento  e  Instruccmi  para  las 
Presidios   de   la   Penlimda   de   California,    went   into 
effect.     Under  this  regulation  the  governor  had  au- 
thority over  the  two  Californias,  with   the    seat  of 
government   at   Monterey,  and  the  commandant  of 
the  presidio  of  Loreto,  in  Lower  California,  was  ix- 
officio   lieutenant-governor.      Upper    California   was 
divided  into  four  military  districts,  with  a  presiilio  at 
each,  whose  commandant  was  clothed  with  civil  ami 
criminal  jurisdiction  within  its  limits,      ^t  that  time 
there   were   three   presidios,  namely,  at  San  Dies^o, 
Monterey,  and  San   Francisco;    the  fourth  one  was 
established,  in  1782,  at  Santa  Bdrbara.     The  military 
force  then  consisted  of   four  lieutenants,   four  suli- 
lieutenants  or  alfereces,  one  surgeon,  six    sergeants, 
sixteen  corporals,  and  172  privates,  from  whicli  num- 
ber the  missions  and  pueblos  of  San  Jose  were  fui- 
nishcd  with  guards.     The  rest  of  the  force  garrisomd 
the  forts,  cared  for  the  horses  and  cattle,  and  canidl 
the  mails,  this  last-named  service  being  the  hankst 
in  time  of  peace.     There  were  also  a  few  meclianios 
and  native  servants.     During  the    Spanish   doniina 
tion  only  men  of  good  character  were   admitteil  iu 

(284) 


PRESIDLVL  COMPANIES. 


290 


tlic  service  of  tlie  presidial  companies.  Each  soldier 
luul  a  broadsword,  lance,  shield,  musket,  and  pistols; 
six  horses,  a  colt,  and  mule.  One  horse  was  kopt 
constantly  saddled  and  ready  day  and  night.  Each 
company  had  also  an  extra  supply  of  anus,  and  an 
armorer  to  keep  arms  in  repair.  The  governor  was 
provincial  inspector  of  the  presidios,  in  the  dis- 
ci large  of  which  separate  duties  he  was  assisted  by 
an  uj/mlmife  inspector  of  the  rank  of  captain,  and  with 
tho  })ay  of  $2,000  a  year. 

In  the  presidial  companies  were  a  few  cadets  and 
Hohlados  ditithiguidos.  The  former  received  their  ap- 
pointments from  the  viceroy,  and  though  doing  duty 
in  the  ranks,  did  not  live  with  the  soldiers,  but  asso- 
ciated with  the  officers.  As  they  received  only  a 
soldier's  pay,  they  were  required  to  have  an  income 
to  enable  them  to  live  and  dress  genteelly.  Their 
promotion  was  direct  to  alferez.  The  soldado  distin- 
guido  was  umstered  into  the  service  like  any  other 
soldiirs;  but  on  producing  evidence  of  gentle  birth 
was  enrolled  as  a  distinguido,  with  the  prefix  Don  to 
liis  Cliristian  name.  Any  commissoned  officer's  son 
wituld  have  the  privilege.  He  lived  in  the  barracks, 
ant!  did  militarv  duty  as  the  other  soldiers,  but  was 
exempt  from  all  menial  work.  He  had  to  go  through 
the  grades  of  corporal  and  sergeant  before  obtaining 
a  eommission  of  alferez.  Another  peculiarity  of  the 
ser\iec  was  the  granting  to  old  veterans  who  had  ren- 
dered honorable  service  from  30  to  40  years  as  pri- 
vates or  corporals,  on  their  retirement,  the  honorary 
rank  of  officers-alferez  for  30,  and  lieutenant  for  40, 
years — besides  their  pensions.  They  could  wear  the 
uniform  of  such  rank. 

To  ])rovide  a  system  of  regular  defence  against  for- 
eign invasion  was  found  to  be  surrounded  with  insup- 
erable difficulties.  Forts  would  be  of  little  use  in  a 
distant  province  having  no  resources  of  its  own.  It 
was  then  decided  to  have  batteries  of  eight  r2-pound- 
crs  for  eacli  port,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  gunners 


296 


MnJTARY  SYSTEM. 


as  a  protection  against  mere  corsairs,  and  vessels  for 
coasting  service.  During  a  period  of  war  with 
France  a  company  of  Catalan  volunteers,  rallt^d  tlio 
Compailfa  Franca  de  Voluntarios  de  Cataluna,  or 
Conipanfa  de  Fusileros  de  Montana,  75  uum  in  all, 
was  sent  out  as  reiinforcements,  and  distributed  at 
San  Diego,  Monterey,  and  San  Francisco;  its  oaj)- 
tain,  Brevet,  lieutenant-colonel  Pedro  de  Alheriii, 
being  stationed  at  the  last-named  place  as  command- 
ant of  the  presidio.  A  small  detachment  of  artillury- 
men  under  Sergeant  Roca  was  also  provided.  An 
inspection  qf  the  fortifications  at  the  three  presidios — 
Santa  Btlrbara  had  none — by  an  engineer  oliicer  in 
17'J7,  established  the  fact  that  they  were  cxcectliiigly 
defective,  indee*'!,  almost  useless.  In  Monterey  tlioro 
was  a  barbette  battery  consisting  mostly  of  a  few  1<  )gs 
of  wood,  irregularly  placed,  behind  which  stood  about 
eleven  pieces  of  artillery.  In  San  Diego,  according 
to  the  records,  the  priests  blessed  in  November  17\H], 
the  esplanade,  powder  magazine,  and  flag.  Early 
in  1795  Point  Guijarros  had  been  chosen  for  a  foit  of 
ten  guns.  This  work  was  not  finished  until  after 
1800.  In  San  Francisco  the  presidio  buildings  were 
more  or  less  damaged.  The  San  Joaquin  fort,  in 
form  of  a  horse-shoe,  was  completed  in  17'J4,  and  its 
eight  guns  mounted  on  the  spot  now  known  as  Foit 
Point.  Its  main  walls  were  of  adobe  faced  hi  tlic 
embrasures  with  bricks;  the  cost  was  $6,000.  The 
elements  soon  began  their  work  of  destruction,  and 
repairs  had  to  be  almost  constantly  going  on.  An- 
other battery  was  planted  in  1797  on  Point  Medauos, 
since  known  as  Point  San  Jose  and  Black  Point,  re- 
named Mason.  At  that  time  it  was  called  Bateria 
de  la  Yerba  Buena.  It  was  a  less  elaborate  work 
than  the  San  Joaquin,  mostly  constructed  of  brusli- 
wood  fascines,  with  eight  embrasures,  and  five  8-pouud 
guns.  No  garrison  was  kept  here,  but  the  work  was 
daily  visited,  and  to  some  extent  kept  in  order.  In 
1816  the  San  Joaquin  was  repaired,  and  in  1820  it 


SUrrLIES  AND  PAY. 


had  twoTity  j^uns,  of  wliich  three  were  24-pounder8. 
Tilt'  presidio  was  newly  built  in  1816. 

Sujiplios  for  the  presidios  came  at  stated  periods 
from  Mexico  and  San  Bias  on  the  royal  ships  from 
the  latt(!r  place.     They  were  purcliased  then^  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  memoria.%  or  memoranda,  of  articles 
ntieded,  forwarded  a  year  in  advance,  in  March  or 
A])ril,  by  tlic  governor  to  the  viceroy  of  Mexico,  and 
(Iclivercd  to  the  presidial  officers  and   men  for  their 
pay.     There  was  an  hnportant  change  made  under 
tlie  new  system.     Formerly  the  men  were  chargc^d  a 
profit  of  150  per  centum  on  the  effects  delivered  them. 
This  extra  charge  was  now  done  away  with,  the  sup- 
plies being  furnished  at  cost  and  free  of  freight  from 
Sail  Bias.     But  to  offset  this  the  pay  of  the  men  was 
ri'duced  40  per  centum;  thus  a  sergeant's  pay  was  re- 
duced to  $262,  the  corporal's  to  $225,  the  private's  to 
8-17.50,  and  the  mechanic's  to  $180.     The  pay  of 
the  lieutenant  was   made    $550,  that  of  the  alferez 
.S400,  and  the  surgeon's  $450.     The  men  had  likewise 
to  su1)niit  to  losses  and  damages  incurred  at  sea,  and 
to  the  payment  of  a  commission  of  two  per  cent  to 
ail  JtdhiliUidn,  elected  by  all  the  company,  who  under 
the  inspection  of  his  commanding  officer  received  and 
distributed  the  pay  and  rations,  and  kept  the  com- 
])aiiy  accounts.     This  hahilitado  could  purchase  Cali- 
fornia productions  when  offered  for  sale.     There  was 
an  hahilHadn-general  in  the  city  of  Mexico  to  attend 
exclusively  to  the  affairs  of  both  Californias,  who  was 
chosen  by  the  votes  of  the  companies'  officers.     This 
position  was  in  after  years  often  filled  by  an  officer  from 
California.     The  accounts  for  each  presidial  company 
wure  k(!pt  separate.     No  articles  of  luxury  could  be 
included  in  the  memorias  sent  to  Mexico  for  supplies. 
Some  coin  came  with  each  invoice,  enough  to  cover 
the  pay  of  the  governor,  and  one  or  two  other  officers, 
with  a  small  amount  for  the  soldiers. 

At  the  beginning  of  1799  the  expense  of  the  mili- 
tary t  tablishment  was  nearly  $74,000,  which  included 


MIUTARY  SYSTEM. 


$4,000  for  the  governor's  salary.  From  each  private 
soldier  of  the  presidial  companies  was  retained  a 
certain  portion  to  form  the  foiido  de  retencimi,  which 
did  not  go  into  the  royal  treasury.  The  total  of  such 
retention,  at  first  of  $50,  and  later  of  $100,  was  reim- 
bursed to  the  man  on  his  being  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  the  end  of  his  term.  There  were  other 
funds,  to  wit :  fmido  de  fp-atificacion,  made  up  from  an 
extra  allowance  to  each  company  yearly  of  8 1 0  jxr 
private  soldier,  and  intended  to  meet  contingent  ex- 
penses. The  liability  of  the  presidial  company  was 
well  defined.  Horses,  mules,  and  all  effects  assigned 
thereto,  were  duly  charged.  If  any  annual  dicti,  or 
any  of  the  effects  were  lost,  whatever  the  cause,  even 
by  defalcation  of  its  habilitado,  the  company  Iiad  to 
pay  for  the  same,  unless  for  some  powerful  reason  the 
government  in  Mexico  exempted  it  from  the  respon- 
sibility. The  fondo  de  invalidos  proceeded  from  tlie 
discount  of  eight  maravedfs  on  each  dollar,  from  offi- 
cers and  men,  and  was  applicable  to  the  payment  of 
pensions  on  their  retiring  after  service  of  at  least 
eighteen  years;  and  the  fondo  de  mwitepio  was  an- 
other deduction  from  officers'  pay  for  pensions  to  thdr 
widows  and  orphans.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
officers  could  not  marry  without  first  obtaining  the 
king's  consent.  Such  consent  was  not  given  to  any 
one  below  the  rank  of  captain,  unless  he  pro(hicecI 
evidence  of  having  an  income  of  his  own,  separate 
from  his  pay ;  even  then  his  widow  would  not  be  en- 
titled to  montepfo,  though  she  would  prolmbly  gtt  a 
pension  if  he  had  died  in  battle.  The  widow  of  an 
officer  who  married  her  when  he  was  of  the  age  of 
m\t}  years  or  upwards,  was  not  paid  any  montepfo. 

In  --^he  decade,  1801-10,  the  Catalan  infantry  com- 
pany 7as  withdrawn  from  Califoniia,  and  the  cavahy 
comp.  lies  were  increased  by  about  90  men.  In  1810 
the  tt  il  force  of  the  presidios  was  412  men,  to  wit, 
two  c  ptains,  one  more  absent  in  Mexico  acting  as 
habilivddo-general,    one    surgeon,     four    lieutenants, 


DUTIES  OP  OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS 


299 


four  alforoces,  nine  sergeants,  31  corporals,  4  cadets, 
'J42  privates,  throe  nu'clianics,  one  phlebotomist, 
nuiking  301,  besides  95  invillidos,  and  15  artillerymen. 

Officers  and  soldiers,  at  such  hours  as  thev  were 
not  attending  to  their  military  duties,  would  cut 
Wdod,  and  procure  other  things  for  the'r  families. 
Some  were  shoemakers,  otliers  tailors,  etc.  The 
mission  escorts,  usually  consisting  of  a  corporal  and 
fivt'  privates,  beside  their  strictly  military  duties  of 
standing  guard,  and  looking  after  their  arms  and 
anmmnition,  were  required  to  protect  the  jwrsons  of 
the  priests  in  and  out  of  the  missions.  The  corporal 
liiul  charge  of  the  criminal  justice;  in  certain  cases 
wliich  were  beyond  the  priest's  authority,  he  could 
order  flogghig  and  stocks.  In  very  serious  cases  it 
was  his  duty  to  instli-ate  proceedings  of  investigation 
in  writ!:ig,  and  to  forward  them,  together  with  the 
witnesses  and  accused  to  the  presidio  for  trial.  He 
could  at  times,  in  defending  the  mission  from  assaults, 
exercise  extraordinary  powers,  even  to  the  \xnnt  of 
taking  life.  However,  he  could  do  this  oidy  when 
there  was  no  time  to  apprise  the  commandant  of  the 
jirosidio,  and  await  his  action.  In  the  early  years 
there  were  occasicms,  when  double  escorts,  some  of 
them  under  sergeants,  were  stationed  at  missions.  In 
those  times  the  corporal  or  sergeants  were  ap})ointed 
l)y  the  governor  himself,  and  he  alone  could  remove 
tlunn ;  though  in  urgent  cases  the  respective  com- 
mandants might  suspend  them. 

Early  in  the  present  century,  most  of  the  men  in 
California  were  soldiers,  beginning  their  career  on 
entering  their  sixteenth  year.  The  rule  was  to  leave 
to  parents,  having  two  or  more  sons,  one  chosen  by 
tliemselves.  The  rest  were  nmstcred  into  the  cavalry, 
or  artillery,  the  choice  being  left  to  the  recruit. 
Later  in  the  third  decade,  when  the  government 
called  on  the  alcaldes  for  recruits,  usually  the  va- 
grants, lazy,  or  vicious,  were  summoned.  Governor 
Figueroa  called   them   "mataperros,  enslUadores  de 


300 


MILITARY  SYSTEM. 


caballos  agenos,  quitadores  de  algun  cuero."  Of 
course,  the  industrious  and  well-behaved  were  often 
mustered  in  from  necessity,  and  occasionally  out  of 
spite  on  the  part  of  the  alcaldes  to  them  or  their 
families. 

Discipline  was  very  rigid.  Among  the  punishments 
inflicted  on  soldiers  for  serious  offences,  besides  loss 
of  pay,  were  death,  hard  labor  in  the  chain-gang,  im- 
prisonment, increase  of  service,  etc.,  carreras  de  ha- 
qiicta,  the  culprit  having  to  run  between  two  lines  of 
men,  each  man  armed  with  a  ramrod  and  striking  him 
as  he  pleased.  The  old  Spanish  articles  of  war  pre- 
scribed the  death  penalty  for  even  what  would  appear 
a  trivial  offence  in  a  civilian.  It  was  really  astonisli- 
ing  how  any  man  could  escape  the  death  penalty. 
Grumbling  was  a  serious  matter.  Once  a  number  of 
men  at  Santa  Bdrbara  made  known  through  their 
;-  rgeant  to  Captain  de  la  Guerra,  that  they  wanted 
to  know  how  their  account  stood.  After  forming  tlio 
company  in  line,  the  captain  walked  up  and  down, 
and  asked  who  were  the  grumblers.  He  then  related 
how  once  some  men  for  saying,  "must  we  eat  bread 
like  this  ? "  were  shot.  He  told  one  or  two  more  st(  »ries 
of  a  like  nature,  and  awed  the  men  so  that  a  dead 
silence  prevailed.  Finally,  they  all  begged  pardon, 
which  he  granted,  and  no  more  was  said  about  tlio 
accounts. 

The  decade  1811-20  was  in  New  Spain,  as  well  as 
in  South  America,  one  of  strife.  Revolution  raged, 
and  the  Spanish  authorities  were  often  at  their  wit  s 
ends  to  procure  the  means  for  carrying  on  the  war 
against  the  insurgents.  This  state  of  affairs  was  ])ur- 
posely  kept  secret  in  California.  The  archives,  l)()th 
secular  and  ecclesiastic  are  silent.  Nevertheless, 
mails  being  pretty  regular  all  the  time,  the  officers 
and  friars  must  have  known  what  was  taking  place  in 
the  viceroyalty.  There  were  no  signs  of  disaffc^etien 
to  Spain  among  the  troops,  and  all  awaited  patiently 
the  result  of  the  struggle,  though  the  viceroy   -vas 


A  SWINDLING  GOVERNMENT. 


m^ 


constantly  abused  in  every  one's  mind  for  his  apparent 
i»'j*j;lect  to  send  supplies.  The  troops  suffered  severely 
for  want  of  clothing,  shoes,  and  other  articles  that 
the  missions  could  not  furnish.  Owing  to  the  in- 
fluence of  Father  Payeras,  prefect  of  the  missions,  the 
soldiers  did  not  want  for  food.  The  missionaries, 
though  with  an  occasional  grumble,  furnished  grain 
and  other  things  on  credit,  as  the  provincial  govern- 
ment had  no  funds  to  pay  for  them.  Rations  were 
distributed,  which  occasionally  might  be  traded  to 
Sjtanish  ships,  or  illegally  to  the  Russians  or  Ameri- 
cans. The  friars  were  also  without  their  stipends, 
but  they  carried  on  a  surreptitious  trade  with  for- 
eigners; whereas  the  soldiers  were  in  a  sorry  l)light, 
havino'  nothing  to  sell. 

With  the  change  of  sovereignty  the  soldiers  lost  all 
arrmrs  of  pay  due  them,  including  what  they  had  in 
till!  fn)ido  de  retencion,  and  the  old  invdlidos  did  not 
get  their  pensions.  Amador  says  that  for  over  eigii- 
teen  vcars'  service  he  received  nothing; — aside  from 
his  rations — from  the  government,  Spanish  or  Mexi- 
can. Or,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  el  ^nico  prest  que 
recibi  fuoron  los  14  agugeros  de  flecha  que  tengo  en 
ml  cucrpo."  The  hapless  soldier  underwent  hard- 
si  dps,  had  to  stand  guard,  pass  sleepless  nights,  march 
and  countermarch  at  all  hours  and  in  all  seasons  when 
reiiuircd,  carry  mails,  care  for  horses,  etc.  Further- 
more he  had  to  be  humble  and  submissive  to  his  su- 
periors, or  in  other  words,  an  abject  slave. 

Shortly  before  the  oath  to  support  Mexican  inde- 
j)endeiice  was  finally  administered,  one  Pedro  Cha- 
bolhi  appeared  before  Governor  Sola,  who  was  a 
martinet,  and  usually,  when  in  public,  wore  his 
colonel's  uniform  an<l  had  in  his  hand  his  baton  of 
C(>niinand.  Chabolla,  took  off  his  hat,  saluted,  and 
put  it  oil  again.  Sola  eyed  him  in  astonishment,  and 
demanded  what  he  meant  by  wearing  his  hat  in  the 
govirnnr's  presence.  Chabolla  answered,  "Liberty 
has  given  me  the  right  to  wear  this  hat."     He  had 


902 


MILTTARY  SYSTEM. 


:ilh 


I       i 


t'        1 


been  reading  the  Acta  Constitutiva,  adopted  by  the 
Sovereign  Provisional  Junta  of  Mexico  in  1822, 
which  had  surreptitiously  entered  California  in  pam- 
phlet form,  and  the  soldiers  had  read  it.  Sola  was 
furious;  with  his  cane  he  struck  Chabolla  several 
times,  and  sent  him  to  the  calaboose.  Chabolla  in  an 
irate  manner  said  before  retiring :  *'  Senor  Gobernador: 
Your  senoria  in  punishing  me  unlawfully  makes  use  of 
the  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial  powers."  The 
acta  enjoined  that  the  three  powers  should  not  be 
vested  in  the  same  person. 

Another  instance  is  given  of  Sola's  military  despo- 
tism.  Rafael  Galindo,  who  had  been  a  soldier,  asked 
him  in  Monterey  permission  to  buy  some  cigarettes 
from  the  habilitado  of  the  presidial  company.  Sola 
came  close  to  Galindo,  and  brusquely  said : 

"Who  are  you?" 

"The  alcalde  of  San  Jose,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Then  attend  to  your  duties  at  San  Jose,"  said  the 
governor. 

The  presidial  companies  could  do  but  little  service 
in  the  coast  defence,  as  was  evident  when  Monterey 
and  other  parts  were  assailed  by  the  Buenos  Aires 
insurgents  with  two  ships,  under  Bouchard,  in  1818. 
This  occurrence  made  a  stir  at  court  in  Mexico,  and  a 
cavalry  company  from  the  escuadron  de  Mazatlaii, 
composed  of  good,  orderly  men,  and  an  infantry  one 
from  San  Bias,  mostly  made  up  of  jail-birds,  togetlier 
with  a  small  detachment  of  artiller}mien,  and  a  few 
poor  arms  and  ammunition,  were  sent  out  the  next 
year. 

The  same  military  system  continued  under  Mexican 
rule.     Guards  were  not  kept  at  the  secularized  niis- 
The  force  in  1835  consisted  of  307  men,  iii- 


sions. 


eluding  22  officers  of  all  ranks,  among  whom  were  the 
governor  and  commander-in-chief,  who  was  a  brigadier- 
general,  and  two  naval  lieutenants.  The  organizations 
were  one  artillery  companv,  38  men,  four  presidial 
companies,  138  men,  Mazatlan  company,  reduced  to 


GARRISONS  AND  ARMS. 


303 


■the 
822, 
paiii- 
,  was 
veral 
in  an 
lador: 
use  of 
The 
ot  be 

despo- 

askcd 

irettcs 

Sola 


aid  the 

service 
interey 

Aires 

11  1818. 

,  and  a 

,zatlan, 

itry  one 

logether 

d  a  few 

Lie    TH'Xt 

Viexican 
sed  niis- 
iien,  iu- 

rcrc  the 
rigadicr- 

izatlons 

reaidii^ii 
ucod  to 


37  men,  and  a  small  detachment  of  infantry,  36. 
Later,  a  militia  was  organized  in  battalions,  called 
auxiliares  dcfensores  de  la  patria.  The  presidial  and 
other  companies  declined  to  mere  skeletons.  The 
last  record  about  the  San  Diego  company  is  Alfdrez 
Salazar's  report  of  November  1842,  to  the  effect  that 
he  had  14  men  without  arms  or  ammunition.  Earlier 
in  the  same  year,  Mofras  saw  a  few  soldiers  and  an 
officer  at  the  pueblo,  and  a  few  cannon  half  buried 
amid  the  ruins  of  the  presidio  and  fort.  When  Com- 
modore Jones  seized  Monterey  in  1842,  Phelps,  mas- 
ter of  the  American  ship  Alert,  spiked  the  guns,  and 
threw  every  movable  article  into  the  bay.  After 
1842,  an  occasional  wail  is  heard  that  San  Diego  has 
neither  soldiers  nor  means  of  defence. 

FrcMii  1842  to  1845  the  batallon  fijo,  brought  by 
General  Micheltorena,  garrisoned  the  department,  caus- 
ing a  very  heavy  expenditure.  This  battalion  was 
withdrawn  on  the  general's  departure.  In  1845,  the 
!Monterey  company  still  existed,  with  20  or  30  men, 
though  the  presidio  had  disappeared.  In  the  previous 
year,  an  auxiliary  company  of  cavalry  had  assumed 
the  role  of  defenders  of  the  country  from  internal  and 
external  foes.  The  so-called  fort  had  about  twelve 
mm,  and  three  or  four  serviceable  guns.  At  San 
Francisco  were,  in  1845,  an  alferez  and  ten  men  from 
tlie  old  San  Francisco  company,  which  during  several 
years  had  been  stationed  at  Sonoma.  Forty  or  fifty 
dcfensores  held  themselves  ready  to  fight.  The  com- 
pany at  Sonoma — 40  or  50  men — was  disbanded  about 
1844.  For  a  time  there  had  been  an  Indian  infantry 
company,  which  was  also  nmatered  out.  There  were 
some  sixty  militiamen  in  the  district.  Down  to  184.*^, 
the  ]>lace  was  entirely  under  military  control.  Ac- 
cording to  a  report  of  the  minister  of  war  of  Mexico, 
there  were  in  California  in  1840  three  24-pounders  of 
iron,  mounted,  eight  8-pounders,  eight  6-pounders, 
ten  4-])ounders,  one  2-poundcr,  some  of  iron,  others  of 
brass ;  a  number  were  dismounted. 


804 


MILITARY  SYSTEM. 


I  !«'Vf 


Tn  the  latter  part  of  1845,  the  monthly  pay-roll  of 
officers,  a  few  retired  soldiers,  and  one  widow,  amounted 
to  $2,959.  There  were  officers  enough  for  a  force  of 
3,000  men,  all  drawing  pay  with  more  or  less  reo'u- 
larity.  A  number  of  thoso  officers  were  useless,  and 
many  of  them  rendered  no  service.  The  rank  and  ])ay 
were  given  them  as  a  reward  of  partisanship.  When 
the  Americans  invaded  California,  most  of  those  fel- 
lows proved  themselves  utterly  incapable.  In  July 
1846,  the  Californian  forces,  400  or  500  strong,  and 
all  mounted,  concentrated  at  Los  Angeles.  They  Jmd 
neither  food  nor  clothing  for  several  days.  Tlion 
some  old  oxen  were  provided  for  their  use.  Thero 
was  a  comjiania  de  honor,  made  up  of  officers.  The 
first  old  ox  slaughtered  for  this  company  was  nick- 
named the  "  buey  fundador  de  la  mision  de  San  Ga- 
briel." The  men  of  the  company  of  honor  preferred 
to  it  the  pears  and  apples  they  used  to  steal  from  the 
private  orchards.  When  the  forces  were  on  their 
march  south,  even  the  officers,  their  commander,  Joso 
Castro,  excepted,  went  hungry.  In  the  Solcdad  val- 
lej',  he  received  from  the  Guadalupe  rancho  a  Iju^e 
supply  for  himself  of  cooked  provisions,  poultry  and 
pastry.  He  supped  alone,  under  a  tree,  with  his  hack 
turned  to  his  hungry  companions.  When  he  had  sat- 
isfied hia  appetite,  he  wrapped  up  the  things,  and  left 
the  bundle  on  the  ground,  covered  by  his  saddle. 
About  midnight,  Lieutenant  Josd  Antonio  Chaviz 
crawled  to  the  spot,  and  brought  away  the  eatables,  and 
with  his  friends  demolished  them;  after  doing  whidi. 
he  went  back  with  the  bones,  and  placed  them,  together 
with  dry  horse-dung,  under  the  saddle.  Then  findinij; 
a  bottle  with  brandy,  he  of  course  confiscated  it.  Next 
morning  Castro,  on  discovering  the  trick,  loolied 
around  with  a  fierce  scowl,  using  the  vilest  of  lan- 
guage, and  threatening  dire  vengeance,  but  no  ow 
paid  him  the  slightest  attention.  Ever  after,  on  re- 
ceiving new  supplies,  he  would  hold  his  orderly,  Felipe 
Espinosa   Barajas,    responsible   for   them. 


.  of 
ited 
e  of 

and 
pav 
lien 
;  M- 
Jul\- 
,  and 
r  }iad 
Then 
[liero 

The 

nick- 

n  Ga- 

ferrcd 

iiii  the 

their 
r,  Jose 
id  val- 
i  hu!j;t' 
ry  and 
s  hack 

d  sat- 

d  h'ft 

addh'. 
havez 

OS,  and 
whiih. 
hjrothor 
finduv^ 
Next 
look'xl 
of  h^i>- 
no  one 
on  rt'- 
1,  IV'lip'^ 


CHAPTER  X. 

WOMAN  AND  HER    SPHERE. 

Kennst  du  das  Land  wo  die  Citroneu  blilhn, 
Im  duukeln  Laub  die  (lold-Oraiigen  glulin, 
Elin  sanfter  Wind  vom  blauen  Hiiinnul  wuht. 
Die  Myrte  still  und  lioch  der  Lorbuur  stuht, 
Kennst  du  es  wohl  ? 

Dabin !  Dabin 
Mocht  ich  mit  dir,  o,  mein  Gcliubter,  ziclm. 


-Ooethe. 


"Women  were  not  treated  with  the  greatest  rospoct : 
in  Latin  and  in  savage  countries  tlicy  seldom  are; 
liencc,  as  these  were  half  Latin  and  half  savage,  we 
are  not  surprised  to  Jearn  that  the  men  too  often  idled 
away  their  time,  leaving  the  women  to  do  all  the  work 
and  rear  the  family.  True,  while  the  women,  besides 
attLiiding  to  their  domestic  duties,  cut  the  wood,  cul- 
tivated the  garden,  went  washing  to  the  water,  wliere 
they  erected  an  arbor,  the  men  were  on  horseback 
lassoing  wild  cattle,  and  if  they  brought  home  some 
nuat  the  wife  was  thankful  and  content. 

Tliere  was  strong  affection,  and  never  a  ha|ipier 
family  than  when  the  ranchero,  dwelling  in  pastoral 
siinitlicity,  saw  his  sons  and  his  f^on's  sons  bringing  to 
tilt'  i)aternal  roof  their  wives  a'.d  seating  them  at  the 
ovir-lcuijfthenininr  table.  Additions  were  sometimes 
made  to  that  most  comfortable  of  buildings,  the  family 
adoho,  and  if  here  was  not  the  highest  intelligence 
and  refinement,  happiness  was  present. 

Oil  the  other  hand,  as  Sanchez  says,  the  women 
Were  not  without  their  champions.     Chico  and  Pico 

Cal.  Pa8T.,  Vol.  I.   20  (  806  ) 


lil 


306 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


!•    ' 


did  the  most  for  them,  and  for  their  education,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  refusing  them  nothing.  During  all 
their  wars,  he  affirms,  the  Califomians  never  neglected 
their  wives  and  daughters.  True,  there  were  times 
when  the  women  v.  ere  exposed  to  hardships,  and  sounj 
men  did  not  treat  them  with  due  consideration.  This, 
however,  changed  gradually;  and  with  Pico's  rise  the 
difl'crence  became  so  radical  that  even  the  gentlest 
women  seized  their  husbands  by  the  beard. 

Fermina  Espinosa,  owner  of  Santa  Rita  ranclio, 
now  Sotoville,  was  very  masculine,  and  did  all  the 
rancho  work,  breaking  colts,  lassoing  cattle,  while  lu  r 
husband  did  nothing  but  eat,  sleep,  smoke,  and  in- 
crease an  already  numerous  family.  She  was  much 
respected.  V.  Avila  of  Sal-si-puedes  rancho  had  four 
daughters,  fair  and  blue-eyed,  who  worked  like  iiu n, 
roamed  the  mountains  in  men's  attire,  guarding  stoi  k 
and  felling  timber.  They  also  made  blankets  and 
clicese,  and  drove  the  old  wooden-wheeled  ox-eait 
here  and  there  as  duty  demanded.  One  girl  married ; 
the  rest  remain  single  to  care  for  the  old  father. 

The  days  of  legal  discipline  were  not  yet  over,  and 
woman  here  came  in  for  her  share.  I  will  quote  a 
few  cases  in  actual  life  taken  from  the  archives. 

In  1840,  at  Los  Angeles,  Prefect  Arguello  directs 
the  2d  justice  of  the  peace  to  conduct  by  force  a 
woman  who  refuses  accompa.iying  her  husband.  At 
San  Jose,  Juan  Lisaldo  complained  to  the  alcalde 
that  he  believed  his  wife  Maria  de  las  Nieves  was 
about  to  abscond.  A  summons  was  issued  on  the 
27th  of  April,  1847,  and  the  case  tried  the  same  day. 
The  alcalde  directed  that  the  parties  be  united  ai,^ain, 
or  be  imprisoned  until  they  consented  to  live  together. 
On  the  1st  of  May  a  letter  was  sent  to  the  pri(  :^t  ef 
Santa  Clara,  who  ordained  that  they  should  be  cnni- 
pelled  to  live  together.  After  three  days  given  fer 
reflection,  Maria  refused  to  comply,  whereupon  she  was 
put  in  prison,  there  to  learn  obedience. 

Said  Sub-prefect  Sunol  to  Alcalde  Guillen:  "If  Juana 


FELICITIES  AND  INFEUCITIES. 


307 


accord - 
.ring  all 
eglectrd 
re  tiiiK'S 
lid  some 
1.  _  This, 
;  rise  the 

gentlest 


Giilinclo  still  manifests  repugnance  toward  lierliusband 
and  refuses  going  back  to  him,  the  alcalde  shall  have 
her  taken  from  her  house,  and  putting  handcutis  on  her, 
^.liall  deliver  her  to  her  husband,  charging  him  with 
liLi'  care  and  responsibility.     Dios  y  Libertad." 

Writing  to  Ortega  the  25th  of  March,  1783,  Fagcs 
declares  that  he  has  learned  what  has  passed  between 
C'urro  and  his  girl-wife,  and  thinks  it  is  her  love  for 
Ik  r  })arents  which  makes  her  object  to  the  duty  imp()sed 
hy  nature.  Let  her  go  and  live  with  Curro  in  some 
otlur  place,  suggests  the  governor,  and  then  she  will 
virld  to  his  desire. 

Vet  plainer  is  the  complaint  of  Jose  !Madariaga  to 
till- justice  of  the  peace  at  Monterey  in  1845 — too  plain 
for  printing  forty  years  later.  Repelling  all  of  his 
advances,  he  finally  asked  her  if  she  had  made  a  v(»w 
of  chastity,  and  was  answered  no.  He  proposed  that 
tlay  sliould  confess  to  the  priest,  who  should  suggest 
a  it'inedy,  but  she  refused  to  confess,  or  have  anything 
tn  do  W'ith  the  priest.     That  night  she  ran  away. 

Soiuotimes  the  wife  even  dared  to  coni{)lain  of  the 
husliaiid.  At  Monterey,  in  1846,  Mariano  Silva,  cap- 
tain of  artillery,  petitions  in  the  name  of  Senora  ]:}rionts 
tiiat  her  husband  Miranda  beexiled  at  leasttifty  leagues 
finiu  his  family  at  Yeiba  Buena,  because  of  drunken- 
m  ss,  immorality,  and  cruelty.  He  had  already  been 
t  \iled  from  Sonoma  for  immoral  conduct. 


"If  Juana 


"It  was  considered  very  im]>roper  for  any  giil  to 
receive  a  proposal  of  marriage,"  writes  the  charming 
(iuadalupe  Vallejo,  "before  her  j)arents  had  b«?eii 
consulted  by  the  lover  or  his  parents.  Old  maids 
wuie  scarce,  and  very  much  thought  of.  A  lady  wlio 
did  not  marry  in  those  times  was  not  for  lack  of  suitors, 
fir,  indeed,  white  women  were  very  much  in  demand, 
hut  from  choice;  and  therefore  slie  was  very  much 
admired  and  venerated. 

"  L  have  an  aunt  (a  sister  of  my  mother),  wdiose 
parents  having  died,  and  being  dissatistied  with  her 


«» 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


life  at  her  uncle's,  formed  the  determination  of  accept- 
in<^»'  the  first  offer  that  should  bo  made  to  her.  Slie 
was  then  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  they  lived  at  a 
ranch  a  few  miles  from  Santa  Barbara. 

"  Very  soon  a  letter  came  to  her  uncle,  with  proposals 
of  marriage  for  his  niece,  from  Don  Ignacio  Peralta,  a 
young  gentleman  from  San  Jose.  She  was  told  of  it; 
and  (I  think)  that  much  to  the  surprise  of  all,  she  ac- 
cepted, although  she  had  never  laid  eyes  on  the  suitor. 
The  answer  was  accordingly  sent,  and  arrangements 
proceeded  for  the  wedding.  The  accepted  lover  soon 
arrived,  accompanied  by  his  brother;  and  mdeed,  it 
required  all  her  moral  courage  and  strength  to  sustain 
herself  in  her  determination ;  for  such  uncouth  person 
she  had  never  seen  before ;  she  was  totally  unprepai-cd 
to  meet  her  fate  with  such  a  face.  However,  slic 
kept  her  word,  and  rode  on  horseback,  accompanied 
by  her  friends,  to  Santa  Bdrbara  to  be  married.  She 
says  that  she  wept  bitterly  all  the  way ;  her  face,  all 
tear-stained,  was  more  like  that  of  one  proceeding  to 
a  funeral  than  that  of  a  happy  bride.  He  died  last 
year,  after  having  been  married  fifty-nine  years.  She 
was  at  last  liberated  from  her  cruel  fate,  at  the  ai>e  of 
seventy- three ! " 

It  was  common  to  betroth  children  at  a  young  age, 
an  arrangement  effected  by  the  fathers,  the  children 
being  seldom  consulted.  About  two  years  before  the 
marriage,  the  girl's  father  would  ask  the  other  father 
for  his  son,  who  was  sent  to  live  in  the  house  of  the 
former.  This  act  made  them  ni^vios,  or  affianced,  and 
the  young  man  treated  the  girl's  father  as  his  own, 
working  for  him,  and  being  regarded  as  a  son,  not 
even  opposing  the  infliction  of  corporal  punishment 
for  faults.  When  the  young  man  had  learned  to  work, 
the  marriage  was  consummated. 

Girls  married  at  from  thirteen  to  fifteen,  the  parents 
selecting  the  husband.  A  man  wishing  to  marry  sent 
his  father  to  ask  the  father  of  the  girl;  he  himself 
never  asked  for  her,  for  that  was  not  considered  proper, 


COURTSHIP  AND  BETROTHAL. 


800 


though  he  might  address  a  letter  intmiathig  his  desire 
ti>  the  girl's  parents.  In  whatever  way  negotiations 
liad  heen  opened,  the  applicant  was  obliged  to  wait 
tight  or  ten  days  "or  an  answer.  If  during  that  time 
hr  heard  nothing,  he  might  then  beg  his  father  tt)  go 
tor  the  answer.  Sometimes  the  answer  would  come 
at  once.  The  parties  were  usually  married  in  the 
church;  sometimes  there  were  two  bridesmaids  and 
two  iiToomsmen.  There  was  usually  no  nmrriajife  set- 
tlcment,  notwithstanding  the  lengtiiy  deliberations  of 
till'  senors  over  the  event. 

The  marriage  day  fixed,  the  fathers  spoke  to  the 
piicst,  who  proceeded  with  the  publication  of  the  bans, 
unless  he  was  paid  to  omit  them.  The  bridal  party 
marched  silently  to  church,  and  without  nmsic;  i»ut 
after  the  ceremony,  friends  received  them  at  the  door 
with  music,  and  bore  them  home  in  triumph.  If  the 
jiair  lived  at  a  distance  in  the  country,  another  band 
of  umsicians  met  them  half-way,  and  all  proceeded  to 
the  rancho,  where  an  arbor  had  been  prejiarod  for 
the  dance,  which  lasted  sometimes  a  week  or  more. 

The  wagons  of  the  party  were  adorned  with  colored 
mverlets,  and  silk  kerchiefs,  branches,  and  flowers. 
The  men  were  all  on  horseback,  and  some  f)f  the 
women,  who,  at  times,  had  a  man  on  the  croup  of  their 
horse.  A  special  table  was  generally  set  for  [tromi- 
iieiit  guests ;  the  others  feasted  beneath  the  trees,  by 
the  creek  or  spring,  cooking  their  own  steaks.  Most 
of  the  men  played  instruments,  so  that  the  nmsicians 
could  always  be  relieved. 

Often  the  happy  pair  were  dressed  in  their  ordinary 
apparel,  the  bride  adding  only  ia  crown  of  artificial 
flowers,  sometimes  white,  but  usually  variegated. 
Often  the  fathers  would  not  allow  the  pair  to  meet 
till  after  the  feast.  The  padre  attended,  but  was  not 
detained  more  than  a  day.  The  padrinos  of  the  pair 
Avcre  selected  by  the  parents  of  both.  The  pair  con- 
sidered it  a  duty  to  visit  the  padre  after  mass  the 
Sunday  following  the  marriage,  accompanied  by  their 


,11 


\v  ■ 


fllO 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


fatliors  and  padrinos,  to  give  thanks.  Tlic  padre  pro- 
sciitod  tlie  party  some  fruit.  The  fee  was  paid  in  money 
or  pnxUiee.     This  accordinj^  to  Hijar. 

Another  relates  that  when  the  marriage  contract  is 
agreed  on  by  the  parties,  the  fir.st  care  of  tlie  bride- 
groom is  to  get,  by  buying,  begging,  or  stealing,  tlie 
best  horse  possible,  and  also  a  saddle  and  a  silver 
mounted  bridle;  the  overleathers  of  tlie  saddle  mu.^t 
likewise  be  embroidered.  These  articles  were  deemed 
mdispensable  to  a  wedding,  no  matter  how  poor  tlie 
parties  might  be.  The  bridegroom  must  furnish  the 
l»ri«le  with  not  less  than  six  articles  of  each  kind  ot' 
woman's  clothing,  and  provide  everything  necessary 
to  f(>ast  his  friends  for  one,  two,  or  three  da  vs. 

The  wedding  day  being  come,  the  fine  horse  is  sad- 
dled, and  the  bridegroom  takes  up  before  him  on  lii.s 
horse  his  future  godmotlier,  and  the  future  god- 
father takes  the  bride  before  him  on  another  fiiu? 
hor.se,  and  so  they  gallop  to  church.  The  ceremony 
over,  the  newly  married  couple  mount  one  horse,  and 
the  godfather  and  godmother  mount  the  other,  and 
so  they  gallop  back  to  the  house  of  the  bride's  parents, 
where  they  are  received  with  squibs  and  firing  of  mus- 
kets. Before  the  bridegroom  has  time  to  dismount, 
two  per.sons  who  are  in  readiness  seize  him  and  re- 
niove  his  spurs,  Avhich  the}-  keep  until  he  redeems 
them  with  a  bottle  of  brandy,  or  money  to  buy  one. 
The  married  couple  then  enter  the  house,  where  the 
near  relatives  are  waiting  in  tears  to  receive  tluin 
alone.  They  kneel  down  before  the  parents  and  ask 
a  blessing,  which  is  bestowed.  Then  the  bridegroom 
signs  to  some  one  near  him,  whereupon  the  guitar 
and  violin  strike  up,  and  dancing  and  drinking  begin. 

Shortly  after  Micheltorena's  arrival  in  184J  at 
Angeles,  he  and  his  officers  and  the  prominent  people 
were  invited  to  a  wedding  there,  to  be  held  in  a  hu(Mta. 
Branches  of  willows  were  laid  thickly  upon  a  trellis- 
work  to  afford  shade.  At  the  further  end  tiiereof  an 
apartment  was  formed  of  yellow  doth,  open  toward 


WEDDING  FORMALITIES. 


311 


tlio  troll is-covor,  in  which  were  placed  half  a  dozen 
cliair.s  for  the  general,  liis  wife,  and  officers,  and  be- 
hind which  were  rude  bondies  in  rows.  In  tlie  centre 
of  the  room  was  a  large  table  covered  with  clean 
clotlis,  china  plates,  and  cut-glass  decanters.  At  one 
side  was  a  row  of  barrels  of  drink — wines,  brandy, 
and  otlier  liquors. 

A  calf  hung  ready  for  roasting  in  the  huge  glowing 
fire,  and  otJicr  fires  were  read}'  for  vari(>us  prepara- 
tions, while  delicacies  of  all  kinds  aboundtd. 

Between  eleven  and  twelve  a.  m.  the  marriage  party 
loft  the  church  for  the  fjrove,  attended  by  all  the 
guests,  godfathers,  and  parents — all  marching  in  pro- 
cession, j^receded  l)y  music  of  violins  and  guitars  ]>lay- 
iiig  [)opular  airs.  The  general  arrived  an  hour  later, 
was  conducted  to  the  grove  by  the  bridal  party,  and 
seated  by  the  side  of  the  bride,  at  the  head  of  the 
tabic,  while  the  general's  wife  sat  next  to  the  gioom, 
then  the  Ljodfathers,  and  next  the  officers  accordinij  to 
lank,  and  after  them  the  people  of  the  country.  Toasts 
were  given,  and  four  hours  after  the  general's  arrival 
they  rose  from  table  and  proceeded  to  the  house, 
wliore  the  ball  took  place.  The  soldiers  were  invited 
to  tlie  second  table.  The  party  did  not  break  up  till 
dawn  of  day. 

]\[en  have  a  trick  or  two  in  love,  as  well  as  women ; 
hotli  sometimes  deviate  from  innnaculate  cleanliness  in 
their  tricks.  A  woman  will  sav  of  a  man  wiiom  she 
tries  in  \a\n  to  marry,  that  she  has  refused  him  once, 
twice,  several  tin»es.  iVfale  wooers — I  cannot  call 
tluun  men  -are  sometimes  l)lack  in  heart  enough  when 
defeated  to  rail  against  the  sex  with  Draconian  sever- 
ity. So  it  was  with  the  baser  sort  of  early  adveri- 
tuiers  among  the  Californi.ans;  and  so  it  was  that 
many  credulous  fools  were  caught  by  these  lagos,  and 
many  worthy  and  chaste  dames  guiltless  met  re[)roach. 
It  is  not  probable  that  the  women  of  the  time  were 
cold  as  the  curded  snow  that  hangs  on  Diana's  temple; 
but  is  that  a  reason  why  they  should  be  cursed  on 


i 


312 


WOMAN  AND   HER  SPHERE. 


every  convenient  occasion,  bitterly  as  was  Meroz,  in 
ricliest  pioneer  idiom? 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  the  CaHfornian  bride  wlioso 
husband  was  American ;  and  happier  still  for  the  C'ali- 
fornian  husband  whose  bride  was  Yankee.  In  1847 
there  lived  at  the  raneho  of  San  Lorenzo  two  bacliolor 
brothers  who  once  entertained  Mr  Bryant  for  tin.' 
niglit.  They  were  men  of  intelligence  and  politeness, 
and  their  hearts  yearned  for  somethmg  to  relieve  tlic 
desolation  of  their  loneliness.  They  prayed  with  sim- 
ple earnestness  that  Mr  Bryant  should  send  them  two 
American  women,  that  they  might  marry,  live  happy, 
and  die  lamented. 

Girls  were  L«,ught  to  sew,  embroider,  and  weave. 
Some  could  knit  (tejer)  fine  garters,  chiefly  silken,  for 
tiie  botas  of  the  vaqueros,  with  silk  or  gold  thread  tufts, 
or  knots  of  gold  and  silk  and  silver,  bearing  figures  <.f 
men,  hearts,  etc.,  forming  quite  a  bunch  on  the  side 
of  the  calf  The  rich  strove  to  place  all  possible 
ornaments  there. 

A  prudent  calculation  gives  each  California  fomily 
an  averaoe  of  ten  children;  if  some  had  none,  others 
had  twenty  or  twenty -five. 

The  occupations  of  the  women  were  in  every  way 
su|ierior  to  those  of  the  men,  as  well  as  more  arduous 
and  continuous.  They  had  charge  of  the  kitchen  and 
of  the  sewing,  which  was  by  no  means  a  light  task, 
for  tJiere  was  a  great  deal  of  embroidery  about  the 
clotliing  of  both  men  and  women,  as  well  as  bed-linen ; 
and  all  of  this  was  the  work  of  their  hands.  In  iron- 
ing the  hand  was  used  instead  of  a  flat-iron,  by  many 
women.  They  also  combed  and  braided  every  day  the 
liair  of  their  fatijc  rs,  husbands,  and  brothers.  Many 
of  them  made  tiie  aead,  candles,  and  soap  consumed 
by  the  family,  nivl  many  took  charge  of  sowing  and 
harvesting  the  crops. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  women  were  sedu- 
lously taught  that  for  them  to  be  able  to  write  was 
prejudicial,  and  at  most  they  might  learn  to  read,  they 


MARRIACIE  AND  DIVORCE. 


.tlS 


were  of  good  morals,  says  Coroiicl,  industrious,  and 
iitat.  Dedicated  to  tiieir  domestic  duties,  many  of  them 
were  {d)le  to  assume,  and  did  assume,  such  as  le«^iti- 
iiiiiti'ly  pertain  to  men.  Tliey  were  both  eliaritahlc 
and  li()si>ital>k',  the  housewife  holdin<if  that  articles  of 
food  .sliould  not  he  sold  to  nci;jfhl)ors,  and  <;ave  to  others 
such  as  to  them  were  lackini?,  and  of  which  she  her- 
silf  possessed  a  superahundance.  Mothers  carefully 
nuarded  their  dauj^hters,  and  often  the  traveller  wctit 
away  without  havinj^  even  seen  other  than  the  male 
nK-mhers  of  the  family. 

( )n  the  rancho  were  hij;  vessels  in  which  the  women 
hathed  m  winter.  In  summer  all  women  resorted  to 
the  rivers  or  seashore.  They  were,  with  few  excep- 
tions, excellent  swinnners,  surpassinj^  the  women  per- 
haps of  any  other  country  in  this  art.  The  poor 
women  entered  the  water  with  merely  a  cloth  tied 
round  the  neck  to  cover  the  breast.  The  rich  women 
W'.re  attended  by  Indian  servants,  who  carried  the 
fiuiasfo  {corm,  baskets)  with  avwic  (soap-plant),  a  mate 
(calabash  cup)  for  ])ouring  water,  and  a  broad-rim nied 
straw  hat.  Besides  the  hat,  they  used,  at  times,  a 
l>Iue  bathing-dress  and  sandals. 

"I  never  saw  a  mother  in  California,"  says  Torres, 
"<nve  her  infant  to  a  stranger  to  be  suckled.  Califor- 
Ilia  mothers  were  tender,  and  as  wives,  atfectionate. 
The  few  unfaithful  wives  were  Mexicans." 


Divorce  was  not  easy  in  those  days,  unfortunately, 
]^y  Mexico  law,  marriage  by  the  church  rite  was  a 
sacrament,  and  could  not  be  dissolved  by  civil  tribu- 
nals. But  the  marriage  of  the  unfaithful  without  the 
church  was  but  a  simple  contract.  There  were  few 
marriages  in  pastoral  times  not  hallowed  by  the  per- 
formances of  the  priest.  A  wife  might  through  the 
ecclesiastical  court  obtain  a  separation  from  a  drunken 
husband,  provided  she  had  money  or  influence  enough. 
On  the  18th  of  !May,  1842,  the  bishop  writes  the 
prefect  at  Angeles  with  reference  to  his  decision  of 


314 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


May  9tli,  in  the  divorce  suit  of  Sepiilveda,  that  the 
civil  judj^es  must  not  interfere  in  the  case,  but  rein't 
it  to  liis  ecclesiastical  court.  The  prefect  accord  in jrly, 
on  June  7th,  urges  the  judges  of  Angeles  to  tell  the 
wife  to  appear  at  Santa  Barbara,  and  state  her  case 
in  person  or  through  the  curador. 

On  the  18th  of  December,  1835,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  San  Diego  sued  his  wife  for  gambling  away  $1,000, 
and  asked  for  a  separation.  The  wife  confessed  tliu 
fault,  but  begged  pardon,  and  promised  better  behavior. 
A  temporary  separation  was  granted  by  the  alcalde. 

Governor  Mason,  on  the  8th  of  December,  1847, 
assures  Mrs  Hetty  C.  Brown  that  neither  he  nor  the 
alcaldes  can  grant  her  a  divorce.  "If  your  husbaiul 
has  abandoned  you,"  he  says,  "and  left  the  county.  I 
think  he  should  be  viewed  as  though  he  were  dead."' 
That  is  all  very  well,  but  may  the  p(Jor  widow  many 


agam 


The  juez  eclesidstico  of  the  northern  missions,  on 
the  31st  of  August,  18;?5,  asks  the  aid  of  the  civil 
authority  to  oblige  the  consorts  Angel  Bojorges  and 
Maria  Oabriela  Altamirano  to  resume  at  once  tlicir 
conjugal  relations,  there  being  no  ecclesiastical  l;i\v 
which  permits  their  living  apart. 

Petra,  wife  of  Hilario  Ponciano,  living  at  San  Dirgo 
in  1838,  was  accused  of  infidelity  by  her  husband,  wlm 
asked  for  a  separation  before  the  alcalde,  who  turned 
the  matter  over  to  Padre  Oliva  as  ecclesiastical  judge 
Several  papers,  summons  for  witnesses,  etc.,  are  on 
record.  The  woman  was  once  sent  back  from  tlie 
mission  to  the  alcalde  for  want  of  proper  proofs  and 
a  proper  place  to  confine  her. 

For  the  dissolution  of  the  civil  contract  of  marriagi' 
proceedings  were  after  the  following  fashion:  The 
amounts  granted  as  alimony,  it  will  be  noticed,  were 
not  excessive.  On  the  18th  of  March,  1842,  appealed 
before  Judge  Fernandez,  of  Monterey,  Marfa  Ouada- 
lupe  Castillo,  with  her  hombre  bueno,  Gabriel  de  la 
Torre,  and  also  her  husband,  Edward  Watson,  w  itli 


■•'■    H 


THE  EVER-MEDDLESOME  PRIEST. 


81S 


Lis  hombro  buono,  Manuel  Castro,  Mari'a  a«ked  a 
st'paiatiou  on  the  ground  of  frequent  ill  treatnu-nt. 
Tlio  husband,  at  first  reluctant,  finally  agreed  to  a 
divorce.  The  judge  ordered  that  the  wife  should  live 
at  la  Torre's  house,  the  husband  to  pay  .$12  monthly 
for  the  support  of  her  and  her  child. 

"Tell  Casilda  Sepi'ilvi'da,"  writes  the  prefect  to  the 
juez  do  1*  instancia  of  Angeles,  "that  the  bishop  is 
ready  to  let  any  objections  regarding  the  dissolution 
of  her  matrimony  with  Teodoro  Trujillo  be  brought 
hcfore  the  ecclesiastical  tribunal,"  Tlie  bishop  had 
written  the  prefect  on  May  3d  a  sliarp  letter  on  cer- 
tain preliminary  cognizance  taken  by  the  juez  do  1" 
instancia,  in  this  case,  and  declared  any  steps  taken  b}' 
liiui  to  be  void;  and  in  accordance  with  that  letter  the 
prefect  ^^rote  the  juez  as  above.  On  the  Kith  l*adre 
l^stenega  of  San  Gabriel  writes  the  prefect  that  the 
girl  Casilda  who  seeks  a  divorce  from  T.  Trujillo  re- 
fuses to  enter  the  private  house  he  desires  to  consign 
lier  to  till  she  shall  i)e  ready  to  ajtpear  before  the  ecele- 
siastical  court  at  Santa  l^arbara.  He  desires  tlie  pic- 
f( ct  to  compel  her  to  a])pear  before  that  court.  The 
preteet  replies  to  the  judge  of  vVngeles  that  there  need 
l)c  no  restriction  of  liberty ;  the  girl  might  api)eal  in 
wiiting  to  Santa  IMrbara.  Again  the  ])adre  writes, 
Mav  1 7th,  that  he  merelv  asks  her  to  restrict  herself 
to  an  honorable  hous(,'  f  )r  a  time,  and  then  appear  in 
person  at  Santa  J^arbara. 

On  the  IDth  of  February,  1842,  suit  was  begun 
111  fore  Jose  Z.  Fernandez,  justice  of  tlie  peace  at 
^loiiterey,  by  Mari.'i  Ana  ( ironzalez,  to  ol)tain  a  divorce 
IVoni  her  husband,  Jose  ^^,  (^astanares.^  She  presented 
lu'i'self  with  hei  ho'nhre  bueno,  Jose  Abrego,  and  Cas- 
tafiares  with  his,  Florencio  Serrano.  The  })arti(\s  being 
agreed  to  separation  a!>solute,  and  for  nuitual  trancjuil- 
lity.  it  appeared  best  to  the  hombres  buenos,  and  tiie 
judge  determined  to  grant  the  usual  certificate.  The 
]>laiiitifi' havinjjf  askeil  for  alimonv,  the  husband  assii-ned 
-50  a  year  for  the  present,  to  be  increased  if  liis  cir- 


I 


li 
m  I 

m 


rl! 


ti 


i 


m 


!  <i 


[   ) 


:A 


-.: 


Ml 


n 


316 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERK 


cumstances  should  become  better,  he  being  free  to  live 
where  he  pleased.  Upon  this  hearing,  the  arrange- 
ment not  seeming  entirely  good  to  the  judge,  he  or- 
dered that  Ana  should  reside  at  the  house  of  her 
father,  Rafael  Gonzalez,  to  "hich  measure  all  agreed. 
On  the  7th  of  December  following,  the  parties  in  tiiis 
suit  came  together  with  their  hombres  buenos,  and 
agreed  to  withdraw  the  causes  of  complaint,  remaining 
from  date  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony,  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  19th  of  February  to  be  null.  Happy 
conclusion!  In  1811  the  president  of  missions  wrntc; 
to  the  missionary  at  San  Rafael,  transcribing  author- 
ization by  the  bishop  of  Sonora  on  March  1,  1811,  to 
the  missionaries  of  California  to  ratify,  in  foro  concien- 
tire,  after  imposing  a  salutary  penalty,  marriages  con- 
tracted unlawfully  in  face  of  the  church  with  unknown 
im}>ediment  of  affinity  when  illicit  copulation  had  t  < - 
curred,  provided  one  of  the  contracting  parties  was  in 
good  faith  and  was  ignorant  of  the  relationship — the 
impediment  not  to  be  made  known  to  the  innocent 
party;  otherwise,  if  the  impediment  had  been  pub- 
lished before  court  this  privilege  was  not  to  ap[)ly  to 
either  of  the  parties. 

In  1821  the  governor  asked  the  padre  prefectoto 
order  the  hysterical  padre  Gil  de  Taboada  not  to 
interfere  in  marriages.  He  had  broken  several  iii- 
gagements,  among  them  that  of  Valle  and  Catalina 
!Mamaneli.  The  latter  had  her  father's  consent,  and 
was  willing,  when  this  jtadre  ordered  her  to  retire  into 
seclusion  for  a  few  days  and  repent  of  the  engagement. 

In  1825,  at  Santa  Barbara,  J.  A.  Yorba  wantid  to 
marry  a  first  cousin  of  his  first  wife,  who  was  fond  of 
his  children.  The  request  was  not  granted  by  the 
padre  president. 

One  Carpo,  a  neophyte,  had  when  a  gentile  married 
a  woman,  also  a  gentile,  after  the  gentile  manner,  wlio 
died.  He  had  become  a  Christian  before  marryiiiL;' 
another  woman,  also  a  Christian.  It  was  discoveit  d 
that  the  women  were  daughterc  of  two  gentile  sons 


MORALITY  MANUFACTURERS. 


317 


to  live 

hc  or- 
of  lu-r 
ly-reed. 

in  this 
t)S,  ai)(l 
uainiug 
he  pro- 
Hapi-y 
s  %vr«>t(! 
autlior- 
1811,  t.) 
coiieien- 
ges  cou- 
nknown 

had  '- 
s  was  111 
lip — tho 
innocent 

!on  l>id>- 
apply  to 

focto  to 
not  til 

eral  cii- 
Catalina 
iont,  aiul 

tire  into 

Monu'Ht. 

anted  to 
H  fond  ot 
hy  the 

married 
nier,  who 
niarryiii'j,' 
isroverea 
itile  !5onrf 


of  the  same  father,  but  of  different  mothers.  Padre 
Arroyo  separated  Carpo  and  his  wife,  and  reported 
the  ease  to  Padre  Prefecto  Sarri'a,  who  decided  that 
a  dispensation  should  be  given,  and  the  couple  re- 
married, the  first  marriage  being  null,  as  the  women 
Were  within  the  prohibited  degrees  of  affinity.  At 
San  Diego,  in  i825,  one  Yaldez  asked  permission  to 
iiiarrv  a  relative  in  the  second  defrree,  with  whom  he 
liad  had  intercourse.  He  desired  this  also  on  tlie 
score  "of  God's  service  and  the  salvation  of  his  soul." 
Tlie  ]  (resident  remarked  that  he  could  serve  God  ami 
save  his  soul  with  any  woman,  and  denied  the  ])etition. 
In  a  letter  to  a  padre  the  i)resident  said  that  if  the 
ini])ediment  to  the  marriage  were  unknown  to  the 
jiul'He,  the  dispensation  would  have  been  easier  to 
uhtain. 

The  neopliyte  Felipe,  lieing  a  widower,  had  been 
lirtrothed  or  desired  to  marry  a  neophyte  woman,  but 
tliev  were  w'ithin  the  second  desjfree  of  affinitv,  for 
tlie  woman  had  had  intercourse  with  Felipe's  cousin, 
wliieli  she  confessed  to  Padre  Arroyo,  otherwise  tlie 
matter  was  a  secret.  Padre  Ai'royo  reported  to  the 
J'adre  Prefecto  Sarria,  who  decidi'd  that  they  should 
he  married,  since  they  were  betrothed,  and  in  onh'r 
to  avttid  scandal;  and  moreover  Felipe  was  innocent, 
and  niio'lit  not  be  able  easilv  to  find  another  woman  to 
lii~  liking.  That  the  woman  might  recognize;  the 
t'lMir  done  by  h<»ly  church,  she  must  hear  mass  on 
li  1'"  tiays,  but  without  telling  her  husband  or  any 
Oil'  t.'lse  whv. 

hi  IHl\5  ^r.  C.  ^Nfontero,  enceinte  by  the  soldier 
S>  10,  had  agreed  to  marry  Garcia,  an  own  nephew 
5  '  S(v  I..,  to  e.scape  dishonor,  and  Garcia  took  steps  to 
o'liain  a  dispeit.satioii,  owing  to  the  relatioiisliip. 
Mmiterosoon  chanu'ed  her  mind  and  wanted  to  mariv 
liiules.  claiming  that  the  ndationship  between  Soto 
and  (Jarcia  was  interdicting.  (Jarcia,  who  had  re- 
mained constant,  then  demandt'd  reimbursement  of 
exjunses  for  dispensation.     The  padre   president  at 


318 


WOMAN  AND  HEIl  SPHERE. 


first  declared  the  palabra  de  esponsales  between  ^loii- 
tero  and  Garcia  to  be  null;  bit  other  padres  repiv- 
sentcd  that  dispensations  between  second  cousins  had 
oiten  been  granted,  and  that  this  marriage  had  been 
ratified,  and  the  [)resident  accordingly  declared  tlio 
mairiage  valid,  unless  Montero  could  present  beUer 
objections. 

Maria  Josefa  Castro  was  brought  to  the  juzgado  hy 
Antonio  (ialindo,  with  the  request  to  be  married. 
The  parish  priest  was  present  and  ordered  her  to 
be  depositada  till  her  disability  as  to  age  should  ho 
reino\ed  by  proper  authority.  Thereupon  the  suh- 
pri  Toct  referred  her  to  the  prefect,  that  this  might  Ijo 
doi  "  rcordance  with  the  petition  of  herself  and  of 
the  [..         priest. 

On  ti. .  '2i\d  of  June,  1847,  Padre  Gonzalez,  goverimr 
of  the  diocese,  declared  the  marriage  of  F.  de  l*aul;i 
Johnson  and  Juana  Silva  valid;  but  as  they  confessed 
in  marrying  to  have  broken  the  laws  of  their  parents 
and  of  the  church,  they  sIh  uld  be  subject  to  tlio 
j)enalty  of  the  santo  coiicilio,  except  excommunication. 
In  view  of  time  and  persons  iie  reduced  the  $1.^0 
fine  to  §70  for  each  witness  of  the  act,  and  t(»()k  otf 
$l()0  from  the  fine  imposed  upon  the  contracting' 
parties,  so  that  they  need  pay  but  $200  before  coiiah- 
iting,  wliich  should  be  exacted  frcmi  them  by  the 
judge  if  need  be,  the  fines  to  go  toward  the  cult  of  the 
parish.  During  the  tliree  festive  days  on  which  this 
edict  shoukl  be  published,  and  during  mass,  the  twn 
should  kneel  wliere  the  novios  watched.  The  ratiti- 
cation  and  blessing  sliould  not  be  given  until  the  tliiid 
festive  day.  (Jonzalez  re(|uests  the  judge  to  eiifoivc 
these  fines  from  the  seven  witnesses  and  the  priiui- 
pals. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1844,  a  threat  of  excdni- 
niunication  was  addressed  by  the  bishop,  Garcia 
.Diego,  to  the  diocesans  of  San  Jose^  which  stated 
that  the  bishop  had  seen  with  great  grief  that  Filipf 
Patron  and  Maria  Natividad  Hij-uera  had  contracted 


MORE  ABOUT  MARRYING. 


319 


matrimony  with  the  impediment  of  the  third  deixree 
ot'  aliinity,  without  previous  dispensation. 

He  called  this  a  most  horrible  crinu^  such  union 
b(ini>'  illegitimate,  detestable,  and  condennied  by  the 
cliurch,  and  that  such  commerce  should  be  held  as 
ti iiiiinal  and  incestuous.  He  ordered  this  declaration 
ti»  he  read  from  the  ])ulpit  on  three  feast  days,  and 
i(M|uired  the  juez  of  the  town  to  se[)arate  Felipe 
i\itr()ii  and  Maria  Natividad  without  ho[)es  of  ever 
olitaining  dispensation.  If  the  parties  refused  t(»  obey, 
aiul  to  sej)arate,  he  ordered  the  padre  to  immediately 
iiilbrm  him,  that  he  nii»dit  fulminate  against  them  the 
tciiiblc  sentence  of  oxcomnmnieation,  to  be  read  from 
tlic  pulpits  of  his  diocese  as  an  example  and  horrible 
wan  ling  to  perjurers,  and  to  all  those  who  dared 
(Itccive  the  Cj.'irch — with  further  pious  whoops  to 
tViu'liten  the  faithful. 

Among  his  universal  powers  and  prerogatives  the 
pntcntate  of  New  Helvetia  assumed  the  solenmization 
of  nianiages.  But  in  due  time  the  disaffected  of  his 
juopli!  began  to  question  the  genuineness  of  his  minis- 
trations, and  to  pronounce  the  article  he  vended 
Ixt^us.  Wives  ran  away,  and  would  not  return  at  his 
iiiandate,  and  men  began  to  question  the  rights  of 
liciis  so  l;;»rn  to  inherit.  Sutter  turned  this  way  and 
that,  and  found  no  relief.  ^leanwhile  humanity  were 
linin  and  died,  the  world  went  round,  and  the  waters 
"t"  tlie  Sacramento  rolled  to  the  ocean,  despite  the 
iiioiiieiitous  question  of  the  quality  of  marriages  on 
its  lianks.' 

The  men  made  the  laws  in  and  for  California:  the 
Wdiiieii  were  expected  to  obey.  Hence  it  was  ordained 
that  the  woman  an  officer  married  must  have  ."?'5,000. 
All  mothers  were  forbidden  from  leaving  as  heir  to 
till'  otate  any  child  who  has  contracted  a  marriage 
ill  npposition  to  the  father's  will.  From  the  various 
1';h  hones  it  was  ascertained  that  a  great  proportion 
"f  the  married  women  were  from   15  to  20  years  of 


im 


^ 


320 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


acfo.  Yet  high  above  nature  was  law  in  tlioso  parts: 
if  too  young  to  marry,  tlic  law  might  declare  the  duu. 
sel  old  enough.  The  prefect  of  Santa  Clara  in  11^41 
decreed  that  liamona  Prudenciana  Buelna  should  l>o 
considered  of  a<jre,  in  order  that  she  might  manv 
Manuel  Cantua. 

]^y  ^[exican  law,  the  wife,  during  the  continuance 
of  the  marriage,  had  a  revocable  and  feigned  dominion 
in,  and  possession  of,  one  half  the  property  jointly 
.icquiied  by  her  and  hor  hushand,  ga}ia)icialcx;  but  tlie 
husband  was  the  real  and  veritable  owner,  and  hud 
the  irrevocai)le  dominion  in  all  the  gananeiales,  and 
migiit  sell  and  dispose  of  them  at  pleasure. 

After  the  death  of  the  wife  the  husband  mav  di>;- 
pose  of  the  gananeiales,  without  being  ol)liged  tu 
reserve  for  the  children  of  the  marriage  eitlur  the 
])ro|>erty  in  or  proceeds  of  the  gananeiaK'S.  If  tlie 
heirs  of  a  deceased  wife  be  the  children  of  the  mar- 
riage, they  had  the  right  of  succession  on  the  death 
of  the  fother  to  the  w'hole  estate — tjananciales — with 
the  right  in  the  father  to  dispose  of  one  fifth;  but  \>y 
the  estate  in  law  was  understood  the  residue  after  all 
debts  had  been  paid.  A  father  during  his  lifetime, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  might,  although  tlure 
had  been  children  of  the  marriage,  dispose  of  the 
gananeiales  for  any  honest  purpose,  when  tliere  was 
no  intention  to  defraud  the  children,  and  might  hy 
will  direct  the  sale  of  them  for  the  payment  of  his 
debts. 

A  royal  order  of  December  10,  1803,  declared  that 
minors — men  under  25  anil  women  under 'J:!-(nulil 
not  marry  unless  with  the  consent  of  parents;  and  tin- 
])arents  were  not  required  to  give  their  reasons  !>  r 
any  opposition  they  might  offer.  If  there  wert^  H'l 
j)arents,  grandparents,  or  guardians,  the  jueces  might 
object  without  giving  their  reasons,  and  license  niu>t 
be  asked  of  the  king  through  the  governor,  and  by 
consent  of  officers,  if  they  belonged  to  the  military. 

A  law  of  the  23d  of  June,  1813,  gave  to  jcfes  poll- 


LOCAL  MORALS 


321 


ticos  autlioritv  to  pjruit  or  ivfuso  license  for  coiitract- 
iii'j:  marriage  to  hijos  de  familia,  wliose  fathers  should 
have  ri'fused  it  to  them. 

A  wife  once  sununoned  her  husband  hef  )re  an  al- 
calde for  liavin*^  serenaded  another  woman. 

•Britiij;  forth  the  culprit,"  said  the  judge,  "and  K't 
liiui  i>lav  to  us  as  he  played  before  the  woman  he 
wi.slu'd  to  captivate." 

When  this  was  done,  the  judge  asked: 

"Is  that  the  tune  you  played  .'"' 

"Si,  Senor." 

"Is  that  the  best  you  can  play  it?" 

"Si,  Senor." 

"Then  I  fine  you  two  dollars  for  disturbing  the 
])ul»lie  peace." 

DiH'  .Jose  Maria  Perez,  sentenced  by  the  viceroy  to 
six  years'  service  at  the  San  Francisco  presidio,  desired 
to  marry  the  maiden  Maria  Margarita  Rodriguez. 
Argiiello,  as  the  man  was  under  sentence,  did  not  take 
u|H)ii  hiiiKself  the  decision  of  the  case,  but  referred  iJb 
ti>  Arrillaga,  who  decreed  that  if  Perez  was  •J.')  years 
of  age  the  petition  should  be  granted.  Thereu[)on 
Argiiello  concedes  the  license. 

During  the  last  years  of  Mexican  rule,  morals  de- 
dined  in  Santa  Barbara,  as  shown  by  the  many  ille- 
gitimate children  there.  Yet  even  after  the  coniimj: 
of  tlie  Americans,  it  was  difficult  to  find  there  a  i)ub- 
lic  Woman  native  to  the  place. 

There  was  at  times  and  places  a  looseness  in  the 
Wduieii  as  to  chastity.  The  young  girls  were  mostly 
particular,  and  closely  guarded  withal;  but  among 
tlu'  married  women  of  the  common  class,  there  was 
looseness — not  remarkably  so,  but  they  were  less 
strict  than  American  women  in  this  respect.  The 
Women  occupied  themselves  with  the  care  of  tluir  fam- 
ilies, and  ill  sewing.  They  were  domestic,  but  spent 
much  time  in  visiting,  going  to  dances,  picnics,  and  en- 
joying themselves.  They  were  clean  in  habits,  and  about 

c;al.  J'a.st.   21 


322 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


5-Ui 


•    till 


VS; 


their  houses,  however  poor  these  miofht  be.  Thoy 
washed  out  of  doors,  generally  going  to  some  spring 
or  ^creek  in  the  vicinity. 

Abrego  remarks  in  1874  on  the  alarming  decli?ie  of 
morality  since  the  conquest.  Formerly  each  couple 
would  raise  ten  or  twelve  children  on  the  average,  and 
sometimes  twenty-four;  at  this  time  two  were  a  lair 
estiinate. 

"I  hear  from  the  most  unexceptionable  authority," 
writes  Sir  James  Douglas,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Coni- 
])any,  in  his  private  journal,  "that  the  ladies  in  Cali- 
fornia arc  not  in  general  very  refined  or  delicate  in 
their  conversation,  using  gross  expressions,  and  indulg- 
ing in  broad  remarks  which  would  make  modest  woiiuu 
blush.  It  is  also  said  that  many,  even  of  the  respect- 
able classes,  prostitute  their  wives  for  hire ;  tliat  is, 
they  wink  at  the  familiarity  of  a  wealthy  neighbor  wiio 
pays  handsomely  for  his  entertainment.  This  infa- 
mous practice  was  introduced  from  Mexico,  where  it 
is  almost  general.  This  is  done  with  some  respect  to 
insulted  virtue.  If  openly  asked  to  do  so,  they  would 
feel  insulted;  they  merely  play  the  part  of  complaisant 
husbands.  There  seems  indeed  to  be  a  total  oxer- 
throw  of  public  morals  among  this  degenerate  people, 
even  from  the  priest  downward." 

While  the  men,  says  one  who  pictures  in  ratlior 
high  colors,  are  "  thriftless,  proud,  and  extravagant, 
and  much  given  to  gaming,  the  women  liavo  but  little 
education  and  a  great  deal  of  beauty,  the  natural  con- 
sequence being  that  tlieir  morality  is  none  of  the 
f)urest;  the  instances  of  infidelity,  however,  are  nuich 
ess  frequent  than  might  be  anticipated,  for  one  vice 
is  set  aufainst  another,  and  a  certain  balance  is  ob- 
tained;  thus,  though  the  women  have  but  little  virtue, 
their  husbands  are  jealous  in  the  extreme,  and  tlioir 
revenge  is  deadly  and  almost  certain.  A  few  inches 
of  cold  steel  have  becm  received  by  many  an  unwary 
man,  who  has  perhaps  been  guilty  of  nothing  more 
than  mere  indiscretion  of  manner.     Thus,  with  the 


FEMALE  FORM  DIVINE. 


323 


;.     Thoy 
\G  spring 

lecUiie  «if 
3h  couple 
jrage.  and 
•ero  a  tair 

uthority," 
Bay  C<»ni- 
;s  ill  Cali- 
;lericat<3  in 
Liid  inclulg- 
cst  wonuni 
lie  n's\>t'ct- 
e;  that  is, 
ighlK)r  who 
'This  inta- 
;o,  where  it 

respect  to 
they  would 
complainant 

total  ovrr- 
ratc  peol'lo, 

s  in  rather 
xtravajj;ant, 
vc  but  little 
natural  eon- 
.one  of  the 
r,  arc  nuich 
for  one  vice 
lance  is  f^- 
llittlc  virtue, 
|c,  and  their 
few  inches 
an  unwary 
)tbinp;  uu.re 
Ls,  with  the 


married  women,  the  difficulties  that  surround  any 
attrnipt  at  indiscretion  are  numerous,  whilst  the  con- 
s((juence.s  of  discovery  are  fatal.  With  the  unmarried, 
too  much  watchfulness  is  used  to  allow  of  any  liais(^n; 
t!u;  main  object  of  the  parent  bein^  to  marry  his 
(lauijfhter  well,  the  slightest  slip  must  necessarily  dis- 
atrange  such  a  scheme.  The  sharp  eyes  of  a  dueha, 
and  the  poniard  of  a  father  or  brother,  are  therefore  a 
uiiat  protection,  lendered  absolutely  requisite  from 
tlin  characters  of  both  nien  and  women;  as  the  ftuid 
father  or  affectionate  brother,  who  would  lay  down  his 
life  to  avenge  the  honor  of  his  daughter  or  sister, 
would  be  eipially  ready  to  risk  that  life  to  complete  the 
dishonor  of  another.  Of  the  })oor  Indians  little  care  is 
talun.  The  prie.sts,  indeed,  at  the  missions  are  said  to 
ktHp  them  very  strictly,  and  rules  were  usually  made 
hy  tlie  alcaldes  to  punish  their  misconduct;  but  it  all 
amounts  to  little.  If  any  of  the  girls  should  chance  to  be 
discovered  foil*  >wing  evil  courses,  the  alcalde  orders  tiiem 
to  \)v  whip[)ed,  and  keeps  them  at  work  for  a  certain 
period  sweeping  the  square  of  the  presidio,  or  carry- 
luif  mortar  and  bricks  for  building;  yet  at  any  time  a 
few  reales  will  buy  them  off.  Intemperance  is  a  com- 
mon vice  amongst  the  Indians,  but  the  Spanish  inhabi- 
tants are,  on  the  contrary,  extremely  abstemious."  So 
says  this  one:  another  says  the  reverse;  but  men  and 
Women  are  not  everywhere  exactly  the  same. 

There  are  dances,  says  this  same  observer,  which 
aie  "particularly  liked  by  the  females — who  more  than 
any  other  women  in  the  world  seek  to  draw  forth 
admiration — as  it  enables  them  to  show  the  handsome 
roun(  lings  of  their  naked  arms,  and  their  small  and 
eleountly  turned  feet,  as  also  to  develop  to  full  advan- 
tivH'  the  graceful  vivacity  of  tlieir  motions,  as  they 
wind  through  the  mazes  of  their  national  dance,  which 
is  of  itself  Hufficiently  attractive.  The  females  gener- 
ally are  exceedingly  well  shaped,  and  have  a  slight  tint 
f  l)row'n  in  the  skin;  but  a  pair  of  black  and  sparkling 
eyes,  and  teeth  of  the   whitest  color,  give  to  their 


m 


<) 


i 


3!M 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


!  ■: 


countenances  an  appearance  of  the  greatest  aiiiinatinii. 
They  wear  neither  caps  nor  bonnets,  hut  have  tlit  ir 
hair  turnetl  upon  the  crown  of  the  liead,  where  it  is 
lield  hy  a  tortoise-shell  coinh,  very  hi^h  in  the  hack; 
the  tuft  thus  formed  is  jiierct'd  hy  a  thick  and  lony  pin 
of  ^old,  silver,  or  copper,  whicli  has  at  one  of  its 
extremities  a  ball  or  i^lohe  of  the  same  nu'tal.  Wlun 
they  are  going  out  they  wear  basqniitas,  more  or  less 
ornamented,  and  a  inatitilla  which  covers  their  heads; 
the  ends  of  these  being  gathered  up  and  crossetl  oni  r 
the  breast  draws  the  mantel  tight  round  the  hip^,  aiid 
shows  the  graceful  shape  of  the  wearer  to  givat  ad- 
vantage. In  these  descriptions,  allusion  is  oidy  made 
to  the  Creoles  of  a  pure  Spanish  or  Atexican  origin,  \'or 
the  greater  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  California  aic 
of  mixed  origin,  which  gives  to  their  color  a  tint  ct' 
reddish  brown,  and  to  their  countenances  a  rather  hard 
and  wild  appearance." 

Many  of  them  were  clear-skinned,  dark  brunette, 
with  lustrous  eyes,  long  black  glossy  hair,  and  cany- 
ing  themselves  with  indescribable  grace  and  ease,  with 
fine  manners  and  personal  appearance  charactiM-istic  nf 
the  Latin  race.  Jewelry  and  gorgeous  dress  slionc 
beneath  the  blue  wreathings  of  the  cigarritos,  enough 
to  fill  the  measure  of  delight  in  indulgent  fathii-  and 
hopeful  lover. 

The  beauty  of  women  is  of  shorter  duration  in 
Spanish  countries  than  in  the  United  States;  liut 
the  monster  Time  behaves  dift'erently  in  the  two 
places.  In  the  states,  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf  ef 
beautv  shrivels  into  scrain^j^iiiess  in  the  extremes  ef 
the  type;  but  in  Spanish-speaking  countries  it  is  m it 
the  withering  of  the  gourd  of  beauty  that  those  liave 
to  deplore  who  sit  beneath  its  shadow  with  so  givat 
deliijht,  but  it  is  the  broadening  of  that  sliadciw. 
Without  altogether  indorsing  sylph-like  forms,  it  is 
yet  safe  to  affirm  that  degrees  of  beauty  in  wonuii 
are  not  in  direct  ratio  to  the  degrees  of  the  latitude 
of  their  circumference. 


IDIOSYNCRASIKS  AND  CHARACTEUISTICS. 


3Jo 


At  night  the  dwolliiio-jilace  of  woman  was  as  tlls- 
tiiict  as  by  day,  only  darker;  Itlonde  had  become 
liiinietto — that  was  all.  The  orange  leaves  glittered 
ill  the  niooidight  with  a  glaucous  sheen,  and  the  air 
was  moist  with  the  subtile  perfume  that  betrayed  the 
hidden  bloss«mi.  And  women  passed  to  and  fro  on 
tlio  arms  of  their  caballeros,  as  fair  as  those  of  any 
a^e  or  country,  with  eyes  like  the  soul  of  night,  and 
soft  forms  fit  for  light  and  love,  and  lips  juirted  in  the 
ruddy  strife  of  head  and  heart. 

Settlers  north  of  the  bav  were  in  constant  danuer 
linth  from  Indians  and  the  bears.  Even  tlie  women 
writ'  accustomed  to  carry  guns  or  pistols,  when  tlicy 
\\(  nt  out  to  make  calls.  Mrs  Vallejo  has  a  sm.dl  riHe 
which  she  used  to  carry  for  this  purpose;  and  slie  says 
that  in  the  earlier  years  she  had  fired  tlie  riHe  at 
hears  to  keep  them  out  of  the  court-yard  of  her  house. 
Stock  had  to  be  carefully  guarded,  and  could  not  be 
allowed  to  run  at  large  at  night,  as  in  the  south, 
wlui'e  bears  were  nearlv  extinct  before  this  time. 

The  field  labors  of  a  ranchero,  whether  they  con- 
sisted in  rodeos  and  herraderos  or  were  agricultural, 
wrvc  concluded  about  1 1  o'clock,  at  which  time  the 
laltorers  went  to  dinner  and  to  rest  till  2  o'clock.  In 
a  jiottr  family,  the  W'onien  attended  to  all  the  menial 
stixit'c;  in  those  families  able  to  aflbrd  it,  this  was 
piit'ormed  by  Indian  servants  of  both  sexe.s.  At  2 
1'.  M.  rich  and  poor  alike  returned  to  their  field  labors, 
which  lasted  till  nightfall.  Of  course  rich  rancheros 
employed  field-hands. 

Mr  l^ryant,  while  on  a  journey  from  Los  Angeles 
to  San  Francisco  in  1840,  sto})pcd  for  the  night  at  a 
small  adobe  country  house,  where  he  was  comfortably 
lU'ovided  for.  The  good  woman  of  the  house  was 
(Kliglited  above  measure  by  an  incidental  remark  of 
the  questioned  traveller,  to  the  eflect  that  clothiiKf 
and  tiuery  of  all  sorts  would  become  immensely  ; 
(luccd  in  price  under  the  new  regime.  Wittingly  <»r 
unwittingly,  he  had  struck  a  chord  tender  in  the  uni- 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


versal   female  licart,  and  her  Vivaii  los  Americanos  1 
was  so  genuine  that  in  the  morning  she  could  hardly 
be  j)orsuadcd  to  accept  remuneration  for  her  trouMc; 
and  only,  at  last,  on  the  condition  of  lier  guest  t;)' 
Avith  him  a  good  supply  of  her  cookery  for  future     ,o. 

"California  women  are  an  interesting  race  in  many 
respi'cts,"  writes  Hayes  in  his  Emigrant  Notes — *\a 
kind-hearted,  amiable,  industrious  set.  I  like  thcin 
better  than  the  men.  These  have  their  virtues  too, 
as  well  as  their  faults.  They  liave  all  the  politcntss 
of  manner  of  the  Spanish  stock  whence  they  spruncj, 
l)etraying  often  a  spice  of  tlie  Indian  character  with 
wliich  they  have  been  familiarized.  Especially  I  love 
the  children,  so  sprightly  and  quick  to  learn." 

"Formerly,"  says  Salvador  Vallejo,  "our  cattlo 
roamed  by  thousands,  yet  not  one  was  stolen,  for  tlie 
unwritteii  law  of  tlie  land  granted  to  tlie  weary  travil- 
lor  the  privilege  of  killing  cattle  whenever  he  wanted 
beef.  Since  tlie  transfer  of  California  ....  many  na- 
tive Californians  have  been  hanged  for  stealin<' cattle; 
and  I  firmly  believe  that  some  of  the  victims  did  not 
know  th^t  under  the  new  government  it  was  a  ciinie 
to  kill  a  steer  of  which  he  had  not  a  bill  of  sa^o," 

Robinson  says  that  "the  men  are  generally  'olcnt 
and  addicted  to  many  vices,  caring  little  fo?  wrl- 

fare  of  their  children.  Yet  the  women  do  not  appiar 
to  have  felt  this  bad  influence,  and  in  few  plac(  s  of 
the  world,  in  proportion  to  inhabitants,  can  be  found 
more  chastity,  industrious  habits,  and  correct  deport- 
ment, than  among  the  w^omen.  It  is  not  unusual  to 
see  the  most  perfect  familiarity  between  the  two 
classes.  This  often  leads  strangers  to  form  incoriict 
opinions.  They  are  firm  to  the  observances  of  tlicir 
churcli,  and  the  most  trifling  deviation  therefrom  is 
looked  upon  Avith  abhorrence." 

The  women  were  passionately  fond  of  fine,  showy 
dresses;  they  generally  exhibited  good  taste,  as  far  as 
they  had  the  means.  They  were  rather  pleasing  in 
their  dress,  with  not  a  great  deal  of  jewelry,  tliongli 


PURTHER  PECULIARITIES.  827 

fond  of  it.  Olio  almost  univtirsal  urticlo  of  tlross  was 
tho  nhozo  to  cover  tlio  head  and  shoulders.  Some  of 
the  rebozos  were  very  tu\c  aiitl  costlv,  made  of  sill;, 
others  were  of  cotton,  or  liiieii,  according  to  tho  purse 
of  tho  wt  arer. 

Previous  to  1830,  or  thereabout,  tho  men  of  Cali- 
fornia were  of  good  morals.  Of  course  tlure  were  the 
(lisitputable,  drunkards,  gamblers,  men  who  abandoned 
their  families  to  want;  but  such  cases  were  rare.  "The 
women  of  California,"  says  Amador,  "were  always 
noteworthy  for  their  excellent  conduct  as  daughters, 
slsttTS,  wives,  and  mothers.  They  were  virtuous  and 
industrious,  aii<l  devoted  to  their  family  duties." 

Subsequent  to  18.30  the  moral  tone  of  society  was 
lowered.  This  was  owing  to  the  more  extended  inter- 
c*>ursc  with  foreigners,  who  were  nt)t  all  of  good 
cliarjicter;  to  the  greater  facility  of  acquiring  means, 
and  to  political  disturbances — these  latter  in  particular 
opening  tho  door  to  evil  customs  which  were  dissemi- 
nated amongst  the  men.  Gambling,  drunkenness, 
lewdness,  and  vagrancy  became  coiinnon,  and  these 
\  lees  brought  in  their  train  theft,  ^\  iiicli  was  necessary 
to  sustain  them. 


There  were  hundreds  of  little  peculiarities  and 
strangt;  ways,  most  of  which  dropjied  out  of  use,  ntner 
liavlng  been  recorded.  The  month  of  May  they  used 
to  call  ^laria,  A  boy  must  not  take  his  lirst  shave 
without  permission  from  his  father,  who  seldom  givi'S 
It  before  the  age  of  twenty-two,  when  the  time  has 
eouie  for  him  to  marry. 

The  women,  at  intervals,  had  a  general  wash-up,  on 
wlileh  occasions,  their  own  clothes  being  done,  they 
would  ask  their  neighbors  for  theirs,  and  di'manded 
110  recompense  for  the  work,  "^fy  clothes  were  thus 
often  washed  without  charge,"  says  Hijar.  When 
tilth-  washing  was  concluded,  after  six  or  more  days, 
tilt  y  returned  home  and  feasted.  A  calf  was  killed, 
and  songs  and  joy  followed.     While  the  women  re- 


.i'a,.i 


328 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERK 


mi;ined  at  the  creek,  under  the  arbor,  sleeping  in  the 
open  air,  the  males  of  the  family  regarded  this  cauip 
as  their  home. 

The  aguadores  who  brought  watei  from  the  Carmelo 
were  Indian  boys;  they  carried  a  forked  stick,  servinj^ 
to  hold  up  one  cask  while  the  other  was  being  tilled ; 
and  also  to  climb  up  behind  the  casks  where  they  rode 
on  the  ass'  rump.  "  It  was  very  amusing,"  says  Al- 
varado,  "to  see  them  running  races,  and  often  decked 
in  bright-colored  flowers." 

Formerly  the  veleros,  or  manufacturers  of  tallow 
candles,  used  to  carry  them  for  sale  in  two  large  bas- 
kets on  the  back  of  a  burro;  but  after  the  coming  of 
the  cholos  the  candles  were  carried  on  the  shoulder 
fastened  round  the  circumference  of  two  hoops  which 
hung  from  the  ends  of  a  stick  four  feet  long,  some- 
thing in  the  Chinese  style. 

A  woman  from  Chile  thought  her  California  cousins 
preferred  the  floor  to  a  chair  to  sit  on,  as  they  rest 
better  so. 

While  Robinson  wis  at  San  Diego,  in  1829,  Ban- 
diri's  house  was  bendecida,  or  blessed.  The  general, 
his  officers,  and  a  number  of  friends  were  present. 
The  ceremony  took  place  about  noon;  the  chaplain 
went  through  the  different  apartments  and  sprinkled 
holy-water  on  the  walls,  uttering  verses  in  Latin.  The 
party  then  sat  down  to  an  excellent  dinner,  after  which 
was  nmsic  and  a  dance,  followed  in  the  evening  by  a 
fand'iuijo.  It  was  better  than  insurance,  and  not  so 
expensive. 

Sepiilveda,  speaking  of  Pastoral  California,  says: 
"There  was  one  link  m  the  chain  of  societv  of  those 
days  which  contributed  to  keep  in  a  strong  and  afll'c- 
tionate  unison  the  social  relations  between  men.  It 
was  the  relation  of  compadre.  Whotver  stood  god- 
father or  godmother  to  a  child  was  the  compadre 
or  >?omadre  of  the  father  and  mother  of  the  infant. 
Alwaj's  treating  each  other  with  respect  and  affection, 
and  having  the  child  as  a  living  token  of  their  esteem, 


LANGUAGE  OF  FLOWERS. 


329 


it  was  rare  to  see  these  pleasant  relations  disturbed. 
It  no  doubt  added  much  to  the  harmony  of  society." 

.Vt  the  death  of  a  father  it  was  customary  for  the 
vounirer  brothers  to  resoect  the  elder,  who  stood  in 
the  position  of  father  to  the  family.  Nothing  could 
]iavc  a  better  effect,  that  of  mutual  assistance  and 
trust  on  the  entire  family,  than  the  observance  of  this 
beautiful  custom. 

Wlien  two  men  were  so  intimate  as  to  be  consta.ntly 
toiretlicr  in  order  to  indicate  a  feeling  deeper  than 
that  merely  of  a  friend,  they  designated  each  other  as 
valcilor.  The  word  was  also  applied  by  the  raiicheros 
to  any  one  whom  they  especially  appreciated  and 
trusted. 

The  extent  of  kinship  was  incalculable;  for  to  such 
an  extent  had  the  different  families  of  California 
intermarried,  that  all  were  akin  by  usage,  if  not  by 
blodc). 

When  a  man  found  'his  wife  enceinte,  he  invited  the 
persons  whom  it  was  agreed  to  make  padrinos  or  <?od- 
[lareiits,  and  they  at  once  began  preparations,  accord- 
[w'f  to  their  means,  although  it  wanted  five  or  more 
inoutlis  till  the  event.  Fifteen  or  twenty  days  after 
delivery,  the  new  creature  was  taken  to  the  i)arish 
church  to  be  baptized.  On  going  to  the  house  to  take 
the  infant  to  church,  the  pudrinos  marched  through 
the  streets  playing  instruments,  to  testify  their  joy. 
The  i'amily  came  to  the  door  to  receive  them,  and 
then  all  marched  to  church,  playing  on  the  way. 

After  the  ceremony,  the  party  was  received  outside 
by  some  who  waited  for  them,  with  rockets,  bell-toll- 
iiiuf,  and  music,  and  all  joined  to  accompany  them  to 
the  house  of  the  parents,  to  which  the  [»adre  was 
invited.  AH  comers  were  regaled  with  panecit(3, 
hread  made  for  the  occasion,  and  slices  of  watermelon, 
ond  other  refreshment,  called  by  the  general  name 
vi»],t.  To  the  padre  and  his  assistants  some  mtMiey 
\Viis  nrivcn,  and  presents  distributed  by  the  godiiarents. 
Til.  n    began  a  ball,  lasting  one  or  two  days.     The 


m 


330 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERK 


nearest  relatives  were  expected  to  attend  the  baptism 
without  invitation ;  others  were  invited.  The  baptism 
took  place  at  night.  Those  who  lived  far  from  the 
mission  had  it  done  on  Sundays  after  mass. 

From  Jos^  de  Jesus  Vallejo  I  have  the  language  of 
flowers,  as  rendered  by  Governor  Chico  In  1836,  and 
accepted  throughout  California  in  the  interpretatiijii 
of  a  gift  of  flowers :  Yerba  buena,  I  wish  to  be  useful ; 
white  Indian  cress  (nasturtium),  I  wish  to  be  a  nun; 
red  Indian  cress  (tropoeolum  majus),  my  heart  is  dri})- 
ping  blood ;  tuberose,  I  wait  for  thee ;  red  rose,  tliou 
art  the  queen  of  thy  sex ;  white  rose,  th<ju  art  tlie 
queen  of  purity;  passion  flower,  hatred  and  rancor; 
hundred  leaves,  I  am  dying  for  thee ;  turnsol,  I  can- 
not bear  the  sight  of  thee ;  dahlia,  I  love  only  t\\vv  in 
this  world ;  jasmine,  thou  art  a  coquette ;  red  pink,  I 
am  justified  in  feeling  jealous;  hortensia,  I  want  to 
marry  thee ;  violet,  modesty ;  geranium,  I  will  always 
love  thee;  evergreen,  my  love  will  be  eternal;  the 
winter  gillyflower,  I  sigh  for  thee. 

Captain  H.  S.  Burton  fell  in  love  with  the  charm- 
ing Californian,  Maria  del  Amparo  Ruiz,  born  at  Lo- 
reto,  and  aged  sixteen.  She  promised  to  marry  liim. 
The  servants  reported  this  to  a  certain  ranchero  who 
had  been  unsuccessfully  paying  his  addresses  to  her, 
and  he  informed  Padre  Gonzalez,  saying  that  a  cath- 
olic should  not  marry  a  protcstant.  The  pa<lre 
thanked  the  man  in  a  letter,  which  the  latter  hawked 
about  offensively,  out  of  spite,  because  his  suit  hail 
been  rejected.  But  for  all  this,  the  Loret<»  ;:;irl 
married  the  Yankee  captain.  Although  a  hcrctiea! 
marriage,  Rubio,  guardian  of  the  see,  deemed  it 
discreet  not  to  declare  it  null,  but  to  remove  the 
imixjdimonts.  He  accordingly  allowed  the  marriage 
before  the  padre  at  Santa  Bilrbara,  before  t\vi> 
witnesses,  omitting  proclamas  conciliares,  nuiitial 
benediction,  and  other  solemnities,  but  with  tlu' 
condition  that  the  wife  should  not  be  seduced  from 
the  church,  that  the  children   should   be   educated 


A  LOVE  STORY. 


331 


09  catholics,  and  that  the  wife  should  pray  God  to 
convoit  the  captain  to  the  church. 

Meanwhile  the  guardian  of  the  diocese  learned  with 
great  satisfaction  of  the  pains  the  alcalde  was  at  to 
prevent  the  protestant  clergyman  at  Monterey  from 
authorizing  the  marriage  of  Captain  Burton  and 
]\[arfa  del  Amparo  Ruiz — she  being  a  catholic — and 
on  the  23d  of  August,  1847,  Governor  Mason  ordered 
all  the  authorities  of  California  not  to  authorize  any 
marriage  where  either  of  the  parties  was  a  catholic. 
Padre  Gonzalez  understood  that  this  order  was  bind- 
ing, and  therefore  to  be  observed  until  rescinded  by 
cc)iii[)ctent  authority.  As  this  order  was  necessary 
ill  order  that  catholics  might  not  contract  marriages 
wluch  would  be  null,  Gonzalez  wrote  to  the  governor, 
requesting  him  to  ratify  his  predecessor's  order,  and 
if  moessary  call  tlie  attention  of  all  the  authorities 
thereto.  Padre  Gonzalez  again  thanked  the  alcalde 
for  his  zeal  in  preventing  the  infringement  of  the  laws 
of  Catholicism  b}'  any  catholic  attempting  to  marry 
according  to  the  protestant  rite,  and  hoped  for  his 
aid  in  seeing  that  no  innovation  be  made,  but  that 
the  i>-overnment  ratified  Mason's  order. 

CoDoepcion  Maria  Argiiello,  daughter  of  Jvse  Dario 
Arui^uello,  who  had  been  governor  of  Cainoniia  in 
1814-15,  and  sister  of  Luis  Argiiello,  who  was  ap- 
[lointed  governor  in  18*22,  was  a  beautiful  girl  of  good 
education  and  refined  manners.  She  was  residing  in 
tin;  fort  of  San  Francisco  in  1807  at  the  time  of  the 
arrival  in  California  of  tlie  Russian  frigate  Jimo,  hav- 
ing on  board  as  passenger  Count  Rezanof,  grand 
cliiunberlain  of  the  Russian  einp(>ror,  who  fell  in  love 
Mitli  the  young  Californian,  and  with  her  consent 
re(ju  sted  lier  parents  to  allow  him  to  marry  her.  To 
this  proposal  they  agreed,  deeming  it  highly  advan- 
tiiuv«»us  to  be  related  by  marriage  to  the  young  diplo- 
inate.  Count  Rezanof  took  his  departure  from  Cali- 
f'Miiii,  intending  to  go  to  Russia,  and  tliere  makj 
tlie  necessary  arrangement  for  his  intended  marriage, 


WOMAN  AND  HER  SPHERE. 


but  unfortunately,  while  crossing  a  deseit,  he  fell  from 
his  horse  and  was  killed. 

On  receipt  of  the  terrible  news,  the  fair  Concepcion, 
arrayed  as  a  beata,  that  is  to  say,  one  who  wears  a  r(}- 
ligious  habit,  and  is  engaged  in  works  of  charity,  luft 
San  Francisco  and  went  to  Santa  Bilrbara,  where  she 
spent  her  time  in  the  small  church  of  the  Franciscan 
friars,  and  at  night  retired  to  the  room  allotted  to  Iut 
in  the  house  of  Captain  De  la  Guerra.  During  the 
many  years  she  thus  lived,  the  young  men  of  Santa 
Bilrbara  tried  their  utmost  to  induce  her  to  take  part 
in  their  festivities,  and  some  went  so  far  as  to  insist 
that  she  should  marry,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Had 
she  not  narrowly  missed  being  a  countess?  So  slie 
continued  her  works  of  charity  and  humiliation,  going 
into  the  miserable  dwellings  of  the  neophytes,  where 
she  spent  hour  after  hour  attending  to  the  wants  of 
some  dying  Indian,  or  teaching  young  children  tlie 
Christian  doctrine.  Finally,  when  the  good  sisters  <  if 
Saint  Dominic,  in  1850,  opened  in  the  town  of  Benicia 
the  academy  of  Saint  Catherine,  she  repaired  to  tlicir 
convent,  and  resided  there  until  18fiO,  when  she  died,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  seventy-six  years.  This  incident 
is  given  as  an  example  to  be  followed  by  all  good  Cali- 
fornia girls  who  so  narrowly  miss  becoming  countesses  I 

About  the  year  1837,  the  wild  Indians  of  Lower 
California  fell  upon  the  rancho  of  Pio  Pico,  killed  some 
people,  and  carried  off  the  daughters,  Tomasa  and 
Ramona,  of  Ley  va,  the  majordomo. 

The  wife  of  Licentiate  Cosnie  Pefta,  ex-asesor  of 
California,  eloped  with  a  musicia!i  named  Arias.  On 
their  journey,  they  were  captured  by  Indians  of  the 
Colorado  river;  he  was  killed,  and  she  kept  as  a  wife 
of  one  of  the  chiefs.  She  was  later  captured  frv  in 
them  by  the  Indians  Castucho,  Martin,  and  otliers, 
who  held  Tomasa  and  Ramona. 

The  occupations  of  the  women  were  not  only  nnich 
superior,  but  more  laborious  and  continual,  than  tliose 
of  the  men.     The  kitchen  was,  of  course,  in  their  en- 


MANNERS  AND  MORALITY. 


S33 


tire  charge,  or  at  least  under  their  supervision.  Many 
of  them  made  bread,  candles,  soap,  and  even  worked 
in  the  field.  Needlework  was  in  constant  demand, 
nnd  in  every  form.  Thev  made  their  own  garments, 
as  Well  as  those  of  their  fathers,  husbands,  and  broth- 
ers, all  calling  for  embellishments  in  the  way  of  em- 
broidery, fine  stitchuig,  etc.  The  utmost  care  and 
tiiste  were  displayed  in  the  beds  and  bedding,  the 
linen  being  embroidered,  or  otherwise  adorned. 
Clothhig  being  expensive,  economy  demanded  that 
tliey  should  be  kept  well  mended,  and  made,  when 
jxissible,  to  look  almost  new.  Pressing  was  done 
witli  the  hand  until  the  piece  became  perfectly  smooth. 

The  well-to-do  of  both  sexes  used  the  best  material 
they  could  procure,  silk,  wool,  velvet,  etc.  The  poorer 
classes,  while  dressing  in  the  same  style,  had  to  be 
content  with  inferior  goods. 

The  women  daily  braided  the  hair  of  their  male 
relatives  till  late  times,  as  long  as  queues  were  in 
fashion.  The  hair  was  usually  parted  in  the  middle, 
and  thrown  over  the  back  and  tied ;  one  braid  of  three 
tresses  was  then  made,  a  la  Chinois.  Most  men  tied 
a  hlack  silk  kerchief  round  the  head,  with  the  knot 
heliintl  or  above  the  forehead.  The  women  let  the 
hair  cover  their  ears,  parted  in  the  middle,  and  braided, 
as  with  the  men.  Lugo  has  it  that  men  shaved  all 
the  beard,  except  that  from  the  temple  to  the  border 
of  the  jaw.  The  shaving  was  usually  done  every 
third  day,  and  certainly  on  Saturday  afternoon  or 
Sunday  morning. 

Living  in  concubinage  by  the  common  people  was 
considered,  during  the  Spanish  domination,  a  heinous 
otl'enee,  and  was  severely  punished.  The  man  would 
':  condemned  to  hard  labor  in  irons,  and  exile  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  woman  had  her  hair  clipped 
short,  and  was  forced  to  stand  with  a  puppet-babe  at 
lier  breast  at  the  church  door  every  Sunday  at  the 


our 


of  mass,  during  a  month  or  so,  that  she  might 


Serve  as  a  warnmg. 


SS4 


WOMAN  ANT)  HER  SPHERE. 


About  1829  or  1830,  during  Governor  EcheanHi'a's 
term,  it  was  judicially  proved  that  a  soldier  of  tlio 
Monterey  company  was  holding  illicit  relations  witli 
a  woman  and  her  daughter  at  the  same  time,  and  tliat 
the  latter  was  pre^ant  by  him.  These  facts  havin*; 
become  known  to  Father  llamon  Abella,  he  reported 
them  to  the  authorities.  The  result  of  the  trial  was 
that  the  soldier  was  made  fo  marry  the  pregnant 
woman.  The  man  and  woman,  from  the  day  of  tlic 
first  publication  of  the  bans,  were  compelled  to  kneel 
near  the  presbytery,  in  full  sight  of  the  public,  bound 
together  by  the  neck  with  a  thick  hempen  rope,  and 
having  before  them  a  washtub  filled  with  green  grass, 
representing  the  manger  of  a  stable,  to  signify  tliat 
the  man  and  woman  had  been  living  like  beasts.  At 
each  publication  of  the  bans.  Father  Abella  delivereil 
remarks  from  the  pulpit  relevant  to  the  subject,  to 
remind  his  flock  that  the  penalties  of  hell  would  cer- 
tainly befall  those  who  indulged  in  incestuous  prac- 
tices. The  couple  afterward  lived  happily  togetlier, 
and  had  a  numerous  family.  Their  descendants  live 
in  California,  and  flourish  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


PASTURES  AND  FIELDS. 

There  Jove  accords  a  lengthened  spring. 
And  winter  wanting  winter's  sting, 
And  sunny  Aulon's  broad  inuliue 
Such  mettle  puts  into  the  vine, 
Its  clusters  need  not  envy  those 
Which  fiery  Faleruum  grows. 


Horace. 


For  many  years  cattle-raising  was  the  chief  if  not 
the  sole  occupation  of  the  Hispano-Californians.  It 
was  a  mode  of  life  well  suited  to  their  temper  and 
habits.  There  was  little  work  about  it,  little  of  the 
drudgery  of  labor  such  as  attended  agriculture  and 
manufactures ;  and  if  in  the  pursuit  there  was  little  of 
the  sweet  power  that  displays  itself  in  the  domination 
of  men,  the  ranchero  might  at  least  rule  cattle. 

Then,  too,  stock-raising  brought  men  up  to  a  level ; 
for  in  wealth  and  occupation  there  was  here  in  those 
days  a  low  level  and  a  high  level.  Upon  the  low 
level  rested  contented  those  who  had  nothing;  upon 
the  high  level  were  those  who  had  something.  Be- 
tween something  and  a  hundred  times  more,  there  was 
little  difference.  Land  in  itself  was  valueless,  so  that 
it  made  little  difference  whether  one's  possessions  were 
CDUuted  by  acres  or  square  leagues.  So  with  live- 
stock. Four  thousand  of  any  kind  was  as  satisfying 
as  f(trty  thousand,  or  four  hundred  thousand,  as  a 
moilerate  number  was  more  than  a  man  could  sell,  and 
as  many  as  he  cared  to  attend  to.  Hence  as  the 
horses  and  cattle  brought  from  Mexico  increased, 
until  the  proper  care  of  them  involved  more  exertion 

(MS) 


336 


PASTURES  AND  FIELDS. 


tlian  the  owner  cared  to  put  forth,  they  were  allowod 
to  relapse  into  barbarism,  grow  wild,  and  range  at  will 
over  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sa«;rauiento  plains. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  that  for  a  time  any 
one  might  kill  cattle  at  pleasure  for  food,  so  lony  as 
the  hide  was  placed  witiiin  easy  reach  of  the  owner. 
But  later,  when  immigration  set  in,  values  began  to  Kc 
set  on  cattle.  A  large  amount  of  stock  fell  into  the 
possession  of  tlio  officers  of  Micheltorena,  who,  seoiiiif 
that  tlie  revolution  was  about  to  come,  sold  thtso 
anhnals  to  Spence,  Fitch,  and  other  foreigners. 

In  the  early  days  it  was  common  for  Californians  to 
go  in  companies  to  catch  wild  horses  on  the  Marii)()sa 
plains  and  elsewhere  at  certain  seasons  of  the  ytar, 
carrying  brandy,  tobacco,  and  other  articles  for  festi\  e 
enjoyment.  Sutter  says  there  were  vast  droves  of 
wild  horses  in  the  San  Joaquin  and  Tulare  valleys, 
bred  from  those  stolen  by  the  Indians  from  the  mis- 
sions. They  rapidly  increased  into  immense  droviis. 
They  were  not  claimed  by  the  Indians,  to  whom  it 
came  easier  to  steal  horses  when  they  wanted  tlioni 
than  to  tame  them.  Later,  Americans  and  Califor- 
nians went  there  and  lassoed  them,  catching  all  they 
wanted.  There  were  few  wild  horses  in  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley  when  Sutter  went  there. 

Bidwell  affirms  that  in  1842  there  were  many  slieep 
in  some  places.  On  the  rancho  of  Livermore  were 
0,000,  and  Sutter  had  1,000.  They  were  small  and 
the  wool  rather  coarse.  There  were  a  few  fine  hogs; 
one  weighing  200  pounds  was  worth  $4  or  $5.  The 
cattle  were  very  large,  and  were  in  great  nuniheis, 
There  was  no  regular  price  for  them,  but  it  stood  at 
about  $4  per  head.  Hides  were  worth  $2 ;  tallow  3''  I'^'i' 
100  pounds.  Horses  were  very  numerous,  and  woitli 
from  $S  to  $30.  Mares  were  never  worked  or  ridden, 
and  were  worth  from  $3  to  $5.  The  mules  were  lai^e 
and  fine,  and  worth  $10  unbroken,  and  $15  broken 
Jacks  were  worth  from  $100  to  $200  each.  Broken 
oxen  fetched  $25. 


AGRICULTURAL  INDUSTRY. 


Ml 


The  missionaries  generally  had  a  manual  on  agri- 
culture, which  they  followed  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  In  planting  wheat  they  would  soak  the  seed  in 
]\v.  This  was  the  practice  in  Spanish  times,  and 
wiis  continued  after  the  country  became  separated 
from  Spanish  domination.  Cultivation  of  produce  in 
the  district  of  Monterey  was  limited  to  the  space 
lying  between  the  Tucho  and  the  Pilarcitos,  in  small 
portions,  apart  from  the  plantations  at  Alisal,  the 
Sauzal,  Natividad,  San  Cayetano,  Bolsa  del  Piljaro, 
Coiralitos,  Salsipuedes,  Las  Aromas,  a  portion  of  the 
Sail  Juan  valley,  San  Felipe,  San  Isidro,  the  Carnea- 
doro.  and  La  Brea,  besides  El  Carmelo. 

Special  droves  of  mares  were  provided  at  the  mis- 
sions and  on  ranches,  with  jackasses  to  raise  mules. 
And  in  order  to  arouse  the  passions  of  the  former  to 
tlu'  point  of  allowing  themselves  to  be  approached  by 
tlu!  latter,  there  were  caballos  volteados,  which  with- 
out heing  capable  of  procreating,  brought  about  the  de- 
sired eti'ect. 

Severe  droughts  were  often  experienced.  In  1809- 
10  the  missions  and  presidios  suffered  greatly  for 
pasturage  and  crops,  especially  the  horses  for  the  use 
of  the  troops  and  mission  vaqueros.  In  1820-21 
there  was  another  visitation  of  the  same  kind,  and 
tlu'  live-stock  of  the  missions,  now  increased  to  400,- 
000,  had  nmch  difficulty  in  finding  grass  enough  to 
keep  them  in  condition  fit  for  food.  It  was;^  more 
severely  felt  than  that  of  1809-10.  Governor  Sola 
caused  a  large  number  of  mares  to  be  sold.  Past  ex- 
poricnre  had  taught  the  missionaries  the  necessity  of 
laying  up  grain,  dried  meat,  fat,  etc.,  for  two  years. 
Tliey  also  had  trained  fishermen  to  furnish  food  from 
the  sea,  not  only  in  keeping  lent,  and  weekly  one 
day's  abstinence  from  meat,  but  hi  order  that  nmssels 
and  (isJi,  so  abundant  on  the  coast,  should  help  to 
oconoinize  the  laid  up  stores.  In  1823  a  special  dis- 
pensation was  issued  by  Senan,  the  father-president, 
to  use  meat,  eggs,  etc.,  on  forbidden  days,  owing  to 

t'AL.  I'AST.      22 


.138 


PASTURES  AND  FIELDS. 


tlic  scarcity  of  maize  and  beans,  from  want  of  rains. 
esjKJcially  in  the  soutli,  which  was  furth«'r  intcnsitiod 
l)y  a  plague  of  locu.sts  and  caterpillars.  In  the  season 
of  1824-25,  the  best  known  in  California  from  1770 
to  1864,  sufficient  water  fell  to  keep,  t<\<;etlu'r  with 
the  ordinary  winter  rains,  the  pastures  and  s(iwiii.rs 
i?i  excellent  conditicm  until  the  great  drought  of  JJ 
months  between  the  rains  of  1828  and  18.'}0,  uiniiitj 
which  the  wells  and  springs  of  Monterey  gav»>  out. 
and  water  for  the  use  of  families  had  to  be  i>r()Ui;ht 
from  the  Carmelo  river,  three  miles  distant.  Hardly 
any  crops  were  obtained,  and  it  was  estimated  tliat 
fully  40,000  head  of  horses  and  neat  cattle  perisIuMl 
throughout  the  province.  Hundreds  of  man's  were 
killed,  and  many  were  sold  by  the  missions  at  2.)  aii<l 
r)0  cents  each.  At  Purisima  several  large  drovts. 
as  reported,  were  driven  over  the  cliff  into  the  sea  to 
speedily  kill  them,  so  as  to  save  pasture  for  the  eattlf 
and  sheep.  To  the  north  of  San  Juan  Bautlsta  the 
grass  was  in  better  condition  than  to  the  south.  At 
this  time  Governor  Echeandfa  was  secularizing  the 
missions,  and  the  padres  took  a  great  dislike  to  the 
raising  of  sheep ;  and  indeed  the  native  Californiaiis 
generally  had  the  same  feeling,  sheep  being  by  them 
considered  beneath  tlie  attention  of  ranchoros  and 
vaqueros.  The  season  of  1840-41,  some  years  after 
the  secularizati(m  of  tlie  missions,  in  which  no  rain 
worth  mentioninjx  fell  for  fourteen  consecutive  month.*, 
was  severely  felt,  particularly  south  of  Soledad;  hut 
not  nearly  so  many  animals  perished  as  in  the  dioujiht 
of  1828-30.  In  fact  they  were  now  scatteriMl.  and 
better  cared  far.  Large  quantities  having  died  (hir- 
ing  that  visitation,   or   been   destroyed    by   wolves, 


coyotes,  and  bears,  added  to  the  disllKe  of  tlio  ranel 
eros  to  herd  them,  their  number  had  been  reduetil  to 
less  than  20,000  from  about  153,000  in  1831.  Suh- 
sequent  droughts  do  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this 
book,  having  occurred  after  the  period  embraied  in 
the  pastoral  period  of  California. 


CUSTOMS  OF  THE  CATTLE-RAISERS. 


339 


STATISTICS  OF   1834. 


MlNnion. 


I 


Date  of 
FoiinUation. 


Indians. 

I 


Sin  Diego 

Siin  I..iiia  Rey 

San  .1  uiui  Capistrann 

San  I  iiibriel 

SiiTi  Fernaiulo 

Sau  liuenaventura. . 

Sant.i  Biirbara 

Saiit'v  Int'8 

I'liriKinia 

Sail  Luis  Obispo.. .  . 

S.in  M  ignel 

San  Aiitouio 

S„lo.liul 

<.'arniflo 

.Sail  .1  iiiiii  liuutiHtiu  . 

Santa  Cniz 

Santa  Clara. 

San  .lose 

San  FraiU'isco 

San  llat'ael 

Sdlano 


.luHo  1(5,  17(>i). 
June  1.3,  1708. 
Nov.  1,  177t>. 
Sept.  8,  1771. 
Sept.  8,  1797. 
Mar.  31,  1782. 
Dec.  4,  1780. . 
Sept.  17, 1804. 
Dec.  8,  1787  . 
Sept.  1,  1771 . 
.Tuly2.\  1707. 
July  14,  1771. 
Oct.  !»,  1701.. 
.Tune  3,  1770, . 
June  24,  1700. 
Aug.  28,  1701. 
Jan.  18,  1777. 
Juno  18,  1707. 
Oct.  9,  1770.. 
Dec.  18,  1817. 
Aug.  25,  1823. 


2,500 
3,500 
1,700 
2,700 
L.WO 
1,100 
1,200 

i,:ioo 

900 
1,2.50 
2,000 
1,400 

700 

.500 
1,450 

GOO 
1,800 
2,  .'UK) 

.500 
1,2.50 
1,:«X) 


Horned 
I'attle. 


IIorscH. 


I 


12,000 

80,000 

70,000 

105,000 

14,000 

4,000 

5,000 

14,000 

15.000 

9,000 

4,000 

12,000 

COOO 

3,000 

9,000 

8,000 

13,000 

2,400 

5,000 

.3,000 

.3,000 


1,800 
10,000 
1,IH)0 
20,000 
5,000 
1,000 
1,200 
1,200 
2,000 
4,000 
2,500 
2,000 
1,200 

700 
1,200 

8(K) 
1,200 
1,100 
1,*'>00 

500 

700 


Sliorp, 

UiiaU, 

and 

Pigs. 

17,000 

100,  (KM) 

10,  (NX* 

40,000 

7,0(H» 

6,(HH) 

5,000 

12,000 

14,(M)0 

7,(HH) 

10,000 

14,000 

7,0<M) 

7.000 

9,»K»0 

10,  (KH) 

15.000 

19,000 

4,0(H) 

4,.50(> 

4,000 


Harvest. 

I 
I 

i     bush. 

1.3,000 

14,000 

IO,(N)0 

20,000 

8,0(X) 

3,(HX) 

.3,000 

3.  .500 

0,000 

4,000 

2,500 

3,000 

2,  .500 

1,500 

3,500 

2,500 

(5.000 

10,000 

2..")(H) 

1,.500 

.3,000 


Totil 31,450  396,400  61,600 '.321,.500   123,000 


STATISTICS   OF    1842. 


Mission. 

Indians. 

Cattle. 

Horses. 

Siicop,  (loats, 
and  I'l^s. 

San  I  hego 

500 

G.")0 

100 

500 

400 

.300 

400 

250 

00 

80 

.30 

150 

20 

40 

80 

50 

.300 

400 

50 

20 

70 

20 

2,800 

500 

700 

l.-HK) 

200 

1,800 

10,(KH) 

800 

300 

40 

800 

8,000 
(iO 

100 
400 
150 
500 
400 
40 
180 
.500 

aoo 

200 
50 

500 

'256 

200 

60 

200 

■San  l.uis  Roy 

4,000 

Sail  •)  nan  Capistrano 

San  (iahriel 

200 
.3,  .500 

San  Fernando 

2,000 
400 
400 

San  Buenaventura 

Santa  liarbara 

Santa  lues 

4,000 

Purisiina 

3,  .500 
800 

San  1,111.1  Obispo 

Sm  .Mijjue) 

400 

San  Antunio 

2,000 

S,,l,.,lail 

(.'arineld 

Sin  .luan  Bautiata 

Santa  Cruz 

Santa  Clara 

3,000 
7,000 

.*<aii  .liKstj 

San  Kraneisco 

200 

San  Rafael 

Solaini 

ToUl 

4,4.50 

29,020 

3,820 

31,600 

340 


PASTURES  AND  FIELDS, 


When  an  haceiidado  wished  to  nuqucar  or  slauo^litor 
his  cattle,  he  sent  six  men  on  horseback,  who  rotlc  at 
full  speed  over  the  fields,  armed  with  knives.  Passing; 
near  an  animal,  one  gave  it  a  blow  with  the  knit'r  in 
the  nerve  of  the  nape  of  the  neck,  and  it  fell  dead. 
These  nuqueadores  passed  on,  and  were  followed  as  Ky 
a  flock  of  hun«^ry  vultures,  by  dozens  of  pelade )i(s, 
who  took  off  the  hides.  Next  came  the  tasajeros,  who 
cut  up  the  meat  into  tasajo  and  pulpa;  and  the  fuiMial 
procession  was  closed  by  a  swarm  of  Indian  women, 
who  gathered  the  tallow  and  lard  in  leather  liani}Hrs. 
The  fat  was  afterward  tried  out  in  large  iron  or  cop- 
per kettles,  and  after  cooling  somewhat  was  put  up  in 
skin  botas,  containing  on  an  average  20  arrobas.  or 
500  j)ounds.  It  was  sold  in  1840  at  $2  per  arn>l»a. 
half  in  money  and  half  in  goods.  A  field  after  tlio 
nuqueo  looked  like  Waterloo  after  the  charge  of  tin 
old  guard. 

ISIarsh  says  that  in  Mexican  times  one  man  had  aOO 
saddle-horses  for  the  use  of  his  rancho.  One  mission 
had  100,000  horses  and  nmles.  Cattle  were  kiild  off 
on  the  mission  lands  after  the  seculariziition  in  18.U; 
it  commenced  in  1832,  and  continued  until  checked  l>v 
the  ijovernor.  Thev  w  re  on  the  decrease  until  l."^  10, 
"Sheep  are  small,"  remarks  Clymer,  "and  proclun^  a 
small  quantity  of  coarse  wt)ol  along  the  back,  the  \)v\l 
being  entirely  bare.  Their  cattle  are  of  good  size,  and 
handsomely  built.  Some  farms  or  ranchos  have  from 
five  to  twenty  thousand  head  of  such  stock  on  them, 
with  large  stocks  of  horses  and  sheep."  The  way  the 
padres  estimated  their  stock  was  to  count  those  they 
branded.  If  these  were  5,000,  they  estimated  lo,UOO 
for  the  year. 

A  great  number  of  vaqueros,  or  mounted  herdsinoii, 
were  necessary  to  look  after  the  stock,  which  was  ludf 
wild  at  best.  At  San  Jose,  at  a  rodeo,  or  gathi  linir 
of  stock  for  the  j)urpose  of  counting  it,  Visitador  Hart- 
nell  says  that  Administrator  Castro  was  assisted  hy  a 
mayordomo  and  fifty  vaqueros. 


.,; 


THE  LASSO. 


Ml 


Tli<^  Vt^'ai'ly  rodeo  was  not  only  for  brandinjjf  and 
(li\  i(lin«;  stock,  but  for  niakini^  the  cattle  accustomed 
to  a  certain  place,  and  prevent  their  going  JioiJclessly 
wild. 

The  nii.ssions  had  a  weekly  rodeo,  and  killed  twenty 
(ir  thirty  or  more  cattle  tor  provisions.  The  Indians 
killed  them  before  a  niayordomo  de  campo,  who  dis- 
till mtetl  the  moat  for  the  week.  The  razon  people 
canie  to  cut  for  themselves.  The  bones  were  left  in 
the  corral  till  the  followini.;  Friday,  when  they  were 
jiilcd  uj»  outside  of  the  rodeo.  Each  mi.ssion  had 
tliice  corrals,  one  for  cattle,  the  others  for  sheep  and 
liitfses. 

On  Friday  morning  some  neophytes  were  sent  to 
i»ring  in  stock  for  the  Saturday  slaui»hter.  On  Satur- 
(lay  morning  some  mounted  Indians  lassoed  and 
hrought  out  the  stock  from  the  corral,  for  other  In- 
dians. Tliese  lassoed  the  beast  by  peal,  threw  it, 
killed,  flayed,  and  cut  it  up.  Head,  spine,  and  intes- 
tiiKS  were  rejected.  The  fat  was  dragged  to  the 
mission  in  the  hide.  Thus  twenty  or  thirty  heads 
wtrc  killed  weeklv  for  food. 

When  the  year  was  l)ad  and  pastures  meagre  the 
padres  ordered  a  desviejar,  that  is,  the  killing  of  old 
j^tcK'k.  On  such  occasions,  Indians  and  white  men 
were  armed  with  lances,  and  entered  the  corrals 
mounted.  They  were  also  hunted  up  in  the  fields. 
The  hides  were  tiiken  off,  and  the  flesh  left  for  beasts 
and  birds,  or  for  the  Indians. 

Markofl'  tells  of  a  novel  way  of  catching  wild  oxen 
in  California.  \  trained  ox  was  taken  out  with  the 
hunter.  The  wild  ox  was  then  lassoed  and  bound, 
after  which  his  horns  were  tietl  to  those  of  the  trained 
ex.  which  dragged  him  home  to  be  slaughtered.  This 
was  to  avoid  carrvinof  the  meat  a  long  distance. 
>\  il(l  horses  were  caught  at  the  watering-places  by 
lasso,  or  by  false  corrals.  When  several  had  been 
eauL,dit  they  were  tied  in  pairs  and  driven  home,  or  to 
the  next  catching-place. 


PASTURES  AND  nELDS. 


II 


The  dexterity  of  the  CaHfornians  with  the  lasso  was 
surprising.  As  for  their  horsemanship  they  were  not 
surpassed  by  the  Cossacks  of  Tartary.  "It  is  com- 
mon/' says  Bidweil,  "for  them  to  take  up  things  from 
tlie  ground  going  ujK^n  a  full  run  with  their  horses. 
They  will  pick  up  a  dollar  in  this  way.  They  fre- 
quently engage  the  bear  on  the  plain  with  their  las- 
soes, and  two  holding  him  in  opposite  directions  witli 
ropes  fastened  to  the  pommels  of  their  saddles.  I  was 
informed  that  two  young  boys  encountered  a  lari^f 
buck  elk  in  the  plains,  and  having  no  saddles,  fastentd 
the  ropes  round  the  horses'  necks,  and  actually  dragged 
the  huge  animal  into  the  settlements  alive." 

Morineau  writes:  "Dans  la  vue  de  menager  Ics 
pacages  pour  les  boeufs,  un  arrete  de  gouvjrnenuiit 
defend  a  chaque  j)articulier  d'avoir  plus  de  20  juniciito 
poulinieres.  C'est  aussi  par  le  memo  motif  (|ue  Ynn 
fait  tuer  tous  les  ans,  plusieurs  milliers  de  chcvaiix 
sauvagcs,  bien  que  Ton  ne  tire  aucun  parti  de  Icurs 
depouilles."  Mules  were  employed  on  hard  labor. 
and  asses  were  kept  for  their  reproduction.  Each 
mission  possessed  10,000  or  12,000  sheep.  The 
Creoles  raised  few  sheep.  The  wool  was  good,  but 
that  used  in  the  country  was  made  only  into  coarse 
stuffs.  Pigs  were  not  raised  at  the  missions,  as  the 
Creoles  did  not  care  for  the  Hesh,  and  the  Indians  have 
always  had  a  horror  of  it. 

Writes  the  governor,  July  7,  1844,  to  the  alcalde  of 
San  Francisco:  "Thv.  French  fragata  and  other  ves- 
sels may  l)uy  stock  in  San  Francisco,  but  none  must 
sell  a  heifer  at  less  than  six  dollars,  or  abuse  will 
spring  up  and  injure  the  countr. . ' 

In  the  session  of  assembly  of  July  24,  18.']4.  the 
coinision  de  gobernaci»»n  presented  a  dictdmen  on  the 
[•etition  of  Chabolla  to  cat«'h  (correr)  mesteno  stoik 
for  urgent  want.  Permission  was  thereupon  granhd 
to  any  one  under  the  same  plea,  on  condition  of  gi\iii.; 
one  fifth  to  the  nation.  The  sindico  was  to  aeeouiit 
f^r  the  one  fifth,  leaving  it  in  care  of  the  grantee.    The 


STOCK  REGULATIONS. 


343 


grantee  was  to  destroy  (tuinbar)  the  corrals  erected 
for  tlio  purpose.  This  license  was  valid  tor  once  only, 
at  the  judgment  of  the  ayuntaniiento,  which  would 
(Icttiniine  the  time  when  each  one  should  perform  the 
corrida. 

One  Villavioencio,  May  17,  1830,  was  given  a  pt^r- 
niit  to  go  after  runaway  cattle  between  the  IMnal  del 
Tt  niascal  and  the  Sierra  de  la  Panocha.  He  was  to 
rcjiort  the  events  which  might  take  place,  names  of 
those  who  accompanied  him,  and  the  marks  on  the 
oars,  in  order  that  he  might  be  paid  immediately  ac- 
coiding  to  cus*iX)m. 

N'iotoria,  writing  to  the  minister  of  relations  on  the 
7tli  of  June,  IHol,  says:  "As  regtirds  caballar,  the  wiM 
kind  called  mesteilo  i.iundate  tl  e  fields.  Formerly 
tlitie  were  large  slaughters;  this  he  has  restrained, 
tliiiiking  that  this  slaughter  should  be  made  useful  if 
only  in  the  hides." 

On  the  21st  of  June,  Figueroa  wrote  to  the  alcalde 
of  S;in  Jose  that  the  asssembly  had  ordered  tliat  every 
«  wiur  of  .stock  and  honses  ai'  j  ids  [laid  servants  siiould 
jH'tt  to  give  personal  aid  at  the  customary  rodeos, 
wit'iout  excepting  his  sons,  if  he  should  liave  any  old 
cimugli.  No  persons  might  excuse  themselves  or 
others  fntm  helping  without  some  good  reason.  I*er- 
Niiis  exempted  from  these  services  were  mechanics, 
iioii owners  of  stock,  those  physically  impeded,  sexa- 
}rt  nariuns,  except  their  sons  and  paid  servants,  in  case 
tiif  exempt  parties  owned  stijck. 

In  tiie  San  Diego  archives  I  find  a  decree  of  Feb- 
ruary IS35,  in  which  the  assembly  declares  that  150 
hi'.id  (tf  cattle  are  needed  to  entitle  the  owner  to  a 
hraiid.  The  alcalde  must  determine  who  shall  have 
a  hniiid  and  who  a  mark. 

A  person  desiring  to  make  use  of  a  particular  iron 
to)  marking  cattle  petitioned  the  juez  de  paz  to  that 
ctK ct;  fac-.similes  of  the  fierro  and  venta  acconipanied 
the  petition.  Tiie  juez  decreed  in  accordance  with  tlie 
petition,  and  registered  the  marks  in  the  libro  de  regis- 


i^ 


■ 


344 


PASTURf:S  ANT)  HELDS. 


tros.  The  n)uni(i()al  rot^ulations  of  San  Jose,  of  Jan- 
uary U'»,  1835,  say  that  none  mij^ht  mark,  brand,  or 
kill  stock  except  on  days  desij^nated  by  the  ayuntanii- 
ento,  and  never  witliout  perniit  of  the  juez  de  canijH), 
wJKj  .s)i<»uld  inform  the  alcalde  of  such.  Penalty  for  first 
oti'ence  twenty  reales;  whoever  lassoed  or  saddled  a 
beast  not  beloni;in<;  to  him  should  pay  '^d,  and  as  nuK  h 
more  as  the  owner  claimed  in  justice. 

California  was  infested  by  Mexican  convicts,  wlio, 
knowinjj;  that  they  could  make  no  use  of  stolen  cattle  it' 
not  bearing  the  mark  of  the  seller,  were  accustonud  to 
forj^e  the  brands  of  well-known  sellers,  thus  causiii!,' 
j,'reat  confusion.  A  few  were  arrested;  but  the  IcK-al 
auth(.rities  did  not  understand  the  maj^nitude  of  the 
crime,  and  simply  exiled  the  prisoners  to  other  pueblos, 
where  tiiey  went  on  with  the  trattic. 

"  In  I  843,"  savs  Bias  Pena,  "I  slauij^htered  with  m)v 
men  l,:i(>0  heads  of  cattle  in  Captain  Fitch's  rancho. 
I*art  of  the  meat  1  made  into  tasajo,  that  is  to  say,  it 
was  jerkeil  and  dried;  the  rest  was  pickled.  The  tal- 
low was  sent  to  the  IT nited  States  in  j^uts,  or  l>laddrts. 
or  hides.  The  <jreen  hides  were  stretched  on  tlic 
j^rountl  until  thev  became  sufficiently  aired,  when  tluv 
were  folded  and  sewed  with  an  awl,  an  ojvnin*^  beiiiLf 
left  n«ar  tlu;  neck,  throu<;h  which  the  tallow  was 
poured.  These  hides  filled  witii  fat  were  called  Imtas, 
and  wlirn  ship-masters  siji^ned  bills  of  lading;  they  ac- 
knowledged havinj4  received  so  many  botas  of  fat." 

As  far  back  as  1770,  every  owner  of  horses,  cattle, 
asses,  mules,  and  sheep  was  by  law  compelled  to  brand 
liis  stock.  Each  ranchero  had  two  private  brands,  one 
called  *el  fierro  para  herrar  los  franados,'  and  the  other 
'fien'o  jiara  ventear.'  No  one  could  adopt  or  change 
his  brandiiiL'-irons  without  permission  of  the  ^jfovenmr 
of  California.  Hefore  me  is  a  decree  of  (Governor 
Fiij;ueroa  of  May  17,  1834.  grantin*]^  to  ensi^ii  M.  (i. 
Vallejo  permission  to  use  a  new  brand injjf- iron  lor 
the  cattN'  and  other  animals  on  his  estate. 

In  onlor  to  mark  cattle,  sometiuies  tiieir  ears  were 


ORIGINAL  STOCK. 


345 


lan- 
l,  or 
ivini- 

tit>t 
ed  a 
nuch 


ttlf  if 


c\'.t  ill  a  certain  way.  A  |x>tition  to  bo  allowed  to 
us.  such  marks  was  made  to  the  juez  do  paz,  a  fae- 
si'uile  of  the  mark  accompany ini^  the  same.  The 
jiiez  (granted  the  permission,  and  registered  the  same 
ill  a  book  kept  f<»r  the  purpose. 

On  the  IHli  (»t'  April,  1844,  at  Los  An«,nK's,  Ban- 
(iiiii  made  a  lonjjf  sj)eech  betore  the  a^'uiitamiento, 
ciiticisiiiji;;  the  Laws  relatin*;  to  hides,  and  urt^ini^ 
JK-tter  measures  to  protect  stock-owners,  H(!  t'nded 
l»y  pi(»i>osini>;  that  no  hides  should  be  sold  which  had 
not  the  owner's  mark.  Stock-raisers,  who  according 
to  tin'  law  of  1827  should  have  brands,  should  send  in 
tlic  notice  of  the  registro  thereof,  in  one  month;  others 
should  register  their  brands.  Marks  were  also  to  be 
sent  in. 

The  ayujitamicnto  of  Angeles,  on  the  1 4th  of 
August,  1847,  declared  that  mestcno  (wild)  horses 
might  be  chased  on  Lugo's  rancho,  after  due  notice,  so 
iis  to  allow  the  neighbors  to  attend.  All  branded  ore- 
jano  beasts  that  were  mestcnos,  and  fell,  belongi-d  to  the 
one  who  formed  the  corri(H.  Fallen  beasts  belonging 
t.»  partit-ijtants  in  the  corrida  were  giveii  up  to  theui. 
Tli(»si'  I'alling  wliich  belonged  to  non-partici|)ants,  for 
tluni  tlu'  owners  sluudd  pay  ^1  per  head,  5i52  for 
iiuilcs,  four  reales  for  wild  nuires  (bronca  or  potra), 
wliich  sums  went  to  the  former  of  tin;  corrida, 
lit  asts  with  unknown  brands  wen;  divided,  one  going 
to  the  former  of  the  cori'itla,  ami  tlu;  other  t«»  the 
miuiiripal  fund.  A  juez  <le  campo  should  attend  the 
cnnida,  and  watch  over  these  rules,  and  S(^e  that 
Ittasts  were  given  to  their  rightful  owners.  A  gratu- 
ity was  to  bo  given  him  from  the  part  going  to  the 
iiiuiiieipal  fund. 

The  horses  of  California  w*'re  understood  to  be 
generally  of  Andalusian  stcx-k,  introduced  from 
Nhxico,  and  originally  from  Sj)ain.  Among  the 
animals  broke  for  use  were  tine  saddle-horses,  n«;ver 
Used  for  harness.  Hors(  -  were  <'XcelK'nt  for  their 
^voI•k,  and  capable  of  great  endurance,  even  on  poor 


346 


PASTURES  AND  HELDS. 


treatment.  They  were  rarely  stabled  or  groomed. 
The  rancheros  generally  had  large  numbers,  out  of 
which  they  would  choose  two  or  three  or  more  for 
use,  and  keep  them  tied  to  posts  about  the  house; 
and  when  the  horses  began  to.  be  a  little  thin  from 
hard  riding  and  want  of  feed,  they  would  turn  them 
loose  in  the  pasture,  and  bring  in  others.  NothiiiiL,^ 
was  done  toward  improving  Ir.he  breed.  When  a  very 
fine  colt  was  obtained,  instead  of  keeping  it  for  a  stal- 
lion, they  would  castrate  it  and  use  it  as  a  saddle-horse. 

By  1821-4  the  wild  horses  became  very  numerous, 
so  that  approaching  the  towns  they  would  eat  up  the 
grass  and  spoil  the  pasture  for  the  tame  horses,  and 
when  they  went  away  take  the  latter  along  witli 
them.  The  government  accordingly  resolved  to  hold 
a  general  slaughter.  Corrals  were  formed  near  the 
pueblos,  and  the  horses,  wild  and  tame,  were  driven 
into  them,  and  the  entrance  closed.  Animals  were 
then  taken  out  by  their  owners.  A  small  gate  wa.s 
then  opened  to  allow  only  one  beast  to  pass  out  at  a 
time.  Two  or  three  lancers  were  then  placed  at  the 
gate,  who  stabbed  the  wild  horses  as  they  passed  out, 
and  thousands  were  thus  killed. 

The  Californian  genius  for  lying  is  shown  by  the 
statement  of  Pio  Pico  that  when,  on  the  arrival  of 
the  Hijar  colony,  Figueroa  convoked  the  diputaoioii, 
he,  Pico,  rode  from  his  rancho  to  Los  Angeles,  a  dis- 
tance, by  his  own  account,  of  almost  sixty  leagues,  in 
one  day.  He  also  states  that  f()r  the  j)urposc  of  being 
present  at  bull-baits  he  frequently  rode  in  one  day 
from  San  Diego  to  Los  Anueles. 

The  California  cavalier  held  it  a  disgrace  to  ride  a 
horse  with  the  hair  clii>ped  from  the  tail.  On  one 
occasion  a  fandango  was  going  on,  and  surroundiiiLf 
the  houst'  were  the  horses  of  the  })articipants,  with 
elaborately  trinnned  saddles,  and  the  long  hairof  tluir 
tails  combed  out  so  as  to  look  their  best.  One  of  the 
dancers,  Jose  Antonio  Yorba,  a  famous  jmictical  joker, 
slipped  out  of  the  house  unobserved,  and  cut  oil'  the 


HORSES  FOR  MEN  AND  WOMEN. 


347 


tails  of  all  the  horses,  his  own  among  the  number, 
that  suspicion  might  be  averted  from  himself,  and 
returned  quietly  to  the  dance.  Great  was  the  con- 
sternation and  chagrin  of  the  dancers  when,  after  the 
revelry  was  over,  they  led  out  their  fair  partners  to 
place  them  on  their  saddles  before  mounting  beliind 
tliem,  as  was  the  custom.  It  was  as  if  a  great  calam- 
ity, attended  with  shame  or  disgrace,  had  come  upon 
them. 

Horses  de  sobrepaso,  or  as  they  were  called  de 
geiiero  6  generosos,  were  destined  for  women  and 
friars. 

Some  of  the  rancheros  lived  in  feudal  style,  each 
having  his  band  of  Indian  retainers  subject  to  his 
autliority.  Warner's  mayordomo  said  he  could  raise 
for  liis  master  300  fighting  men  in  a  few  hours. 

The  rancheros  had  large  bands  of  breeding  mares. 
"The  jiorses  multiplied  to  such  an  extent,"  says  Belden, 
"tl)at  in  seasons  of  drought  they  would  destroy  large 
iiuinlicrs  of  mares,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  horses, 
(hiving  them  over  a  precipice  to  get  rid  of  them,  and 
tlius  save  feed  for  the  cattle,  which  were  more  valuable 
than  horses,  on  account  of  the  hides  and  tallow.  The 
rancheros  hardly  ever  cut  grass,  had  no  barns,  and 
ill  a  dry  time  had  nothing  to  rely  upon.  Occasionally 
a  fanner  might  have  a  little  hay,  but  very  rarely,  and 
.'^o  far  as  they  fed  their  horses  about  the  house,  they 
used  barley." 

Few  cows  were  kept  near  the  house  for  milking  ; 
the  milch  cows  generally  were  not  gentle,  and  to  milk 
them  their  hind  legs  were  tied  together,  and  the  head 
tie<l  to  a  post.  Scarcely  any  cheese  or  butter  was 
made. 


Mission  San  Gabriel  was  the  mother  of  agriculture 
ill  California.  She  early  raised  wheat  and  soki  it  to 
thi'  Russians;  she  planted  the  vine,  and  l)y  and  by 
the  orange. 

Companies  were  sometimes  formed  for  agricultural 


348 


PASTURES  AND   FIELDS. 


■;  r 


pursuits.  Before  me  is  a  contract,  although  very 
h)<)sely  worded,  and  in  every  way  crude,  in  which  nine 
individuals  agree  to  cooperate,  without  dispute  or  dis- 
tinction, in  the  work  and  labor  of  the  Palo  Colorado 
rancho.  They  agree  to  their  compact,  and  whenever 
any  one  of  the  copartners  shall  withdraw,  he  loses  all 
rijjjht  to  participation  in  profits.  Profits  are  to  bt> 
divided  proportionately  between  the  nine  who  sign, 
and  f(L)ur  women  who  also  take  part  in  the  labors. 

Private  estates,  if  devoted  to  stock,  were  calltd 
ranclios;  if  chiefiy  for  plantation,  haciendas.  The 
establishments  of  Buriburi,  San  Antonio,  Pinole,  Sau 
Pablo,  Na|)a,  Santa  Teresa,  and  Petaluma  were  not 
ranchos,  but  haciendas.  In  these  the  buildings  wore 
large  and  sumptuous,  had  a  house  for  servants,  and  a 
room  for  implements,  and  another  for  milk  and  chocsi'. 
another  for  tallow  and  lard  put  up  for  exportati(»n  in 
skins.  Each  establishment  had  thousands  of  cattle 
and  droves  of  mares.  Some  had  over  a  hundred 
Indian  retainers  under  white  mayordomos.  Each 
hacienda  had  rooms  for  guests,  and  travellers  weii' 
entertained  without  charge.  A  Californian  never 
used  to  speak  of  his  farm  by  acres,  but  by  leagues. 
One  of  four  or  five  leagues  was  considered  quite  s;nall. 
A  thrifty  farmer  should  have  2,000  horses,  lo.omj 
head  of  cattle,  and  20,000  sheep,  as  his  productive 
stock,  on  which  he  should  not  encroach,  except  in  an 
emere^encv." 

Vallejo  had  really  land  without  limit;  nominally, 
he  held  thirty-three  leagues,  equal  to  140,000  acres. 
with  400  or  500  acres  under  cultivation,  the  rest  l>eiiiL,' 
used  for  pasturage.  Of  stock  he  had  from  12,000  to 
15,000  head  of  neat  cattle,  7,000  or  8,000  head  ..f 
horses,  and  2,000  or  3,000  sheep.  He  had  also  ;5(iO 
working  men,  with  their  usual  [)roportion  of  fenialt  s 
and  children,  all  kept  in  a  nearly  naked  state,  poorly 
fed,  and  never  paid.  Where  there  was  any  fenei'.  it 
was  made  of  small  willows,  placed  in  the  ground  and 
woven  into  wicker-work,  the  fiimsy  atiair  requiring  to 
be  renewed  every  season. 


,  i. 


DWELLINGS  AND  PRODUCTS. 


349 


Tlio  people  devoted  themselves  to  raise  only  the 
(|uantity  needed  for  their  wants.  They  did  not  look 
lo  making  a  fortune  for  themselves  or  their  posterity. 
It'  tlity  had,  and  had  raised  1,000  bushels  of  wheat 
nr  corn,  where  would  they  sell  it? 

A'ictoria  declared  to  the  mi ni.ster  of  relations  on  the 
7th  of  June,  1831,  that  vhiieulture  promised  to  de- 
velop largely,  and  in  time  to  become  the  most  valuable 
(if  exports.  The  progress  of  agriculture  was  due  to 
till'  friars  and  their  Indians,  who  were  the  oidy  in- 
dustrious hands  in  the  country. 

Castaiiares  says  that  the  olive-oil  (aceite  do  comer) 
made  at  San  Luis  Obispo  was  as  good  as  or  better 
than  the  Spanish,  and  the  olives  of  San  Diego  were 
as  good  as  those  of  Seville. 

i'revious  to  1842,  according  to  Vallejo,  the  Califor- 
iiian  rancheros  were  celebrated  ft)r  their  hii^h  souse  of 
lionor  and  good  fiiith.  They  used  to  select  as  a  site 
for  their  houses  and  corrals  hills  of  small  elevation, 
with  springs  near  by.  They  generally  avoidi'ii  the 
plains,  fearing  floods,  although  the  rains  were  never 
so  litavy  as  they  have  on  several  occasions  been  since 
the  American  occupation. 

The  colonists  about  San  Jose  first  selected  a  raised 
sjMit  near  running  water,  and  placed  four  large  logs  in 
till'  ground ;  on  them  other  smaller  ones  were  laitl,  and 
oil  these  a  roof  of  tule-leaves  tied  together  and  made 
water-proof.  Then  they  placed  a  line  of  large  stones 
ell  the  ground  from  post  to  post,  and  with  mortar  and 
smaller  stones  built  the  walls  uj)  to  the  roof  Then 
the  house  was  divided  into  two  or  three  rooms,  and 
tiiially  the  tapanco  or  attic  was  built.  The  furniture 
ceiisisted  of  a  cot  covered  with  skins,  a  few  connnon 
hlanki'ts,  half  a  dozen  trays  (troughs),  a  littlo  com- 
imtn  crockery,  three  or  four  small  chairs  of  wood 
covered  with  skins,  half  a  dozen  stools,  and  a  table. 
Thiit't}'  people  put  in  painted  wooden  doors  and  white- 
washed the  walls  outside  and  in;  but  the  lazy  poor 
used  hides  for  doors.  Near  the  house  tliey  made  a 
corral  on  a  level  spot,  and  in  front  of  it  they  put  two 


PASTURES  AND  nELDS.     " 

or  three  large  posts,  nailing  a  fresh  hull's  hide  to  carli, 
and  anointing  the  posts  with  hull's  blood.  The  cattlt- 
were  at  intervals  of  a  few  days  forced  into  this  corml 
until  they  were  used  to  it,  and  hundreds  could  easily 
be  driven  in  by  two  vaqueros.  Each  ranchero  rais(  tl 
com  and  vegetables  enough  for  his  own  family,  be- 
sides raisinjj  cattle. 

Taking  the  fanega  at  2^  English  bushels,  the  har- 
vest in  18.31  would  be  as  follows : 

Quarters. 

,  Wheat 7,sr.7.|i 

Maize 3,414J| 

Frijoles  514 

Barley 2,314 

Beana,  garvauzas,  aud  pease 338 

Tofcil 14,438 

Reckoning  the  average  price  of  grain  at  the  same 
period  to  be,  wheat  and  barley  ^2  a  fanega,  and  inaizo 
$1.50,  the  following  would  be  the  value  of  the  pn)duoc': 

Wheat $49,114.25 

Maize 2I,340.()0 

Barley 11,570.(K) 

Pease  and  lioans  (reckoned  as  barley) 4,2(!().0U 

Totol j««,284.25 

In  1834  the  several  missions  harvested  in  wheat, 
maize,  beans,  e.  c. : 

FanoKftf. 

San  Diego 13,«M)t) 

San  Luis  Rey 14,(K)0 

San  Juan  Capiatrano lO.CKX) 

San  Oahriel 2().(KX) 

San  Fernando 8,000 

San  Buenaventura 25, (MK) 

Santa  Mrbara 3,000 

Santa  luea 3, 500 

Purlaima 0.000 

San  Luis  Obispo 4.000 

San  Miguel 2,500 

San  Antonio 3,000 

S..ledad 2,500 

Carniclo 1 ,500 

San  Juan  liautista 8,.')00 

Santa  Cruz 2,500 

Santa  Clara 0,000 

San  Jose 10.000 

San  Francisco 2,500 

San  Rafael.     1.500 

Solano 3,000 

Total 145,000 


AORICULTURAL  PRODUCTS. 


351 


In  1841  so  little  wheat  had  been  sown  in  Upper 
California,  and  the  harvest  was  so  bad  on  account  of 
drought,  that  two  schooners  were  sent  to  San  Bias 
and  Guaymas  for  flour. 

The  various  inventories  of  missions  from  1834  to 
1846  show  a  I'radual  abandonment  of  field-work — 
broken  down  fences,  useless  ploughs,  etc.,  fill  the 
iccord — here  and  there  is  an  announcement  of  a  small 
]tatch  of  grain.  Orchards  and  vineyards  are  also  half 
if  not  wholly  ruined. 

Some  of  the  Californians  have  tried  to  raise  tobacco 
on  tlieir  farms.  It  grew  luxuriantly,  but  in  quality 
would  not  compare  with  tliat  of  the  eastern  coast  of 
tlie  continent.  Cotton  was  planted  in  1846,  and 
grow  well.  The  cotton  of  California  was  pronounced 
suj^urior  to  that  of  Acapulco,  and  received  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Tepic  manufacturers.  Flax  and  hemp 
AViTo  produced  to  meet  all  necessities  for  textures  and 
ropes. 

Wheat  was  sometimes  separated  by  the  Indians 
rubbing  the  heads  of  the  graui  in  their  hands,  and 
Itlowing  the  chaff"  away,  and  was  ground  between  two 
stones  by  hand. 

On  being  harvested  the  grain  was  put  into  a  stack, 
and  a  corral  was  made,  like  the  thrashing  floor  of  an- 
cient times,  an  enclosure,  generally  of  a  circular  form. 
The  grain  was  then  spread  over  the  ground  and  a  band 
of  liorses  was  turned  in,  and  driven  round  over  it  to 
tran»[)  it  out.  The  grain,  after  being  thrashed  out  was 
winnowed  from  the  straw,  which  was  done,  throwing 
it  up  in  the  air  when  there  was  a  wind,  to  have  the 
cliaH'  i)lown  away.  They  generally  washed  it  before 
the  grinding,  and  made  their  flour  m  a  mule  mill  with 
two  stones,  one  upon  another,  a  bolt  being  attached 
to  the  upper  stone,  which  made  one  revolution  only 
as  often  as  the  mule  went  round.  The  operation  was 
ni'ci  r«arily  a  slow  and  tedious  one. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1845,  Pio  Pico,  senior 
nicuibor  of  the  most  excellent  junta  departamental 


352 


PASTURES  Am)  FIELDS. 


l\ 


and  actinjjf  cfovornorof  tlio  ('lopartincnt,  isRUo«l  the  fol- 
lowiii}^  (Ictrco  intended  to  protect  vhu^yards  and  tlicii- 
owners  fioni  depredators :  I  st.  Every  owner  of  a  vine- 
yard who  sells  j^rapes  in  any  quantity  exreedinj^  1.) 
pounds  must  furnish  a  voucher  to  the  purchaser,  wlio 
will  keep  it  for  his  protection.  If  such  owner  «4ive.s 
to  his  servants  over  two  pounds,  he  must  als<  ^^ivc 
them  a  paper  statin^f  the  fact.  2d.  It  is  forbidden  to 
purchase  jj;rapes  from  Indians  and  servants  of  the  oi-- 
chards,  without  they  produce  the  voucher  spoken  <•[' 
in  the  preceding  article.  3d.  Any  jierson.  not  tlie 
owner  of  a  vineyard,  desiring  to  estahlish  a  place  for 
fermenting  grape  juice,  nmst  obtain  a  permit  from  the 
first  alcalde,  and  submit  himself  to  the  police  visits 
that  nmst  be  made  to  examine  his  })remises,  tubs,  etc., 
and  produce,  whenever  it  is  demanded,  tlio  vouchers 
mentioned  in  article  first.  4th.  The  alcaldes  will  visit 
all  premises  rei)orted  to  them  where  fermentation  is 
carried  on,  and  everv  citii:en  is  bound  to  renik-r  everv 
possible  assistance,  for  the  fulfilment  of  each  one  of 
the  articles  of  this  decree.  5th.  The  alcaldes  per- 
8(mally,  or  through  trusty  |iersons,  but  still  uiuUt  tlieir 
own  responsibility,  will  make  a  daily  examination  in 
the  huts  of  the  Indian  ranchen'as  that  may  be  in  the 
environs  of  this  city,  to  ascertain  if  there  are  in  thnn 
any  grapes,  or  fermentation  thereof,  which  have  not 
been  lawfully  acquired.  6th.  Those  officials  in  the 
same  maimer  will  visit  and  examine  all  taverns,  at  Ica^t 
twice  every  week;  also  the  houses  of  persons  havinii; 
the  license  mentioned  in  article  third. 

Any  owner  of  a  vineyard  infringing  the  proviso  of 
article  first,  incurred  the  fine  of  $50,  or  had  to  un- 
dergo the  penalty  of  forty  days  in  the  public  works. 
In  a  tavern  or  house  having  permission  to  ferment 
grape- juice,  if  any  of  this  fruit  was  found  without  the 
proper  voucher,  as  per  article  first,  the  grape  and  juice 
were  confiscated,  and  the  tavern-keeper  or  owner  \vas 
subjected  to  a  fine  of  $50,  or  two  months  in  th»^  public 
works.     Any  person  caught  stealing  hi  a  vineyard, 


FREE  TO\VNS. 


fol- 
lu-iv 
u\t  - 

r  i:, 

who 

ell  to 
le  ov- 
en of 
>t  tlu' 
CO  i'ov 

visitH 

luohci!^ 
iU  visit 
Ltion  in 
r  every 

one  of 
les  per- 
lor  tlu'ir 
[itiou  in 
|e  in  tlic 

in  thnii 

^avc  not 
in  tho 

I,  atlt-a-^t 
liavin;^ 

mviso  of 
t\  to  un- 
\c  worUs. 

fi'nn«'»it 
Ihout  the 
\iw\  juico 

/nor  ^v!^'^ 
|]^,.  yniitlic 

iue}  aid, 


upon  being  convicted,  was  to  suffer  the  punishment  of 
four  months  at  puhhc  work,  with  sliackh-.s  to  his  legs 
it'  a  eiviliaii;  if  of  the  mihtary,  he  wouhl,  within  the 
time  prescribed  by  law,  be  turned  over  to  mihtary  au- 
tlutrity,  with  the  proofs  of  guilt,  to  be  punished  aceord- 
iii  •■  to  the  mai^nitude  of  the  oft'ence. 

Among  my  original  documents  is  one  without  date 
or  signature,  but  which  may  be  placed  in  the  year 
181.J.  It  is  a  calculation  of  what  a  plantation  in 
IVtuluma  could  yield  in  one  year.  It  states  that  15 
yokes  of  oxen  are  needed.  Price  of  their  transporta- 
tion tliere  unknown.  Xo  price  given  for  the  land  to 
Ix'  iist'd,  sucli  a  thing  being  unknown  in    !ie  country. 

KxiH'nse: 

2IN»  (|iimt(ils  Itarlcy,  for  sowing,  nt  Sfi 81,2()0 

4(1  iniiiit:ils  potutocs,  for  sowing,  at  .?4 100 

]')  Mitii  lu'i'ileil  say  100  days  for  sowing,  etc.,  cost  of  supporting  them 

at  S4  pir  (lay 400 

1')  nii'M  iifcclcil  same  time  for  gathering  crops,  etc 400 

Iiitei'ust  on  money  at  ti  i>er  cent  per  month,  H  months,  from  Dec.  to 

July 844 


Kxiuitoil  to  yield: 
Rifli\.  ;{.'(  (niintals  fur  each  one  sown — 7,0<1()  i)uintals,  sold  at  S.'^. 
I'ot.itiKis,  'J.'xpiiiitaU  for  each  one  sown— 1,000  ()uiutul.s,  sold  at  ^'J. 


lii;{,004 
,..*•_'!. 0(M» 


Alliiw  iiiii  to  the  laborers  one  third  for  their  work 7,0()0 


For  the  hacienda S!l").:*:H 

I'lihii't  the  expenses  above H,(X)t 

Net  proceeds S'l-.*i!<0 

111  1835  tliere  were  only  three  free  towns,  with 
clijiittis,  independent  of  the  missions  and  presidios,  in 
all  L'[)per  California.  These  towns  were  to  a  gieat 
txtciit  peopled  by  the  old  Spanisli  or  croole  soldiers, 
who  aftiT  a  certain  term  of  service  at  the  missions 
liiul  )>i  rinission  to  return  to  their  native  land  or  settle 
ill  tilt'  country.  Alosc  of  them  were  married  and  had 
families;  and  when  the  retirement  to  the  puebhts  was 
preferred,  grants  of  land  with  some  necessary  articles 
wtic  i;iven  them  to  commence  their  now  occupation  of 
liusibaiidry,  which,  with  the  aid  of  the  natives,  they 

Cal.  Past.    2S 


Mi  Ta.'.TUUE:;  axd  fiklds. 

generally  prosecuted  suc'ce>>8fully.  The  most  fntll' 
spots  were  generally  clH»seii  for  the  pueblos,  and  tlu- 
produce  of  these  not  only  supported  the  inhahitniits 
of  the  plac(%  but  supplied  the  neighboring  inissic.ii 
and  piesidio.  The  principal  pueblo  at  this  time  was 
Los  Angeles,  whose  population  was  about  1,500.  It 
had  an  alcalde,  three  regidores,  and  a  sfndico,  com- 
posing the  ayuntamicnto,  or  town  council,  lictoiv 
this,  Los  Angeles  had  been  proposed  fo**  tiie  ca[iit;.l 
of  tiie  country;  and  as  the  Spaniards  in  their  colollit^s 
always  used  to  have  an  inland  site  for  the  capita], 
this  scheme  might  have  been  adopted  if  the  couiiti  v 
had  remained  in  their  hands;  but  at  this  time  it  was 
thought  that  Monterey  would  be  the  capital  until  a 
population  should  arise  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco, 
when  it  would  no  doubt  be  fixed  there.  The  scccmd 
free  town  was  San  Jose,  whose  population  in  I S;;.^ 
was  GOO.  It  was  governed  in  the  same  way  as  Los 
Angeles.  The  inhabitants  raised  wheat  and  cattle, 
and  traded  in  the  skins  and  tallow  of  deer,  which  wnv 
abundant  in  this  district.  The  third  free  town  was 
Brancifortc,  whose  population  was  not  more  than  IJU. 
This  place  hod  also  its  alcalde,  but  was  dependent  (Hi 
the  military  conimandant  of  Monterey. 

The  little  progress  made  by  free  settlers  in  populat- 
ing California  arose  not  only  from  the  inaptitiitlc  of 
the  Spaniards  for  colonizing  such  a  country,  but  rnmi 
the  jealousy  of  the  missionaries  who  clainied  aliii<i>t 
all  the  land.  By  this  means  only  a  few  settlers  were 
admitted,  and  those  had  to  be  firm  adherents  of  llio 
missionaries,  and  blindly  obey  their  mandati's.  The 
total  of  the  free  settlers  at  this  time  did  not  <  x- 
ceed  5,000.  In  this  nup.ber  were  included  all  w  liite 
and  mixed  castes  who  lived  in  the  country,  in  the  five 
pueblos,  and  at  the  missions  and  presidios.  Of  such, 
many  lived  at  the  missions  and  on  their  lands,  ami 
could  scarcely  be  said  to  bo  independent  of  tluin. 

The  constant  revolutions  in  the  south  causetl  j^rcat 
discontent   among    the   working   classes,    and   luaiiy 


IRRIOATION. 


faiii'ilit's  who  ]\m\  n)iiu>  fnmi  Sonorn  niul  San  Blur  to 
stttli'  ulmut  Lo8  Aiiij;t'l«'S  chaiiLjcd  tlu'ir  iniiuls  and 
wt  lit  nortli  to  tliu  it'gion  of  San  Jose  and  Santa 
(  lara. 

A  jirowl  was  srnt  tlown  from  Sonoma  to  the  <:t»v- 
trw>r  ill  IH44,  m'ttiii<jf  fortli  tlie  oj>|>ri'HHion  frit  \>\  t\,r 
Ial»i»riii«:  class  lu'causn  of  tlie  titlit'S  and  tlif  tarilK 
and  wliert'liy  the  rancluTo  was^  made;  a  vassal  of 
tlif  trader.  F<»rt'i«j;n  hunters  luul  destroyed  otttr 
liiiiitinjjj,  and  were  (U*stroyin«5  heaver  tra|))»iii«4,  and 
the  su|»erear<jjoes  were  destroyini(  cattUvraisiiiii" — the 
(iiilv  three  hranelies  of  industrv  in  C^difornla.  Asjrri- 
culture  did  not  flourish,  for  traders  would  reeei\e  only 
1  itjes  an«l  tal!.»w — and  the  hid(!s  ami  tallow  »>f  all  the 
stock  in  California  would  not  sutHee  to  pay  what  was 
owinir  to  tratliui^  vessels.  The  remedy  suuiiested 
was  to  <(rant  U>  whallni^  vessels  full  permission  to 
come  into  California  ports  for  repairs  and  suj)iilies. 
Tills  Would  foment  ai^rieulture,  and  take  awav  from 
the  tra«lin;^  vessels  their  ruinous  monoi>oly. 

It  is  interesting;  to  see  how  irri'»;atin<j;  ditelu^s  wwv 

~  or? 

niaiiaj;;ed  in  the  olden  time.  Here  is  a  [)ro('lama- 
ti«>ii  made  hy  the  alcaldes  of  Los  Anjjieles  on  the  7th 
of  March,  1S41.  The  time  is  at  hand  when  the  irri- 
j^atiii;;  ditch  should  he  repaired,  and  due  order  should 
lie  ol)ser»ed  in  the  necessary  W(>rk  :  Ist.  The  tlitch 
will  still  be  under  tlie  oharuje  of  a  man  of  prohity  who 
shall  oversee  the  repairs,  keep  a  list  of  i)roprietors  of 
VMi<  yards  and  cultivated  lands  which  are  in  the  city, 
and  employ  the  reijuisitc  numluT  of  laborers.  2d.  As 
sonji  us  notice  is  uiveii  hv  the  ditch  conunissioner,  each 
ruhivator  shall  si-nd  an  Indian  with  the  necess4irv 
ini|ihinents,  and  whoever  has  three  riegos  must  semi 
two  Indians — who  must  not  he  missin*'  when  the  dav's 
Wdik  is  needed.  3d.  From  amoiiijj  the  cultivators  two 
.shall  he  ap|Mmitcd  tt)  assist  the  conunissioner  in  man- 
a.rinu;the  Indians  ;  they  must  he  mounted,  and  shall  be 
ex.  ni[)t  from  furni-shin*;  Indians.  4t]i.  The  commis- 
si'iii'  r  is  to  see  that  the  ditch  is  kept  clean  and  the 


350 


PASTURES  AND  FIELDS. 


minor  ditches  in  j^-ood  t)rd('r;  also  that  fairness  ]>()  oh- 
sorved  la  the  use  of  thi*  wattT,  wliieh  sliall  not  \>i> 
wasted.  5tli.  The  o<»innnsHioner  must  see  that  each 
eitiztn  making  use  of  the  water  sliall  have  a  <jjo<td  st(i|i- 
oate-which  does  not  leak — at  the  point  wlu;re  Im' 
taps  the  main  ditch,  fith.  Each  master,  on  sendini,^ 
his  pion  to  labor,  is  to  furnish  him  with  the  da\  s 
ration,  in  order  that  ho  may  have  no  pretext  for  leavin  • 


••^y 


V 


I'S. 


the  work,  of  which  the  commissioner  shall  fix  the  hou 
7th.  Should  the  main  dit<'h  give  way  at  any  j»oint,  tlie 
nearest  «»wner  of  a  vineyard  or  tilled  land  shall  \vit!i 
his  servants  hasten  thither  in  orde'r  to  jneveiit  wa>t(' 
of  water.  8th.  As  it  has  hecn  noticed  that  majiy  wait 
till  the  Work  in  the  diteh  is  done  l)eforc  sowing,  tli<y 


a  I 


V,  fon'warned  that  tluv  al>o  must  aid  in  the  n 


{'<■{■>>- 


sary  labors.      l>th.  The  eolKctor  will 


sec 


Who  vvasli  f 


■lotl 


les  m 


tl 


le  main  < 


litcl 


1,  or  wiio 


that   ti 
tl 


II  !>(• 


ll'iiW 


tilth  into  the  same,  or  who  all<»w  swamp-land  to  he 
formed,  are  amenahle  to  con«lign  punishuK  nt. 

.Vs  these  measures  are  intended  for*  the  general  g-idd, 
any  infraction  of  the  first  ei^ht  articles  will  l»e  |iu!i- 
isiied  as  follows:  a  fine  of  ."?  I  for  the  first  oIl'eiK  .  ,  uii  I 
!^S  for  the  second,  wiiile  a  third  infiaeti«)n  will  Hul>je(  t 
the  culprit  to  he  punished  as  disohidient.  Each  infiac- 
tion  of  article  ninth  will  be  jiunished  with  a  fine  of  ^'1. 
Tiiat  I'VeiT  one  be  jnt'oriued  of  the  above,  and  that  Iim 
one  may  allege  i<^nor;inee.  let  tlii>  deeree  In-  puMisli'  'I 
by  bando,  and  posted  in  the  public  phucs. 

The  ground  was  ploughed  onee  or  twice.  A  yoL  "f 
oxen  guided  by  an  Indian  draggtd  a  j»lougli  with  an  ii' 


ill 


point  ntade  ly  an  J  iidian 


bh 


^niitl 


\VI 


len  ll'iii  u.iH 


wanting.  pltMighs  of  oak  without  the  iion  point  \\.  re 
Used  at  the  missionsiis  well  a>  ly  indl\  iduaU.  I^'uitowh 
Were  made  with  the  same  ploiji^ii,  with  a  wooden  >haiv 
fastened  thereto  tor  ijic  pnipose  of  making  the  \'\\vv 


wider 


eed    wa>    .sown    i»v 


hand 


thn 


loiir,    "1' 


fi\e  grains  of  >iiai/e  oi-  beaii>  were   planti'd.      Hail' v 
anil  wheat  were  sown   broadcast,  anil  the  ground  wan 


A   CAUFOUXIA  UAXCHO. 


887 


afterward   liarrowetl,  for  wLicli   puri)()KC  brandies  of 
trots  were  used. 

The  harvest  was  uf.athered  from  Jaly  to  September, 
sometimes  liowever  beijf'muiii},^  in  Mji.y,  in  wliieh  ease 
all  the  «^rain  was  liarveste«l  !)}■  August.  Men,  women, 
jiiid  ehihhen  eael)  carried  on  their  back  a  eora,  int-. 
uliicli  the  Ljrain  was  tlirown,  an<l  which  whi-n  full  wa;- 
emptied  intt>  a  cart.  The  j;jain  was  thrashed  by  men 
with  btielvs  (j^arrotes^,  and  winnowed  by  women  wIkj 
tnssetl  it  in  wotxjen  l)owls  called  battas.  The  jjrrain 
\\;is  stoicd  in  bulk,  in  innnense  jj^ranaries  called  trojes. 
This  is  JMo  l*ico's  description. 

.\lmost  e\ery  tuttive  C'alif'rnian  had  his  ranclio 
iiiid  herds  of  ('attle  and  hoi-S's.  Some  had  several 
lanche's  in  d'Herent  parts  of  the  <*ountrv.  They  \in\v 
a  few  vci^t  tables  and  fruit,  maize  and  wheat.  'I'lie 
women  Ljiound  the  coin  and  made  tortillas.  From 
lime  ti»  time  the  man  killed  a  number  of  cattle  I'm' 
tlicir  liides  ami  tallow;  tliesi,*,  and  some  f)f  the  bet  t' 
saved,  w<'re  sold  to  vessels,  and  in  this  manner  the 
jiiople  obtaimd  their  wearin;^  apparel  and  other  cum- 
iiiiMlitie.s.  About  \Xl(]  a  chani;f  of  view,  as  re'4ar(le<l 
tlie  soil.  <*am«'  on  ;j;radually.  when  .\meiieaiis  u;i>t  huM 
el'  land  and  bi't,nM(  to  ciiltivati!  it.  1'liere  were  ii"t. 
many  extensive  attemp  s  at  aj^riculture  till  after  I  ^  |C>, 
when  the  new-comers  licean  to  scattei'  around  tip' 
Santa  Clara  valley  .iml  cultivate  there  and  on  the 
ethij"  siile  of  the  bav. 

hi  early  tiini's,  after  obtaiiiin;jf  an  allotment  of  laixl 
from  the  j^o\i.': 'lor,  s«'ttlers  would  yo  to  the  mission- 
aries, and  ol»tam  th*.;  loan  <tf  a  few  liuiidr«'d  head  <>\' 
stock,  whicii  tlM'y  w<»uld  return  at  the  expiration  of  a 

crrtain  time  sav  fi\e  Nears.  'i'he  <-ost  of  ohlidliili'' 
possession  of  the  land  was  al>out  SI  il ;  so  that  in  tho^e 
•  lavs  it  re<|uire  I  no  o-n-at  amount  of  capital  or  ability 
to  lav  the  I'oundation  of  a  lai'-eand  lucrative  business. 
III  order  to  obtain  judicial  jiossession  of  a  tract  of  land. 
apprKation  was  made  to  the  alcalde  of  tlu'  tlistrict. 
who,  with    two  wituu«fc>e«  and    a    riata    tifty   feet   iu 


I  -  k 


i 

If 


:i'8 


PASTURES  AXD  FTSLDS. 


■' 


L'l  S 


H 


I 


liijxth,  would  |nro  out  Oil  horsc'hack,  and  measure  otf 
tlir  tract.  The  ceiiniuiiy  was  ('ominciK'etl  l)y  tlirow- 
iii«4  up  a  pile  of  stones  or  earth  as  an  initial  point,  aii-l 
jtiantinj^  a  cross  thereon.  This  initial  pointwascall* d 
a    niojonira.     Thev  cultivated  only  little  jijrain,  Imi 

if  t'  •  ~  ' 

had  small  milpitas  where  they  raised  ve<j;etal)ks  in 
the  summer.  At  tiiat  season  families  would  *;(»  to 
tiu'  milpitas,  put  up  a  hrush  house,  and  |)lant  a  ft  w 
things — corn,  heans,  melons,  and  peppers;  and  tin  i>' 
wtic  some  small  fields  of  corn,  wheat  and  havley. 
where  thev  raised  in  favt>ralile  seasons  enoui^h  t'nr 
tlieir  use — corn  and  wluat  for  hreadstutf,  and  the 
harlev  for  feedint;  their  horses. 

Vehicles  consi.sted  of  carts  with  a  hide  on  th«;  Imt- 
tom,  one  on  top,  and  hides  on  tiie  si«|es.     The  wherU 
wese  made  of  one  piece  of  wood,  not  vt^ry  round,  am! 
some  with  iron  tires.     They  were  drawn  hy  <'Me  "i 
more  y<ikes  of  oxen,     A  cushion  was  at  times  jtlari d 
on  the  hide  in  t\w  cart  for  the  accommodation  ot'  tl  > 
family.      The    mission    of  San    Luis   Ohispo    had    ju 
waijons  of  two  wheels,    which    weii;,   together  with 
the  harness,  an<l  other  ai>puit»Mian<'es,  including  flu 
iioii    w«»rk,    madi'    in    it.     The  wagons  wer<^   tirawii 
l»v  fttur  nmleseacii,  and  were  used  for  carrying  tall'W. 
et«-.      Fraiicis<'o  Hicoin  lH4t  stalled  from  the  pi<si(liu 
of  San  KraiH-isco  with    thiee  loadtd  carts  diawn  l'\ 
lean  o\en,  l»ountl  on  a  revolutiouary  expedition,  tin 
cr<aking   <»f   the   wheels   was   .^ch    tiiat  it  c<«uld    I" 
heard  for    nearly  a   mile    away.     It  took   them   tin 
wholr   day  to   rea<h    Yerha   liuena-  the   distance   is 
now  <4on<   over  hy  cal»le  and  st.e.im  caisinaltout  tlii'r 
(jwarters  of  an  hour.      "  I  know  <tf  only  two  carriagts. ' 
sa\s  Arnaz,  "an  ohl  cale.sa  owned   hy   the  padres  ut 
Santa   Harhara,  and  another  hy  Jtiso  di*  la  (Jm na 
They  were  (dd-fashioned,  very  like    hand  chairs  with 
low  wheels,  known  as  literas.      Martinez,  the  mission 
ary  of  San  Luis  ( )liis|H»  had  a  fine  coach  of  Ifatii-r. 
\arnished    hhuk.      Mr  used    harness   with    hells.      In 
lh4--.'{,  they  began  to  introduce  culesas  and    carl>, 


AORICUl.TURAT.  IMPLEMENTS. 


359 


>     ]»nt- 

il,  aii<l 
>n('  "1- 

with 

.■  tlir 
I'll  W II 
llloW. 

■sidio 

n  I'V 

,  thV 

1.1  1.* 

n    til*' 

tiff   is 

tlirtv 

la'j,'^. 

ITS    ut 

lu.  ir;i 
•s  will' 
lissi'iii- 
latli-  I-. 
Is.  Ill 
cult') 


w  itli  spoked  wlicols  from  the  United  States.  On  the 
i>tlinius  of  Nicaragua  a  s|>ecies  of  conveyance  ob- 
tained wliich  was  not  found  on  tlie  rugged  mule  trails 
<t"  the  isthmus  of  Pauaniil.  This  was  a  cart,  the 
wlicels  of  which  were  two  cross-cuts  from  a  h>g  with 
li.ilts  iiored  through  theheait,  and  a  |)<)U^  run  through, 
idiil  riiich-i»imied  at  either  end,  on  whicli  rests  a  cane 
tiv  reed  frame  covered  witli  rawhides.  Tlie  veliicle 
was  drawn  hy  one  or  two  yoke  of  oxen,  yoked  by 
l.isliing  tht>  forelieads  of  two  abreast  to  strong  sti«'ks 
al>-nit  four  feet  in  length.  This  was  tlie  ortliodox 
V.  hicle  throughout  all  Central,  and  iiuleed  all  Span- 
iel i   Anniica,  inclu«nng  the  Californias. 

The  California  plough  was  a  crooked  limb  of  a  tree, 
witli  a  piece  of  flat  iron  for  a  point,  and  a  sniall  tree 
tor  tlu!  pole.  Ea<h  plough  was  drawn  by  a  yoke  of 
nxrii  and  tended  by  a  nniiiDt.  The  field  once  broken 
ami  corn  ploughed,  was  well  moistened  and  harrowed. 
I'lnrows  w«re  made  wherein  maize  and  lujins  were 
thrown.  The  llussian  iilnugh,  though  ditlicult  to 
manage,  and  complicat»'<l,  was  not  mu<ii  betttr.  Sut- 
t»  r's  blacksmith  improvi.sed  a  f»'W  betti-r  i)loughs.  At 
iieaily  every  mission  tw(>  or  three  <late  palms  were 
•^Ktwn.  They  were  planted  in  most  of  the  southern 
iiil.ssiuns  ni  liunor  of  St  Francis,  and  a»s  symbols  of 
the  li(»ly  land.  Tliey  had  some  cunmction  in  the 
j»ii(-<ts'  mind  with  Cliiist  ami  the  trinity,  and  wi're 
I'lanted  by  the  padres,  among  other  j)ur[>oses,  t:) 
>u|'|»ly  leaves  and  branches  for  I'alm  Sunday. 

lit/  1/ 


^-^ 


f 


CHAPTER  XII. 

F(H)I>,   KUKSS,  DWELLINGS,  ANI>  DOMESTIC  UOUTINK. 
Kttii  Iwiie  olut,  ((ui  bono  BOinper  nlot. —  Martutl. 

Fkw  |)ooplo  of  any  a»i^e  or  cliino  did  more  liviuLf  jur 
du'iii  than  tlic  imstonil  (,'alif'oniians.  N(»t  tluit  tiny 
ate  and  drank  exct^ssivrly,  or  sju'nt  large  sums  in  I'cs- 
tivitit's,  or  on  tho  wliolc  were  extravagant  in  tluir 
dress,  or  l)U''t  for  theniseJveK  palatial  n^sidences;  iu 
all  tiiese  things  tliey  wer.  «|iiite  tenl|^erat(^  for  one 
very  good  reason,  if  no  other — lack  of  o[H)ortuiiitv. 
As  lor  eating,  their  apjietite  was  healthy,  hut  tlu  n; 
were  tew  Trench  cooks  in  tin;  country,  and  condiuiciit.s 
and  groj-ei'ies  were  not  present  in  gnat  vaii.ty  nr 
refined  (piality.  They  could  make  strong  drink  in 
unlimited  quantity,  and  they  (umid  got  drunk  iipnn 
occasion.  Dress  tln'y  certaiidy  would  Ji.ivc  gone  iniirh 
f\n-th<.r  in,  if  they  luul  hiid  the  money,  and  it*  tli.  ic 
had  iieen  auvthiui;  at  hand  to  huv.  .\s  tor  hous(  s. 
the  climate  was  kind  and  umu  wer.'  la/y. 

And  so  they  lived.  (Opening  their  eyes  in  tlic 
morning  tlu^y  sjiw  the  sun;  they  hreathed  the  tit>li 
air.  and  listened  to  tlte  song  of  hij'ds;  mounting  tl.<  ir 
stei'ds  they  rod''  I'orth  in  the  i  ni<'vnient  of  henitlit.tf 
exercise;  thev  tended  their  tlocks,  held  int<i'c«»ui>i' 
with  each  other,  and  ran  up  a  faircnidit  with  htii\>ii. 
How  many  among  the  statesmcMi,  among  the  proti  — 
sioiial  and  Ims-iiness  men  an«l  artisans  v\'  our  prt  st  iit 
high  «'iviri/{itioas,  can  say  as  mu<'h  '  It  was  tin  ir 
husiness  to  Ww.,  to  do  nothing  hut  exist,;  and  tii«y 
did  it  well. 


FOOD,   SUPPLIES  AND  HAHITA'llONS. 


861 


Tt  was  with  difficultv,  (lurinij  tlicir  first  years  in 
r.ili  for  Ilia,  that  tlic  uroocl  padros — tortlio  early  jii'usts 
Avdt'  really  j^ood  iiu'ij — wisre  ahlo  to  secure  foiul  for 
tliemselves  and  their  dusky  IaMd)s.  Tliey  hieked  the 
|»i)/,ol<>  and  atole  which  had  proved  so  etticaeious  in 
(hawiii'j;  tlu;  natives  of  Lower  California  into  the 
Cliristian  fold.  Indeed,  down  to  tlu;  middle  of  March 
177.^  Father  Juni|H'ro  and  his  associates  could  oiler 
lli(ir  converts  nothin*^  hut  a  little  milk.  On  the 
otjuir  hand,  the  natives  had  furnished  nuich  in  the 
form  of  seed  and  fish.  Missionaries  and  soldiers  had 
to  (lepend  »)n  the  chase  for  meat.  This  was  owinyj  in 
a  ui'iat  measure  to  the  had  <|uality  and  careless  |)ackin;^ 
of  provisions  sent  from  San  ]^las. 

in  tlu^  hei^innin^LC  all  were  poor;  the  rich  as  a  rule 
(I'kI  not  ptMietrate  tlic  wilds  of  America;  so  that  in 
mattei's  of  dress,  food,  an<l  hahitation  there  was  little 
(liil'erence.  When  settlement  l»e*^an,  the  head  of  a 
family  was  his  own  architect  and  huilder.  (^»untry 
liouses  were  mostly  of  one  style,  in  tlu'  form  of  a 
|iaialleloo'ran>;  four  adohe  walls  were  j»ut  up,  though 
Sometimes  a  frame-work  of  timhers  was  erected,  the 
spaces  and  interstices  Iteino;  filled  with  ad(»l>es.  Some 
clitircli  walls  wei'e  made  in  this  wav.  But  o<nerallv 
tl.eiv  was  no  wood  aoout  tlu;  structure.  e\c»>pt  the 
(I'MW.  widow -franies,  and  roof-ttmhers.  The  simplest 
sty'i'  of  ail  adohe  house  is  a,  tenement  of  on«'  room. 
The  next  more  pretentious  had  a  cross  ]>artitioM  sepa- 
I'.itiii'j;  the  one  room  into  two.  Then  a  still  laroer 
liniise  would  contain  several  rooms,  or  additional 
rooms  Wove  added  to  the  oriijfinal  struetiiiv,  or  out- 
liiiu,es  Were  huilt,  ]^etter  cliiss  houses  had  a  portico 
<i:i  I'lie  or  Uotll  sldi'S.  Tiles  Were  the  orthodox  I'oof 
cuMriiv^',  hut  freipiently  tules  or  ro(Js  were  placed  on 
t'le  rafters,  over  them  a  coatino-  of  mud,  and  then 
sir.iw  ftrasphaltum.  lioofs  of  thatch  were  sometimes 
u^i  (I.  Tlie  old  manners  and  usaLCes  (»f  tlio  ('alifor- 
Miaiis  l»e;.^an  to  un<ieru;o  material  chaiiu'es  Mitii  the 
<'"iiiiii.f,  in  IB.'l-t,  of  <iuite  a  numerous  colony,  most  of 


n 


S62 


POOD,   DRESS,  A^^)  DWET.LIXns, 


1: 


h  -' 


B    *  f 


'1| 


\vliosc  iiicinlKrs  Were  fVoni  the  city  of  Mi'xieo.  ^Fam- 
bulics  at  oiu'i?  juloptcd  wide  dresses,  ('(Hiihs,  dressing 
tlieir  linir  lii<jrli,  silk  shawls,  slioes  of  silk  or  other  tiiH- 
niateri.-d.  Soiiu^jf  tlu-  luostproiniiieiit  aiiu)nij;  tlie  jii.  u 
a(h>pted  the  |)aiitalooiis  and  other  garments.  A  iiui- 
joritv  of  th«'  raueheros  left  oft'  the  slu>rt  hret'ches  f  .r 
tiie  calzonera  and  the  heeled  hoot  for  the  hota  de  ala. 
After  till' Americans  became  |»(»ssesse<l  of  tlie  e<>u!i- 
trv  another  chanuje  wjis  experienced,  which  still  .-nl>- 
sists.  J^ut  more  of  this  hereafter.  Domestic  routine 
from  tile  first  was  hascd  on  that  of  Spain  with  some 
nKKJilieations.  The  kitchens  in  some  liouses  had 
h<>r>nll(is  made  of  atlohes,  on  which  the  ]»ans  or  p^ts 
were  placed  to  stew  or  boih      In  other  i)arts  they  hail 


on 


Iv  st 


ones 


f.)r 


ovens. 


The  Spiuiish  missionaries,  as  a  rule,  after  the  mass 
l>i'<»ke  their  fa.st  with  chocojat*'  and  toast  or  some  snit 
of  hiseuit.  At  ahout  I  I  A.M.  they  would  take  a  iilass 
of  hr.indy.  with  a  piece  of  cake  and  clu'cse,  "paia 
]iae«r  hoca."  J)inner  at  noon  consisted  of  vermin  Hi. 
rice,  n)'  hread  souj);  next  i\iv  olla,  made  with  litef  m- 
mutton  and  !iam.  toj^ether  with  lejjjumes,  as  heans.  li n- 
tils,  Spa,nish  peas,  an<l  Ljreens.  The  dinner  einlnl 
with  tVesJi  or  dried  fruit,  swi-etnieats,  and  clieisr. 
Wine  was  takiMi  ad  lihitum.  Supper  was  ser\<(l  In  - 
tween  7  and  S,  and  consisted  «)f  a  roast  piiiton  «>r 
othei'  li;4ht  meat  ami  chtM-olate.  This  was  ahout  flif 
daily  fare.  WIk  ii  the  fathers  had  i^uests  at  tahjr.  as 
c<»mmission«"d  officers,  eccasionally  si-ri^rants.  iin  i- 
cliants,  or  other  res|tretahlt>  persons,  extra  dishes  w> n 
]>?'i>\  id<d.  No  charge  was  made  for  lodjjiiijj;  or  i.- 
fri'shments,  and  the  i^uests  were,  moreover,  fuinish.d 
with  jtrovisions  and  fresh  horses  to  contimie  tluir 
joui'ney,  'I'lTiH  |)ractice  afti'rward  hecame  *j;enei'at  at 
private  ranehos,  hospitality  being  only  limited  hy  tin 
means  <if  t!ie  host. 

The  usual  fare  in  well-to-do  families  was  as  follows: 

first,    the    ihsil)/ 


HIH> 


at    davhreal 


mi 


Ik 


mixe<l  w 


!i  a 


little  pinole  of  maizi",  fin»^l\'  sifted,  and  a  small  tpjaiitit} 


CAIJFORNIA  TABLE  FARE. 


363 


(if  su;j^ar;  aoino  liad,  iiistoad  of  milk,  rhomlati',  or 
ii<\\\'v  with  or  without  milk,  ami  Invad  or  bistuit  with 
liitttr:  lu'xt,  iK'twoeii  8  and  *J  a.  m.,  was  servoil  the 
<i,',iiiirrzo,  or  roiiular  hreaktast,  ooiisistlui'  of  trood  fresh 
In .  t'nr  vtal,  roasti^d,  (►r  otherwise  |)re|)are<l,  well  fried 
Im  iiiis.  and  a  eu|)  of  tea  or  coH'ee,  with  milk.  Some 
11-.  <i  hrcad  made  of  wheateii  flour,  others  a  kind  of 
liivad  nuidi'  of  maize,  of  a  circular  shape,  flattened  <)ut 
M  I y  thin,  haked  over  a  slow  lire  on  aflat,  earthen  j>an, 
an<l  which  was  known  as  tortilla  de  maiz,  todlstinii;uish 
it  tVoin  the  on*'  made  of  wheaten  flour  with  a  little  fat, 
wliiiii  was  called  tortilla  (K;  harina.  ])iimer  took 
|'!;i<  I'  at  nnon,  and  consistetl  of  i>'ood  hroth,  a  la  espa- 
111  la.  made  usually  of  heef  or  mutton,  and  to  thicken 
till  Kritth  rice,  jj;ail»anzos,  ijood  cahhajjje,  etc.,  were 
iM.iJ.d  with  it.  After  the  hroth  came  soups  a  la  I's- 
]>aiiula,  made  with  rice,  vermicelli,  tallarlnes,  macca- 
niii.  jnmteta,  or  small  dumplinj^s  of  wheaten  flour, 
111' ail.  oi"  tortilla  dt^  mai'z,  'i'he  next  course  was  the 
]'U.  hno,  which  usually  was  the  meat  and  vci^i-tahles 
iVoiii  which  the  hroth  had  hern  made,  with  sau<'i!  to 
stimulate  the  appetite.  'I  "lis  sau<'e  was  utiiei-ally 
(Miittctioued   in  summer  with  5.jrern  jieppns  and  ri'd 


tdiiatiMS.  nunced  onions,  ])arsley,  or  jjjailic  In  wm- 
tri  tlif  sauce  was  made  with  «hied  pcjipers.  Lastiv, 
til  n  w<re  fried  In'ans.  With  this  meal  the  t<trtilla 
«lr  iiiaiz  was  <4ciierally  eaten,  and  soiiietines  some 
(hilf-c  or  sweetmeat,  which  madti  a  <lriidv  »»f  water 
aj'ii  (•  it  (juite  palatable.  In  the  afternoon,  chiefly  in 
-.iiiiinifr,  a  cup  of  chd,  as  tea  was  calh'd  in  ('alifi»rnia, 
■  '1  ("tree,  was  taken,  by  the  womm  w  itji  milk,  and  by 
ilii  iiit'ii  with  a  small  i^lass  of  li(|Uor.  At  n*iL;ht  then' 
wa>  a  li;j;ht  supper  of  meat  layout,  ni*  roast,  linishiniL,^ 
witli  beans,  These  were  the  usual  meals  anionnj;  tlu' 
iniiiiipal  classes.  It  is  har<Ilv  necessarv  to  sav  that 
ti>li  ot  every  kind,  when-  it  could  be  luui,  was  fr«-- 
'lUi  iitlv  used,  esiieciallv  on  i''ri(la\s,  and  other  davs 
wli'ii  tlie  church  inhibited  the  us«>  of  llesh. 
'•u  this  fan-  the  iidiabitant.s,  for  the  mo.st  part,  suf- 


^i!+l 


h 


3&1 


FOOD,  DRRSS,  AND  DWELLINfiS. 


furod  from  few  diseases,  kei)t  robust,  stron<^,  ajjjilc,  and 
of  <^ood  color,  liad  a  numerous  proji^cny,  and  lived  to 
a  trood  old  age.  For  the  food  was  simple  and  wliolr. 
somo.  Then,  too,  the  Californlans  were  no  gourmands; 
a  sensitive  palate  was  too  trouMesomc.  The  Mexic.iii 
tortilla  remained  tlie  substitute  for  bread.  Stuid 
beans  were  a  favorite  dish  »)f  ricli  and  pt)or.  Mi  at, 
particularly  beef,  was  largely  consumed,  frtsh,  jerked. 
and  in  soups.  Nearly  all  dishes  were  highly  scasc  turd 
with  peppers  and  garlic.  Chicken  and  hard  givm 
cheese  were  connnon  enough,  but  milk,  thougli  in  a 
country  occupied  by  hundre<ls  of  thousiinds  of  cuttl. . 
was  not  plentiful.  Chocolate,  i»eing  high-priced,  was 
reserved  for  the  few.  Drunkenness,  in  the  early  tiiin  s, 
had  little  o])[)ortunity  for  indulgi'uce,  o"(ring  to  salu- 
tary regulations,  which  limited  the  sale  of  liquors  and 
ri'udered  tliem  costly.  Latrr,  thcTe  was  more  of  it. 
At'<'ording  to  Pio  Pico,  brandy  was  not  abundant  at 
th(^  northern  missions  in  IH-Jl,  and  when  anv  wassint 
thither  from  tlie  south,  it  was  as  the  smile  of  |ini\i- 
dence.  particuhirlv  tlie  bnmdv  of  San  Fernando,  tlitn 
preferred  to  any  native  article.  In  1841,  there  wa-; 
quite  a  stir  against  the  sale  of  spirituous  li(ju(>rs.  par 
ticularly  «Mi  liolidavs  and  Sundavs. 

Th(!  [)eople  at  large  livetl  almost  entirely  o.i  Im  i  f, 
reddish  beans,  and  tortillas.  They  used  but  liiil' 
Houi'.  Corn  tl ley  ate  in  the  form  of  tortillas,  llttf 
was  fre(|uently  <'ut  in  slices  or  strips,  and  roasted  he- 
fore  an  open  fii'e  on  an  iron  sjtit.  Peppi'rs  and  lie.nis, 
as  W(dl  as  th(!  corn,  were  raise<l,  and  tin;  pe[i[)ers  uriv 
used  to  season  ahnost  evervthiny;. 

l*ozol(!  was  a  stew  composed  of  maize,  pigs'  lit, 
pumpkin,  and  peppt^rs.  Pinole  was  Hour  of  masttd 
maize.  It  was  generally  taken  in  water,  witli  siiuar 
()!•  panocha  added.  Atole  was  a  thick  gruel  of  inai/.o 
Hour;  an  atole  <le  pinole,  a  gruel  of  pinole.  PainMlia, 
so  ealle«l  in  flitt'erent  parts  of  S|)anish  America,  i  liin- 
cate  in  Mexico,  j-hancaca  in  Peru,  panela  in  Cojonii'a. 
was  the  coarsest  of  brown  sugar  in  small  cakes,  mou!.!'  <.l 


MORE  ON  CALIFORNIA  F«X>D. 


3G5 


I),   tlirll 

'I'l'  wa^ 

).\    lirrt, 

t  littl' 

liraiis, 
TS  Wt'W 

li  simai' 
r  iiiai/f 
aiinriia, 
a.  cliiii- 
doiiil'ii'. 


in  \V(»<)(lon  moulds,  witliout  any  pretcnco  of  cliinfica- 


ti'iii. 

Am  larly  breakfast  ainon«jf  tlio  hctter  class  iniu;lit 
111'  of  <u»u\  rliocolatc  of  Spain,  niadt,'  with  milk  or 
watr.  and  taken  with  hrwul,  tortilla  of  wheat  or 
iii.ii/i'.  with  butter  (inantctjuilla).  Th«*  jioon-r  elass 
l.ival; fasted  still  carlirr,  taking,'  milk  with  |)iM<»l('.  es- 
(|uiti'.  or  roast('<l  maize  (tostado).  Others  ate  frljohs, 
Di'  tiit'il  meat, often  cooked  with  chile,  onions,  tomatoes, 
ami  frijoles — a  solid  meal  taken  by  those  who  would 
imt  cat  a^aln  until  four  or  fivt;  in  the  afternoon.  ]n 
Kilt,  the  first  meal  was  iiot  taken  till  1*2  o'clock,  and 
till-  second  at  8  v.  m.  These  two  nieals  of  noon  and 
iii'ilit  j^enerally  consisted  offish,  abalone,  ijjood  <-olache, 
iiiade  of  minced  (jMcado)  s<)uash  cook«'d,  (jUehtes  (field 
plant)  cooked,  and  mixed  with  some  fnjolcs.  Tiiere 
\va<  no  coffee  or  tea.     CoH'ee  was  not  iLjenerally  known 


(  allf 


ornia  for  manv  veai 


s  after  the  settlement  of 


tin-  country. 

Lrchatoli  was  a  dish  of  wheat  with  milk  and  pano- 
clia,  oi'  sijuash  with  milk  and  panocha  or  suj^ar.  Then 
tlnre  was  roMsted  asadera,  or  curded  milk  formed  like 
MUiid  tortillas,  but  thicker,  cheese,  imtter-cakes,  and 
tu  aiaijas,  or  curd.  In  lent,  the  supper  was  of  colache, 
i|Ui  lite,  and  beans,  with  maiz(!  tortllhis.  The  women 
al>u  iiwule  a  thick  tortilla  of  maize  called  niscoyote,  in 
\v!,ir|,  fat  was  an  iuLjredient  in  a  small  (luantitv,  to- 
ii'tiK  r  with  suj^ar,  panocha.  or  honey  to  sweeten  it. 
Tli'tt   was  a  wav  of  makin'j"  the  common  toitilla  last 


iiiaii\-  iiion 


thsl 


»y  mixin<j;  in  yucca,  and  drvin;^  in  ovens. 
Tlin-  prepared,  they  were  called  t<»topo,  and  furnished 


ti>  ( aiiipaijjjnniL;  .soldiers. 


Hi 


unuelos  were  roUlK 


1  cal 


\eS 


a'le  of  white  corn-nie.al  ecnerally.  and  frieil  in  lard 
after  tlu!  manner  of  dou;j,linuts.  Women  sent  them 
tn  tlidr  friends  at  CI iristmastide,  and  often,  for  a  joke, 
wniild  fill  them  with  C(»tton  wool.  ]3unuelos  were 
iiiucli  appreciated  at  that  sea.son.  ,       ^ 

I'Acept  in  .s(»me  of  the  best  fninilies.  they  never  set 
a  tal»le,  but  would  \x^>  into  the  kitchen,  have  the  t'ood 


nrtrt 


FOOT),  IHtKss.  A\D  mVKLUXns. 


I  • 


takt'ii  from  tlie  kc^ttlcs,  and  |iassr<l  rouiul  in  jilaris. 
Some  liad  no  |)lat»'s;  most  |)('(»|»1<'  used  <'lay  dislus 
(cajctcs)  <if  the  winu'  form  as  roiiimoii  plates.  Kiiivo, 
forks,  and  spoons  of  our  <lay  woro  Hcldom  scon.  I.iit 
tlu-rc  wrn-  lioifi  H|>oMiisand  forks;  or  tlicy  would  tak  • 
up  tlic  meat  and  Ixans  witli  a  piiro  of  tortilla,  and  <  at 
it  all  tojLjctlu'r.  The  knives  used  vverc^  tlioso  fmplt»\ nj 
for  any  purpose.     Town  and  country  life  were  aliki . 

Clreen  c«>rn,  helotes,  was  a  favorite  dish  with  tl,.' 
white  men,  accordiniLf  to  Alvarado.  Th'^  Indians  did 
not  like  It,  or  thouj^ht  it  sat  heavy  on  the  stoniut  li. 
It  was  eaten  roasted,  iiaked,  or  l)<»iled.  It  was  ot"i<  n 
an  ingredient  of  the  sancocho,  a  dish  of  nutats,  putu- 
to(>s,  and  other  vcjjjetahh'H,  l)oiled  tojjfcthcr,  and  s(  a- 
sonod.  The  result,  hcsides  Hancooho,  was  the  oUa  \un\i\. 
da;  in  fact,  the  lattt'r  was  prohahly  the  earlier  naii.(  '\\\ 
(^dlfornia,  I »ut  the  other  was  introduced  from  Souili 
America  hy  l^andini,  Malarin,  Hartnell,  and  Fit(  li. 
P«»tatoes  were  unknown  until  introduce<l  from  On  ^dn. 

The  hoard  furnished  a  farm  lian<l  at  the  missjeiis 
included  neither  li«jUor,  oott'ce,  nor  tea,  even  aft.  r 
these  drinks  hecamc  common  amontj^  the  hetter  cl;i>s. 
Katlons  were  {^iven  him  weekly,  and  consisted  of  as 
nuich  as  he  coulil  consume  of  heef,  lard,  mai/e,  htaiis. 
and  lentils.  Other  thinjjfs,  such  as  pumpkins,  onioiis, 
ami  chiles,  the  lahorer  raised  on  land  which  he  was 
allowc<l  to  make  U8(?  of. 

At  the  jn'oper  si'ason  the  neophytes  were  permittid 
to  ixo  out  to  the  forest  and  i^ather  nuts,  seeds,  ami 
fruits,  to  which  they  were  accu.stomed,  and  of  wliii  h 
they  were  very  fond.  This  store,  with  the  re^ul.ir 
food  of  tin;  missi»>n  crops,  made  a  <j;reat  ahundam  i . 
After  cattle  hecame  plenty,  they  were  kiHed  cm  ly 
Satunlay,  and  enoujjfh  meat  was  oiveii  to  each  Indian 
for  eljjjht  clays. 

In  Spanish  America,  the  mikln<;  of  a  cow — \vl  i  r- 
cver  it  happe!ietl  tlu-re  was  a  cow  to  hv  milked     iiii 
erally  re«|uired  the    united  «>rtorts  of  three   peix'iis. 
One  held  the  cow  by  the  head;  a  second  held  tlio 


MORE  ON  TABLE  DEUCACIES. 


307 


ri>fita  ronfiniii*]f  hor  hind  loj^s,  and  battled  with  the 
liuii.;ry  calf,  while  tlu'  third  milked  with  our  lunul, 
li(tl(lint(  tlu"  ror(|»taok'  for  it  in  the  otlur.  Milk  [nuU 
Will'  unknown,  and  tho  ranclu/s  assortnuMit  of  cnM  k- 
(fv  was  small,  ho  that,  if  scvoral  cowh  wvw  nrilUcd, 
all  the  tuniblc's,  tea-cupH,  and  h<»wls  wvw  l)nm<^ht 
into  iiMjuisition,  Ateanwliilo  tho  ranchero,  his  wife 
fuul  childri'ii,  the  unoerujued  servants,  and  the  stranger 
within  tho  jjjates,  assisted  as  speetators.  IMilk  was 
sold  hy  the  hottle.  One  of  the  missionaries  of  San 
Kianeiseo  ottered,  in  1815,  to  supply  Kotzi-hue's  sliip 
with  fresh  stores  daily,  including  two  hotth'S  of  milk, 
iHiastiiii;  that  he  was  the  oidv  man  ahout  all  San 
Fiaiieisc(»  hay  who,  after  many  <lifticulties,  had  suc- 
ceeded in  ohtainini;  milk  from  cows. 

Markott'  speaks  of  a  supper  he  partook  of  at  Santa 
Clara  in  1835.  "The  ti'a-kettle  was  hrou'^Mit  in,  and 
v.ith  it  the  8Ui)per.  The  S|)aniards  had  heeii  sittin*^ 
with  their  hats  (»n  durinj.j  the  conversation,  and  when 
tliey  seated  themselves  at  tlu;  table  they  did  not  <lotf 
tliein.  Don  Jose's  family  sat  at  <)ne  table,  wliieli  was 
set  with  various  dishes.  The  first  tourse  consisted  of 
liaslied  meat;  ami  followiniT  his  oxannile,  wi'  also  fell 
in  with  (»ur  spoons  over  the  dish  in  the  centre  of  the 
t.iltli".  In  this  mess  there  was  so  nmch  pepptr  that 
my  mouth  was  burninij;  aftiT  eatinj^  two  small  pieces, 
wliile  tlie  Spaniards  were  attackint>f  it  with  the  u;reat- 
ist  <jfusto.  .  .The  ban<jui't  was  concluded  with  baked 
;i|i|iles  and  |)lenty  of  ti-a.  After  supper  all  hands 
suK.ked."  ])uhaut-Cillv,  hi  IS.V,  said  that  Califor- 
iiiaiis  dl«l  not  consider  vi'iiisoii  fit  to  eat.  lli'jar  as- 
sures us  that  the  cow  was  killed  to  obtain  tlie  calf, 
which  was  held  to  he  a  succulent  morsel,  and  that 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  C()W  was  eaten,  the  rest 
luiiiir  l(>ft  to  Indians  or  beasts.  I  jiave  it  on  good 
iiii'lioiitv  that  amon<'  the  Ilisitano-Callfoi-riiaMS  wen; 
hi  iii.;s  in  the  form  of  men  who  did  not  scruple,  M'hen 
"II  a  journey,  to  lasso  a  vaquilla,  cut  out  the  frazada, 
and  let  her  loose  again.     This  frazada,  or  fiesada  as 


U^i 


M*l#''' 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


% 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


^^  m 


M 

20 

U    IIIIII.6 


—    6' 


V] 


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.%' 


7 


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^'%:^ 


7 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBtTER.N.Y.  M580 

(716)  872-4503 


.^ 


^ 


368 


POOD,  DRESS,   AND  DWELLINGS. 


the  illiterate  called  it,  was  the  meat  covering  the  ribs. 
Hispaiio-Califijrnians  never  took  kindly  to  bear's  meat, 
pork,  or  even  mutton.  They  liked  beef,  and  woro 
particutarly  found  of  veal,  to  obtain  which  tlicy 
killed  tlie  female  calf  of  six  months  to  a  year.  But 
their  favorite  morsel  was  the  frazada,  which  tluy 
would,  when  in  the  field,  throw  upon  the  hot  coals, 
and  turning  it  once  or  twice,  would  eat  it  half  raw 
with  a  little  salt,  of  which  article  they  always  liad 
S(Hne  with  them.  Arnaz  says  that  he  tasted  the 
frazadas  several  times,  and  his  palate  never  appre- 
ciated tlieir  vaunted  merits,  as  it  always  found  them 
tasteless,  and  tough  as  sole  leather. 

Some  of  them  were  good  cooks.  Arnaz  even 
assured  us  that  they  could  have  compared  with  tliose 
served  at  the  celebrated  bodas  de  Camacho  so  elo- 
quently described  by  Cervantes  in  his  Don  Quixote. 

But  the  aboriginal  Californian  always  liked  beef, 
horse-flesh  better,  and  donkey's  meat  still  more. 
Poor  jack,  so  despised  elsewhere,  except  when  needed 
for  hard,  unrequited  work,  or  to  breed  a  hybrid,  was 
here  higlily  appreciated  by  tlie  native  American  for 
his  meat.  Inocente  Garcia  relates  the  following  in- 
cident. About  1836  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Alvarado  administrator  of  San  Miguel  mission.  Be- 
fore taking  possession  of  his  trust  he  ascertained  that 
the  neophytes  were  in  the  habit  of  going  out,  way- 
lavinijc  travellers  to  rob  them,  and  stealinij  horses  to 
eat  them,  not  even  those  of  the  mission  escaping  tliiir 
depredations.  He  saw  the  necessity  of  checking,' 
these  abuses,  and  afterward  corrected  them.  One 
day,  sitting  on  a  bench  in  the  portico  of  the  minister's 
house,  two  gentiles  from  the  Tulare  region  came  to 
see  him;  they  spoke  in  a  dialect  which  he  pretended 
not  to  understand,  and  he  called  for  an  interpreter, 
through  whom  they  asked  for  food.  He  gave  tliiiii 
some  bread.  The  interpreter  went  away,  but  the 
gentiles  staj^cd.  At  this  moment  a  vaqucro  passed 
by  mounted  on  a   fine   horse.     One  of  the  gentllesj 


HORSE  AND  MULE  MEAT. 


tm 


then  remarked,  **see  how  fine  and  fleshy  that  horse 
is,  SI)  good  to  eat;"  to  which  the  other  feUow  an- 
swtiod,  *'Yes,  very  good  indeed;  but  it  could  not 
possibly  be  so  good  and  so  sweet  as  the  youni];  donkey 
which  was  sold  us  last  ni^lit  by  the  alcalde,  Juan,  and 
we  ate  up  at  the  teniascal."  Garcia  understood  them 
W(ll,  an«l  had  the  teniascal  searched  for  the  bones  (;f 
vouih^jack.  The  Indian's  words  proved  true.  This 
was  but  one  instance,  among  many,  of  Indian  predi- 
lection for  asses'  meat. 

Scnora  Paz  Espfnola  used  to  do  washing,  and  besides 
kci)t  a  wooden  bench  in  front  of  her  house  where  she 
sold  fried  fish.  For  half  a  real,  an  Indian  or  a  laborer 
could  buy  two  or  three  tortillas  and  fried  fish  enough 
to  apjicase  hunger  for  twelve  hours.  On  feast  days, 
said  sefiora  used  to  move  her  establishment  to  the 
church  door,  and  sell  meat  pies,  well  seasoned  with 
chile.  For  a  real  she  gave  two  of  the  empanadas  and 
a  glass  of  apple  cider. 

There  was  a  somewhat  puerile  attempt  at  bread 
laws  by  the  Monterey  ayuntamiento  in  1835.  The 
siiidico  asked  for  instructions  as  to  the  weight  and 
quality  of  bread.  It  was  agreed  that  no  rules  could 
be  made  as  to  the  weight,  except  that  persons  should 
l)e  obliged  to  sell  the  weight  they  declared  to  deliver; 
and  when  the  quality  was  bad,  they  should  lose  the 
amount  of  their  baking.  If  not  of  bad  quality,  but  fell 
short  in  weight,  the  bread  should  be  disposed  of  among 
the  prisoners. 

"The  Californians,"  says  one,  "are  celebrated  for 
the  luaimfacture  of  sugared  pastry ;  amongst  these  are 
azuearillos,  a  kind  of  white  biscuit  formed  from  crys- 
tallized sugar.  It  is  melted  in  iced  water,  and  forms 
a  delightful  drink,  being  sweet,  with  a  delicate,  aro- 
matie  flavor. " 

Tliiy  were  a  great  people  to  make  visits  to  their 
friends  and  relatives,  the  whole  family  going,  and  stay- 
iiiif  a  week  or  a  month.  Of  these  visitors,  sometimes 
fifty  of  them  would  light  upon  a  place  together,  when 


C'AL.  I'AST.      24 


370 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


the  tortilla-makers  would  get  no  rest  day  or  niglit. 
Of  a  bullock  butchered  one  morning,  there  would  not 
bo  enough  left  for  breakfast  next  morning. 

For  a  long  time  there  was  a  prejudice  against  pork, 
the  people  refusing  even  to  use  lard  in  their  cookinij, 
confining  themselves  to  beef  fat.  Pigs  were  only  fit 
to  make  soap  of,  they  thought.  Neither  did  tlioy 
care  to  eat  bear,  or  sheep  flesh ;  beef  alone  suited  thcin, 
especially  vaquillas  six  or  twelve  months  old;  and  tiny 
relished  roasted  meat  the  best.  When  a  beef  was 
slaughtered,  the  ribs  were  quickly  bared  of  the  hide, 
and  ihefrazada — the  meat  on  the  ribs — cut  out.  Tills 
was  thrown  on  the  coals  with  a  sprinkling  of  salt,  and 
when  half  cooked  was  eaten  with  relish.  "1  never 
cared  for  it,"  says  Arnaz;  "it  had  no  taste,  and  seemed 
like  leather."  Roast  meat  and  milk  was  the  usual 
food  of  rancheros,  with  cheese,  asaderas,  frijoles,  and 
tortillas.  But  at  feasts  they  could  prepare  many  lirh 
dishes.  Women  did  not  eat  with  the  men.  Poor 
people  had  no  tables ;  they  sat  on  the  ground  and  ate 
with  their  fingers. 

All  mankind  will  have  their  alcohol  and  opium  in 
some  form.  The  California  aboriginals  had  a  drink, 
the  pispibata,  which  the  padres  would  not  allow  tin  in 
to  use,  so  strong  was  it,  and  so  deleterious.  It  was 
made  of  powdered  calcined  shells,  wild  tobacco  juice, 
and  islais,  or  wild  cherries,  powdered,  shaken,  and 
ground,  water  being  added,  until  it  assumed  a  consis' 
tency  almost  solid.  Sometimes  maize,  or  fruit  of  easy 
fermentation,  was  used.  The  pispibata  was  a  power- 
ful decoction,  equal  to  a  mixtureof  rum,  tobacco  jnice, 
and  opium — if  one  can  imagine  what  that  would  I)e. 
The  horrible  mixture  prepared,  the  savages  would  stat 
themselves  round  it,  in  the  hot  sun,  and  dipping  the 
forefinger  into  the  mass  they  would  touch  it  to  their 
tongue  and  give  a  smack  of  satisfaction.  This  done 
two  or  three  times,  the  participant  fell  back  dead 
drunk,  or  dead  indeed  if  a  little  too  much  should  be 


IXTOXICATmCr  DRINK. 


S71 


ght. 
not 


)()rk, 

ly  lit 
they 
,ht'in, 

f  was 
hide, 
This 
t,  and 
never 
eeiucd 
usual 
;s,  and 
ly  rich 
Poor 
ind  ate 


talvon.  It  is  said  that  during  the  lethargy,  the  moder- 
ate participant  seemed  to  reaHze  his  most  ardent  hopes 
indulged  in  while  awake,  and  that  though  the  body 
was  paralyzed,  the  soul  entered  the  realms  of  superla- 
tive happiness. 

In  1834  Gallardo  and  Arzaga  of  Sonora  petitioned 
+lic  jofe  for  permission  to  erect  a  brandy  distillery  near 
San  Felipe,  and  to  have  the  ten  dollars  municipal  tax 
removed.  This  was  in  June.  Before  the  year  had 
(_  xi)irod,  Gamboa  y  Caballero  was  granted  permission 
i)y  Figueroa  to  make  mescal  brandy  for  one  year 
between  Monterey  and  San  Luis  Obispo,  but  he  must 
pay  the  municipal  dues, 

^lost  of  the  missions  manufactured  aguardiente 
from  grapes,  apples,  and  pears.  The  brandy  of  San 
Fernando  acquired  great  reputation  in  California. 
Graham  had  a  still  on  the  Vergeles  rancho,  and  used 
wheat  and  maize.  A  bottle  of  Catalan  brandy  used  to 
cost  twelve  reales,  or  an  ox-hide.  Gamboa  used  to  fill 
an  empty  brandy-keg  witii  water,  expose  it  to  the  sun 
for  half  a  day,  then  put  in  burnt  sugar  and  ground 
chile.  This  he  would  sell  to  the  savages  as  brandy; 
and  when  they  complained  that  there  was  no  happiness 
in  it,  he  would  say  that  he  had  kept  it  so  long  it  had 
lost  its  strength.  An  alcoholic  liquor  was  obtained 
from  the  baked  torogUi  root,  which  was  crushed,  left 
in  earthen  pots  to  ferment,  and  then  heated  for  dis- 
tillation. 

At  San  Josd  good  wine  and  brandy  were  made  long 
before  the  days  of  the  amorous  Naglee.  Padre  Duran 
was  skilled  in  this  pious  industry.  His  aguanliente 
was  as  clear  as  crystal,  or  when  treated  with  burnt 
sugar  became  of  a  clear  yellow.  It  was  doubly  dis- 
tilled, and  as  strong  as  the  reverend  father's  faith. 

The  wine  of  pastoral  days  was  made  after  this  man- 
ner: Suitable  ground  was  selected,  and  a  desvan  or 
jilatform  placed  thereon.  This  was  covered  with  clean 
hides,  and  the  grapes  piled  upon  it.  Some  well- 
washed   Indians,  having  on  only  a  zapeta,  the  hair 


372 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


carefully  tied  up  and  hand  covered  with  cloth  whert'- 
with  to  wipe  away  the  perspiration,  each  havin^^  a 
stick  to  steady  himself  withal,  were  put  to  treading  out 
the  grape  juice,  which  was  caught  in  coras,  or  in  leatli- 
ern  bags.  These  were  emptied  into  a  large  wooden  tul^, 
where  the  liquid  was  kept  two  or  three  months,  und(  r 
cover  of  tlie  grape-skins,  to  ferment.  Such  as  did  not 
flow  ofl'  was  put  into  wooden  presses,  and  the  juicii 
into  copper  jars,  and  covered  with  a  kind  of  hat. 
Through  two  or  three  hiserted  tubes  heat  was  con- 
veyed to  the  mass  to  aid  evaporation  and  conderihsa- 
tion  These  jars  served  as  a  still  for  brandy.  For 
white  wine  the  first  juice  only  was  taken  and  stored. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1840,  the  assembly  passed  to 
the  committee  the  proposition  of  Gonzalez  to  prohibit 
brandy  distilling  from  wheat,  maize,  and  barley,  a> 
prejudicial  to  health;  and  the  introduction  thereof  from 
abroad,  for  this  was  prejudicial  to  the  agriculturists. 
The  prohibition  of  wheat,  maize,  and  barley  biandy 
was  approved. 

In  1843  there  were  at  Santa  Barbara  two  good 
stills,  and  two  that  were  valueless;  San  Buenaventuia 
had  four,  two  being  useless,  with  eleven  barrels  of 
brandy  in  store;  San  Antonio  had  a  still  worth  $1U0 
in  1845,  and  two  wine-presses  with  some  jara,  barrels, 
and  tools,  worth  in  all  $200. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1845,  the  prefect  writes 
from  Monterey  to  the  secretary  of  government  of  the 
harm  done  by  making  aguardiente  from  grain,  as  well 
as  the  abuses  and  public  scandal  caused  by  its  cheaj)- 
ness,  and  the  evil  efl'ects  to  the  public  health  by  its 
use ;  he  thinks  the  prefecture  should  not  grant  licenses 
for  its  manufacture.  Two  years  before  this,  the  Mon- 
terey prefect  had  ordered  the  sub-prefect  at  San  Jose 
not  to  allow  the  making  of  liquor  from  molasses  and 
grains,  with  an  *6rden  superior.' 

Drunkenness  was  not  common,  says  Arnaz;  the  men 
usually  took  a  mouthful  or  so  of  brandy,  but  few 
drunken  men  were  seen,  although  liquor  was  common 


PASSION  FOR  ADORNMENT. 


373 


and  cheap.  Most  took  wine  for  dinner  at  Angeles, 
whore  it  was  made ;  elsewhere  water  was  used.  Drink- 
in^'  was  more  prevalent  in  the  north,  thou^^h  not  ex- 
cessive there. 


as 


good 
ntura 

tch  of 

$U)0 

irrcls, 

irrltes 
)f  t\ie 
Is  well 
b\ica\>- 
[by  its 
reuses 
;Mou- 
h  Jose 
iS  and 

Ic  men 
It  few 
liuuiou 


On  this  outskirt  of  civilization,  not  to  say  creation, 
we  find  humanity  just  as  insane  over  the  subject  of 
(hoss  and  ornamentation  of  person  as  in  Paris  or  8t 
}^^tcrsburgh,  and  the  men  were  as  silly  as  the  women. 
There  was  a  great  variety  of  attire  present,  more  among 
tlie  men  than  among  the  women ;  and  to  give  what 
everybody  says  upon  the  subject  may  have  the  a])pear- 
anee  of  repetition;  but  in  this  way  only  can  this  va- 
riety be  intelligently  placed  before  the  reader.  I 
arrange  my  notes  on  this  subject  chronologically,  to 
give  the  sketch  the  greater  historical  value.  If  there 
are  apparent  contradictions  herein,  they  must  be 
charged  to  my  authorities,  who  wrote  at  different  times, 
and  under  various  circumstances.  It  is  onh'  in  listen- 
ing to  them  all,  however,  that  we  can  learn  all. 

This  nmch  may  be  said  by  way  of  preface,  that 
the  ordinary  orthodox  dress  of  the  Californian  was 
a  hroad-brimmed  hat  of  dark  color,  gilt  or  figured 
liand  round  the  crown,  lined  under  the  rim  with  silk; 
sliort  silk  or  figured  calico  jacket;  open-necked  shirt; 
rif'li  waiscoat,  if  any;  pantaloons  open  at  sides  below 
the  knee,  gilt  laced,  usually  of  velveteen  or  broadcloth  ; 
or  sliort  breeches  and  white  stockings ;  deer-.skin  sIkjcs, 
dark  brown,  and  much  ornamented;  a  red  sash  round 
the  waist,  and  poncho  or  scrape.  The  latter  was  al- 
>vays  a  mark  of  the  rank  or  wealth  of  the  owner,  and 
was  of  black  or  dark  blue  broadcloth,  with  velvet  trim- 
mings down  to  the  coarse  blanket  poncho  of  various 
colors. 

Women  wore  gowns  of  silks,  crape,  calicoes,  etc., 
witli  short  sleeves,  and  loose  waist  without  corset; 
slicH^s  of  kid  or  satin,  sashes  or  belts  of  brig'nt  colors; 
and  almost  always  necklace  and  ear-rings.  They  had 
no  bonnets,  the  hair  hanging  loose  or  in  long  braids. 


374 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


IP  I 
lllll 


Married  women  did  it  up  on  a  high  comb.  Over  tlie 
head  a  large  mantle  was  thrown,  drawn  close  round 
the  face  while  out  of  doors.  In  the  house  they  cairicil 
a  small  scarf  or  neckerchief,  and  on  top  of  the  head  a 
band  with  star  or  ornament  in  front.  This  accord! iitr 
to  Dana  in  1835. 

The  men  of  1780,  says  Amador,  soldiers  and  civil- 
ians alike,  used  knee-breeches  of  cloth  or  velveteen— 
pana;  it  had  a  flap,  called  a  tapabalazo,  sometinus 
narrow,  sometimes  wide,  and  the  band  at  the  knee  was 
fastened  by  a  buckle  of  silver  or  other  metah  Tlio 
stocking  was  of  wool  or  silk.  The  jacket  was  short. 
The  military  jacket  was  also  short;  the  little  standing 
collar — collarin — facings — vueltas — ^and  braidings  or 
other  adornments — fravjas — were  red,  as  was  the  waist- 
coat of  cloth.  The  stock,  or  corbatin,  was  black  and 
well  adjusted,  so  that  the  chin  remained  up. 

When  the  soldier  went  on  service  he  put  on  liis 
cttera.  This  was  made  of  seven  thicknesses  of  ante- 
lope hide,  called  gamiiza.  It  was  a  sort  of  waistcoat, 
made  in  three  pieces,  and  was  fastened  under  the  arms 
with  thongs  of  the  same  material.  It  fell  to  the  kmc, 
and  served  as  a  protection  against  arrows.  He  carriod 
also  an  oval  adarga,  or  shield,  of  ox-hide  doubled ;  on 
the  inside  it  had  a  loop  for  the  arm. 

The  hota,  or  legging,  was  shaped  like  a  stocking-leg, 
reached  from  the  ankle  to  just  below  the  knee,  where 
it  was  confined  by  a  garter  of  silk  or  thread,  according 
to  the  taste  or  means  of  the  wearer.  The  shoe  of  her- 
riichi — a  term  probably  applied  to  the  shape  or  make 
of  the  shoe — came  to  above  the  ankle,  and  outside  of 
the  bota,  being  fastened  on  the  outside.  The  hat  was 
of  wool,  low  in  the  crown,  broad  in  the  brim,  antl  fas- 
tened by  means  of  a  cord  passing  under  the  chin  and 
called  a  harbiquejo.  The  dress  of  *he  officer  was 
the  same  as  that  of  the  enlisted  man,  except  that  the 
materials  were  finer.  It  bore  devices  indicative  of  tlie 
wearer's  rank.  The  officer  in  full  dress,  in  1780,  wore 
a  throe-cornered  hat ;  and  for  ordinary  service  one  like 


WOMEN  OP  QUALITY. 


375 


that  of  the  soldier.  The  officer  wore  a  sword  four  or 
five  Flemish  spans,  cuartas  tlamencas,  in  length,  and 
having  a  steel  scabbard,  which  he  used  as  a  cane.  On 
a  campaign  he  carried  also  a  lance,  a  poignard,  pistols, 
and  a  carbine.  The  soldiers  carried  the  same  offens- 
ive arms  as  the  officer  on  a  campaign. 

Ill  my  collection  of  state  })apers  relative  to  early 
( 'alit'ornia  is  a  list  of  two  and  a  half  pages,  giving  the 
uootis  and  various  supplies  required  for  the  annual 
consumption  of  San  Josd  and  Los  Angeles  in  1790. 
It  comprises  varieties  of  silk,  woollen,  and  cotton 
goods,  thread,  needles,  and  scissors.  Among  the 
articles  of  dross  are  six  dozen  scarlet  silk  stockings  for 
women;  the  prevailing  colors  of  other  goods  are  scar- 
let and  blue.  Various  implements  of  agriculture  are 
named ;  also  a  considerable  supply  of  carpenters'  tools. 

A  woman  of  quality,  of  this  period,  when  she  paid 
or  received  visits,  or  on  festive  occasions,  would  appear 
ill  a  white  skirt  with  an  embroidered  hem  of  four 
fingers  in  width ;  over  this  another  of  a  silky  stuff  called 
8(1  n/a,  and  blue,  green,  or  black  in  color;  a  low  shoe 
with  a  buckle  of  silver  or  othe*'  metal,  the  heel  being 
of  moderate  height;  silken  stockings,  black  or  red;  a 
Tchozo  of  silk  or  thread;  a  necklace  of  pearls — or  rather 
an  imitation  of  them.  In  the  house,  occupied  in 
<loiiiestic  duties,  she  wore  a  white  skirt  of  a  coarse 
linen  fabric  called  crea,  and  over  it  a  colored  skirt  of  an 
inferior  kind  of  sarga  of  color.  The  poor  woman 
(hessed  in  tlie  same  way  as  the  rich,  except  that  her 
i^kirt  was  of  a  very  coarse  bay  eta,  or  flannel,  a  coarse 
Woollen  stuff,  generally  red  or  blue. 

In  the  San  Jose  archives  is  written  that  in  1804,  nt 
Monterey,  Comandante  de  la  Guerra,  with  great  pain, 
had  noticed  that  the  uniform,  by  which  the  grace  of  so 
nuuiy  monarchs  had  desired  to  distinguish  that  portion 
of  their  loval  vassals  who  serve  under  their  banners, 
had  in  this  jurisdiction  become  not  only  despicable,  but 
evt'ii  ridiculous,  on  account  of  the  number  of  paisanaje, 
or  civilians,  who  had  shamelessly  adopted  the  same, 


S76 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


() 


without  any  privilege  otlier  tliaii  their  own  fanoy.  Ti 
correct  this  abuse,  lie  prohibited  thenceforth  to  civil- 
ians of  any  class  the  wearinj^  of  any  hisioiiia  or  adoiii- 
ment  of  those  used  by  the  troops — especially  tlie 
cuffs,  coUarin,  or  edging  of  the  collar,  and  the  soltipa 
or  lapels  of  a  red  color,  which  said  civilians  have  heir- 
toforc  notably  affected.  Any  one  who  hereafter  might 
be  ssen  with  any  of  these  ap[)endages  sliould  have 
them  taken  away,  and  should  suffer  eight  days'  arnst 
in  the  calabozo.  A  repetition  of  the  offence  would  he 
punished  according  to  the  condition  and  circumstances 
of  the  offender.  All  which  was  published  by  bando, 
and  corporals  of  escoltas  were  charged  with  carrying 
out  the  order. 

In  18 1 G  Amador  says:  "  I  came  to  wear  trouseis 
made  of  deer-skin,  which,  well  made  and  having  a  sil- 
ver braid  down  the  side,  were  worth  §12."  This  was 
during  the  scarcity. 

The  dress  of  the  women  at  Governor  Sola's  inaugu- 
ration ball  in  181G  was  the  same  style  as  had  been 
used  by  the  first  families  nearly  half  a  century  before; — 
an  enagua  of  fine  white  muslin,  almost  transparent, 
coming  down  half-way  from  knee  to  foot,  ornamented 
with  spangles  of  gold  and  fioreado,  all  round,  ])resenting 
a  very  striking  appearance  in  the  light  of  lamps,  torches, 
and  candles. 

Hair  in  front  was  cut  short  and  came  down  to  the 
middle  of  the  forehead;  this  front,  or  as  a  modein 
girl  would  say,  bpng,  was  then  called  the  tupe.  A 
lock  on  each  side,  called  balcarras,  hung  down  to  the 
cheek;  the  rest  of  the  hair  was  gathered  up  behind  in 
black  or  colored  silk  net.  A  close-fitting  jacket  of  silk 
joined  the  enagua  at  the  waist,  and  was  buttoned  <»r 
hooked  up  to  the  neck.  Flesh-colored  silk  stockings, 
low  shoes  of  white  satin,  pendants  and  dormilonas, 
very  long  ear-drops,  and  strings  of  Lower  Californita 
pearls  round  the  neck,  were  worn;  also  a  wide  scarlet 
ribbon  round  the  waist,  whose  ends  fell  to  the  bottom 
of  the  skirt,  witli  a  gold  plate  five  or  six  inches  wiile 


rURIXO   SOLA'S  UULR. 


m 


torniinatiiiuf  oadi  fiid.  Tlioro  was  also  a  n-liozo  of 
>.:lk  <»t"  (litK'ifiit  colors.  Stri'ct  shoes,  or  zapatos  do 
jiiitillo,  had  high  hcols  made  of  light  wood.  This  dress 
Mcms  to  have  been  (liHVrout  t'roni  that  worn  in  Mex- 
ico; for  (Governor  Sola  is  said  to  have  regarded  it  as 
a  novelty;  and  he  was  much  gratified  to  find  here  re- 
\\\rd  the  costume  of  ancient  Castilian  women,  which 
iccalK-d  the  scenes  of  his  youth.  What  a  retlection 
ell  damsels  and  dames  all  the  time  imagining  they 
weie  (•on(juering  in  the  latest  cut  and  tit  of  their 
flethesi 

In  i SIC)  18,  when  no  goods  came  from  Mexico  on 
account  of  the  war  for  independence,  the  women,  rich 
and  poor  alike,  made  use  of  the  jcrga,  a  very  coarse 
Woollen  stuff  woven  at  the  missions,  and  were  glad  to 
i(  t  it,  holding  it  as  the  finest  muslin.  Those  who  were 
ahle  hought  wool  and  sent  it  to  he  knitted  into  stock- 
ings by  the  ^lexicans  or  Indians;  the  poor  wore  the 
stockings  which  nature  gave  them.  The  jerga  was 
currentlv  known  as  muselina  de  las  misiones,  or  mis- 
sioii  nmslin. 

The  officers,  who  of  all  others  were  best  able  to 
obtain  clothes,  had  only  a  collar  and  shirt  front  fastened 
to  the  inside  of  the  waistcoat  by  means  of  a  button- 
hole to  the  flap.  The  back  of  the  waistcoat  was  next 
tlie  skin,  for  the  wearer  liad  no  shirt.  Some  of  the 
soldiers  wore  a  shirt  made  of  the  jerga  at  the  missions; 
others  wore  their  old  shirts  patched  until  frayed  into 
mere  threads.  In  fact,  the  troops  were  almost  naked. 
Almost  all  were  shoeless.  Many  even  mounted  guard 
with  bare  feet  and  the  body  wrapped  in  a  blanket. 
Nevertheless,  they  served  contentedly,  so  great  was 
their  affecti(m  for  their  officers! 

The  same  condition  of  things  existed  throughout 
California.  The  women  dressed  in  garments  of  jerga; 
occasionally  one  had  a  chemise  of  manta,  or  cotton 
i;iio(ls,  but  fihe  nagua  or  skirt  was  always  of  jerga. 
The  wives  of  officers  made  out  to  do  with  indiana,  as 
tile  p'.inted  cotton  stuff  was  called,  and  sarga.     For 


378 


POOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWEIXINOS. 


8lij)pcrs  tlicy  used  coletilla,  a  coarse  unhleacliod  lieiupi  n 
stuff',  or  pafio — ^clotli — when  obtainable. 

Before  Echeandia's  arrival,  observes  Maeliado,  tlie 
dress  was  a  shirt  of  cotton  or  other  fabric,  vest  with- 
out facings  (ciialeco  sin  voltear)  reaching  to  the  waist 
of  different  color,  the  troops  using  blue.  Over  tho 
chaleeo  went  the  chupin,  which  was  a  levita  with  lap- 
pets, and  bright  red  braiding,  also  round  the  neck. 
This  was  the  soldiers'  fashion;  but  the  rest  wore  nearly 
the  same,  the  color  varying  according  to  taste. 

Short  pants  of  cloth,  coleta,  drill,  or  other  stuff,  the 
troops  using  pano.  They  reached  to  the  knee,  whcn' 
they  opened  to  the  outside,  with  lapels  to  both  si«l(  s, 
and  with  six  buttons  on  each  side.  The  fine  hats 
from  Spain  were  kept  with  care.  The  common  pjihii 
liats  were  made  by  Indians. 

Speaking  of  1824,  Torre  says  that  the  wonun 
dressed  nearly  all  alike,  whatever  their  position,  ex- 
cept that  those  who  were  better  ofl'  used  finer  tex- 
tures. The  customary  dress  was  blue  indianas  or  colttii 
for  work-days;  on  festival  days  nmslins  and  othtr 
finer  material.  Petticoats  were  trimmed  with  blue 
silk  and  black  bodice,  the  sleeves  coming  to  half-way 
between  the  elbow  and  forearm.  They  had  a  })uipli' 
or  scarlet  belt  around  the  waist,  and  a  black  or  other 
colored  kerc'nef  around  the  neck  fastened  witli  ]miis 
across  the  b:  .ast.  The  hair  was  neatly  combed  into 
a  single  plait  which  hung  down  the  back,  the  |»lait 
set  off  with  various  colored  ribbons  according  to  tasti'. 
Women  of  superior  pretensions  dressed  the  hair  likr 
ordinary  women  until  the  fashions  came,  and  aristo- 
cratic distinctions  became  more  marked.  Their  shoes 
were  of  calf-skin,  blue  coleta,  or  satin,  with  silk  or 
cotton  stockiiiijs.  A  silk  or  cotton  rebozo  coverall 
the  head  and  i>art  of  the  face  when  they  went  out  iiit(» 
the  street.  When  mounted  on  horseback  it  was  car- 
ried tied  to  the  left  side. 

Lugo  places  upon  women  of  this  period  short  skirts 
fastened  about  the  waist.     Their  upper  garment  was 


ANGELES  COSTUMES. 


370 


n  sliort-slceved  clieinise,  which  came  to  a  httlo  below 
tilt'  waist.  I^eneath  this  skirt  they  wore  another  of 
Itiiyeta — a  coarse,  heavy  riamiel — and  under  this  an- 
other of  material  coarse  or  tine,  according  to  their 
iiuans.  This  latter  skirt  very  poor  women  did  not 
wear.  On  feast  days  the  well-to-do  women  wore  jackets 
i>t"  vi'lvet,  cloth,  or  satin.  About  18;}0  women  beijan 
to  use  combs  of  tortoise-sliell,  or  other  less  costly  nuite- 
rial.  They  wore  low  shoes,  with  or  without  heels, 
tlie  latter  called  de  resbalon,  and  were  used  at  balls. 
Women  wore  hats  only  when  they  rode  to  some  dis- 
tant place. 

Soldiers  dressed  like  civilians,  except  that  on  their 
jacki'ts  were  their  insignia,  and  when  they  went  on 
an  exj)edition  they  wore  the  cifra,  which  was  a 
kind  t)f  waistcoat  of  many  thirkMesses  of  antelope- 
skin,  and  in  the  exterior  sea.  is  liftd  a  w»'lo  of  green 
cloth.  This  cuera  was  useu  by  the  cavalry  de  cuera 
oiih*. 

He  who  could  buy  them  wore  stockings,  but  many 
liad  neither  shoes  nor  socks,  because  unable  to  j)ur- 
cliaso  them.  Men's  neckerchiefs  were  frequently 
enihroidered  at  the  ends  like  lace. 

Wlien  mounted,  the  men  often  wore  two  pieces  of 
well-tanned  deer-skin,  very  soft,  stitched  to  a  narrow 
belt  of  the  same  skin,  which  was  tied  round  the 
waist;  each  of  these  fell  over  the  thigh  below  the 
knee,  and  was  fastened  underneath  with  small  thongs. 
These  were  called  armitas,  and  were  used  when  they 
entered  the  corrals  to  lasso  cattle,  the  armitas  pro- 
tecting the  breeches  from  the  chafing  of  the  rope. 
Others  somewhat  similar  Mere  worn,  called  armas, 
made  of  goat-skin,  tanned  with  the  hair  on.  At  the 
narrowest  part  they  were  fastened  to  a  belt  of  skin  to 
tie  round  the  waist,  and  hung  down  to  the  tapadera  of 
tlie  stirrups.  The  armas  afforded  shelter  from  the 
rain,  and  from  the  brambles  and  chamise;  they  were 
also  useful  for  sleeping  in  when  obliged  to  camp  out. 
At  Los  Angeles,  ]^uhaut-Cilly  remarks  that  the 


Mi*': 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLMGS. 


*; 


men  alone  wear  a  dress  that  can  be  termed  national, 
and  adai)ted  to  their  life  on  horseback.  Short 
breeches  of  dark  cloth  or  velvet,  terminating  at  tlie 
knee  with  gold  or  silver  galloon,  but  not  buttoned. 
The  open  breeches  permit  a  view  of  the  edge  of  the 
wide  white  drawers  descending  half-way  down  the  log. 
covering  partly  white  stockings,  which  are  loose,  for 
tight  and  drawn-up  stockings  would  be  ridiculed. 
The  doublet  worn  as  a  sobretodo,  or  surtout,  is 
usually  of  the  same  material  as  the  breeches,  without 
collar,  but  adorned  with  a  red  flounce  and  facing.  Its 
man}''  metal  buttons  are  not  for  use,  nor  are  the  laps 
big  enough  to  cover  the  chest. 

As  they  use  no  braces,  the  white  shirt  peeps  out 
between  trousers  and  vest.  To  avoid  this,  a  red  faju 
or  sash  is  wound  round  the  waist.  Their  shoes  or 
short  boots  are  laced  over  the  foot.  The  upper-leather 
is  divided  lengthwise  in  two  parts,  one  yellow,  the 
other  brown — rather  tasteful.  At  the  heel  of  the  shots 
a  fringed  piece  of  leather  projects,  serving  to  support 
the  big  spurs. 

When  on  horseback  they  wear  the  leg  enveloped 
in  leggings  called  gamuzas;  of  this  they  are  most 
proud,  and  the  manner  of  enveloping  the  calf  is  an 
esteemed  art.  Woe  to  him  who  allows  tlic  form  of 
the  leg  to  be  seen !  The  shoe  is  besides  tightly  fixed 
around  the  leg  by  a  cord  of  silk  and  gold  worked  Ity 
his  lady-love.  Hats  are  usually  of  felt,  flat  and  broad- 
brimmed.  A  mantle  is  worn  in  cold  weather,  and 
consists  of  a  piece  of  cl>n,h  with  an  opening  for  the 
head,  called  a  poncho,  or  mangas,  in  different  parts  of 
Spanish  America.  This  dress  wants  neither  giaee 
nor  dignity,  but  the  chief  advantage  is  the  freedom  of 
limbs  it  allows. 

The  dress  of  the  women  is  more  ridiculous,  beimLj  <i 
strange  mixture  of  California  and  foreign  styles. 
When  seeking  to  imitate  the  Mexican  fashion  tliev 
go  to  the  extreme  of  extravagance,  so  as  to  make 
gravity  diflScult  to  observe.     Few  are  content  with 


AT  THE  DANCE. 


381 


6im})le  home  fashions.  A  certain  set  who  had  intro- 
duced about  1826  an  extreme  in  Parisian  bonnets, 
like  small  baskets  or  melons,  were  dubbed  cabezas 
inelones.  The  women  of  good  families,  remarks  Ser- 
rano, speaking  of  the  next  decade,  dressed  with  nm(;h 
])l;unness  and  modesty,  the  chief  characteristics  being 
the  exceedin*^  cleanliness  of  their  linen  at  all  great 
gatherings,  whether  at  church  or  at  the  frequent  pic- 
nics. At  the  dances  so  frequently  given  at  private 
ln)U8es,  and  to  wliich  indiscriminate  entrance  was  not 
allowed,  the  females  appeared  not  only  well  dressed, 
hut  with  good  display.  Some  days  before  a  large 
party,  the  women  used  to  put  their  heads  together 
and  agree  upon  what  dress  they  would  wear,  what 
kind  of  stuff,  its  color,  and  trimmings,  and  color  of  the 
shoes ;  this  was  that  they  might  appear  very  charming 
from  the  harmony  t)f  their  dress  and  ornaments.  The 
material  on  these  occasions  was  sometimes  silk,  or 
very  fine  lawn  or  linen,  the  stockings  being  usually 
silk,  and  shoes  of  the  very  finest  satin.  It  was  a  low 
shoe  of  a  single  sole;  some  were  white,  others  dark 
hlue  or  coffee-color;  and  there  were  the  very  whitest 
and  finest  lace  kerchiefs  over  the  shoulders,  covering 
the  upper  part  of  the  breast.  Necklaces,  ear-rings, 
and  rings  of  gold  were  abundant;  the  hair  was  dressed 
according  to  the  fashion  of  the  period,  with  fine  tor- 
toise-shell openwork  combs  and  a  golden  band. 

They  wore  other  adornments,  such  as  llowers,  belt, 
and  ribbons  in  grtj,t  variety. 

The  daily  female  foot-wear  consisted  of  thread 
stockings,  and  strong,  black  leather  shoes,  or  of 
morocco  leather.  Their  dresses  were  usually  of  calico 
or  merino,  with  long  sleeves  down  to  the  hand,  and 
neck  close  to  the  throat;  the  skirt  being  extremely 
wide,  and  reaching  to  the  instep  without  touching 
the  ground.  The  breast  was  covered  with  a  fine  and 
pretty  silk  kerchief,  flowered,  in  different  colors; 
the  hair-dressing  consisted  in  separating  their  beauti- 
ful tre>ises  in  two  equal  parts,  and  forming  a  plait  of 


382 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


each  interlaced  with  ribbons  of  some  dark  shade ;  these 
plaits  were  crossed  in  opposite  directions,  and  wound 
round  the  upper  part  of  the  head,  terminating  on  the 
top,  at  the  back  part,  and  thereon  was  placed  a  black 
or  coffee-colored  velvet  bow.  While  occupied  in 
household  duties,  to  protect  this  from  dust  the  bead 
was  covered  with  a  good-sized  silk  kerchief  of  diifer- 
ent  colors,  arranged  in  graceful  folds,  so  as  to  give  it 
the  appearance  of  a  coquettish  little  cap.  The  gen- 
eral mode  of  dress  of  all  classes  was  modest  and 
simple. 

The  women's  hat  when  on  horseback — for  only  then 
they  wore  one— was  of  felt,  very  high,  less  than  two 
inches  of  brim,  wider  above  than  below — looked  like  a 
sugar  loaf  Before  putting  on  the  hat,  a  handkerchief 
bordered  with  different  colored  silk  was  laid  on  the 
head,  which  covered  the  back,  front,  and  part  of  the 
cheeks,  and  was  fastened  by  a  pin  under  the  chin. 

This  was  the  dress  usually  worn  in  former  times; 
later  came  in  the  fashion  of  the  tunic,  which  was  a 
narrow  sack  without  sleeves,  with  only  loops  for  the 
arms.  This  tunic  was  called  the  medio  paso,  for 
it  was  so  narrow  the  woman  could  scarcely  walk. 
Small  sleeves  were  worn  to  cover  the  arms,  with  a 
strap  behind  and  in  front  to  keep  them  up ;  the  one 
in  front  was  buttoned.  Such  an  arrangement  was 
very  inconvenient.  This  tunic  was  the  only  change 
that  took  place  in  a  long  time.  Afterward  came  wide 
tunics,  buttoned  behind  with  wide  sleeves — manias 
do  monjas.  So  successive  changes  were  introduced, 
varying  until  the  arrival  of  the  Mexican  colony  in 
1834;  and  as  intercourse  with  the  outside  world 
became  more  frequent,  there  was  little  difference  he- 
tween  the  dress  of  California  females  and  those  of 
other  countries 

The  cavalry  soldier's  carbine  was  carried  in  the 
leather  cover  of  the  saddle ;  the  lock  was  enveloped  in  a 
piece  of  chamois,  and  was  moreover  enveloped  in  a  fox- 
skin  bag,  the  whole  fixed  in  the  saddle  cover,  lea\  iug 


SOLDIERS'  UNIFORMS. 


383 


the  tail  and  part  of  the  fox's  legs  outside.  A  shield 
hung  at  one  side  of  the  saddle  bow.  The  soldier  also 
carried  a  lance  and  sword,  a  cartridge-box  on  the  belt, 
at  one  side  of  which  was  a  little  pocket  for  spare 
Hints.  The  shield  was  of  several  hides,  slightly  con- 
vex in  front,  with  armlet  inside  so  as  to  cover  nearly 
the  whole  front  of  the  rider  without  preventing  the 
use  of  his  fire-arm.  The  infantry  arms  were  musket 
and  bayonet,  with  cross-belts,  one  to  carry  the  bayo- 
net, the  other  the  cartridge-pouch.  The  artillery 
carried  a  carbine  and  short  sword. 

The  presidio  companies  wore  the  following:  The 
hat  was  the  usual  wide-brimmed  one  with  the  crown 
de  la  panocha;  instead  of  the  parti-colored  ribbons,  it 
had  a  silk  cord  with  tassels  hanging  on  the  brim. 
The  hair  in  a  plait  with  a  piece  of  ribbon  at  the  end, 
green  or  red;  a  kerchief  loose  around  the  neck,  fall- 
ing over  the  breast,  adorned  with  spangles;  cotton  or 
linen  shirt  and  black  cloth  jacket  with  scarlet  facings. 
The  vest  was  of  stuff  called  coleta,  yellow  and  bor- 
dered in  front  with  black  silk.  One  or  two  sashes  of 
different  colors  passed  around  the  stomach ;  some  put 
a  wonian's  cotton  scarf  or  a  sash  of  blue  coleta  of  a 
third  of  a  vara  wide.  Short  breeches  of  cloth  with 
bragueta,  a  fall  or  flap  in  front,  fastened  with  a  large 
silver  or  copper  button.  These  were  open  on  the 
outside  of  the  leg  for  about  a  third  of  a  vara  above 
the  knee.  In  this  opening  were  a  row  of  buttons  on 
one  side  and  holes  on  the  other;  the  breeches  reached 
a  little  below  the  knee,  having  at  the  extremity  about 
an  inch  breadth  of  gold  lace;  pockets  on  each  side 
called  bolsicos;  below  the  breeches  were  wide  linen 
<»r  cotton  drawers.     White  cotton  or  woollen  stock- 


nigs ; 


chamois  ridiuir-loggings  reaching  down  to  the 


nistep,  sewed  a  little  at  the  heel,  and  otherwise  open 
behind;  they  were  in  several  folds  tied  with  silken 
garters,  hand-wrought  and  adorned  with  spangles, 
scales,  and  tassels,  which  hung  upon  the  leg  below  the 
knee;  the  shoe,  which  was  called  del  berruchi,  opened 


in 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS 


'■Si 

■fi: 


I 


I      '' 


on  the  outside,  where  it  was  fastened  with  a  thono-; 
the  shoe  came  up  to  the  instep,  and  the  leggings  went 
inside,  and  over  the  shoe  fell  a  flap  of  the  same 
chamois. 

On  service  a  soldier  had  a  thick  cuera  de  ganuiza 
stitched;  this  was  a  kind  of  short  sack  which  read  ml 
to  the  knees  with  a  button  to  fasten  it  at  the  neck  a 
little  below  the  throat;  on  the  left  shoulder  was  a 
button  whereon  to  hang  the  hat  when  the  soldier 
went  to  mass  without  arms.  The  officers  appeared  in 
black  })antaloons  with  low  waistband,  rather  wide,  de 
tapabalazo  ancho,  a  broad  flap  across  the  front,  and  a 
pocket  on  each  side,  a  short  jacket  or  frock  of  black 
cloth  with  lace  appohitments  and  epaulets  according 
to  rank.  When  in  full  dress  they  wore  a  three-coi- 
nered  hat,  and  also  a  cuera  when  on  field  duty.  Citi- 
zens wore  a  similar  dress  to  that  of  the  soldiers,  ex- 
cepting the  cuera  and  military  distinctions. 

The  full  dress  of  the  artillery  was  white,  a  short 
buttoned-up  coat  called  hudcaro,  with  blue  facing;  a 
manijeluke  of  cotton  or  linen  stuff";  a  wide  scarlet 
sash;  half-boots  open  in  front,  tied  with  a  thong; 
on  the  head  a  kind  of  cap  with  tricolor  pompon  the 
shape  of  the  Mexican  flag;  a  waistcoat  of  white 
cotton  buttoned  to  the  throat.  Officers  wore  a  red 
coat  with  green  facing,  white  pantaloons  with  wide 
flap;  sometimes  light  blue  pantaloons  with  broad 
gold  lace  on  the  outer  seam;  a  purple  velvet  waist- 
coat or  of  scarlet  cloth.  When  dressed  in  white  the 
waistcoat  was  scarlet;  when  the  coat  was  scarlet  they 
wore  blue  pantaloons  and  purple  waistcoat.  Infan- 
try, full-dress  coat,  dark  blue  cloth,  scarlet  facings; 
pantahH)ns,  blue  cloth  with  red  piping  down  the  seam ; 
waistcoat  of  same  cloth,  tall  chaco  with  pompon. 
Officers  wore  the  same  uniform,  with  only  the  diH'er- 
ence  of  the  lace  on  the  pantaloons,  shoulder-straps 
and  facings,  and  coat  and  vest. 

The  artairs  of  the  nati(m  were  insignificant  rs  (<  ni- 
pared  with  the  in5[)ortance  of  the  cabullero'ti  trap[)ing3. 


CAVALIERS  ATTIRE. 


385 


The  bit  was  very  rude  and  heavy,  and  suspended  by 
narrow  leather  bands  dyed   black.     The   reins  were 
woven  of  very  narrow  strips  of  calf-skin,  the  same  as 
the  lazo;  they  were  very  long,  and  to  the  end  was  at- 
tached a  long  whip  (Isitigo)  plaited  in  a  similarmanner, 
and  which  terminated  in  two  pointed  ends;  the  bridle 
(liead-stall)    that   sup]K)rted    the    bit  was  called    the 
cahezadas,  and  this  as  well  as  the  reins  was  adorned  bv 
tlic  poorer  classes  with  buttons  and  silver  buckles,  and 
by  the  rich  with  ornaments  of  the  same  metal  engraved 
or  in  relief  (ya  grabados,  6  ya  calados),  the  same  kind 
of  adornment  was  on  the  monturas  (saddles)  and  spurs. 
The  montura,  or  saddle,  should  consist  of  an  innnense 
wooden  saddle-tree,  whose  colossal  rounded  head  served 
to  hold  the  lasso  when  a  horse  or  bull  was  caught. 
This  saddle-tree  was  secured  to  the  back  of  the  horse 
Ijy  a  broad  band  made  fast  to  the  lower  j>art  by  strong 
strips  of  hide  passing  under  the  belly  to  the  other  side 
of  tlie  saddle,  which  had  an  iron  ring   and    buckle. 
There  was  a  leather  band  made  fast  to  the  tree  to 
save  tlie  horse  from  being  chafed.     Under  the  tree 
were  placed  one  or   two   blankets,  called   sudaderos, 
douI)l(jd  several  times;  the  tree  was  covered  with  a 
broad  sheet  of  leather  having  two  openings,  one  fur 
the  head  of  the  tree,  the  other  for  the  cantle,  the  ends 
lianging  down  over  both  sides  of  the  horse;  this  cover 
was  called  a  mochilla,  and  upon  it  was  set  another 
Somewhat  larger,  the  coraza.     This  was  luuulsomely 
setoff  with  embroidery- work  called  talabarteria,  such 
as  birds,  flowers,  or  other  tasty  ])atterns;  also  through 
little  holes  pierced  in  it  could  be  seen  pieces  of  silk  or 
cloth  of  vari  'US  colors.     This  second  cover  was  rather 
costly,  as    it  was    also    bordered   with    silk  or   gold 
and  silver  thread,  and  it  was  not  used  on  work-days. 
^\  lien  travelling,  over  these  two  covers  was  placed 
a  third,  also  finely  adorned,  and  at  the  sides  in  front 
weie  two  pockets,  cubos,  of  leather  with  covers,  like 
liolsters,  the  covers  secured  by  a  strap  and  buckle, 
bioehe,  of  the  same  material.     These  holsters  served 

Cal.  Fast.    25 


S86 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


I 


to  carry  food,  or  anything  else  too  large  to  be  carried 
in  the  coat  pocket.  At  the  back  of  the  saddle-tre:'  to 
cover  the  croup  of  the  horse,  and  tie  with  thongs  a 
nialeta  with  clothes  or  the  serape  doubled,  was  placed 
a  large  piece  of  leather  in  semicircular  shape,  or  like 
the  tail  of  a  bird.  This  was  fastened  to  the  saddle- 
tree with  thongs,  and  was  called  an  anquera.  The  stir- 
rups were  made  of  coarsely  wrought  oak,  hung  from 
the  saddle-tree  by  leather  straps  called  arzones;  the 
front  of  the  stirrups  were  each  covered  with  two 
rounds  of  leather,  over  which  was  another  piece  of 
triangular  shape.  These  three  pieces  were  called  the 
tapaderas,  and  were  so  large  as  almost  to  touch  under 
the  horse's  belly.  The  enormous  spurs  had  four 
or  six  long  sharp  rowels,  under  the  infliction  of 
which  the  poor  beast  suffered  the  tortures  of  the  in- 
quisition. 

Bias  Pefia,  born  at  Monterey  in  1823,  says  that  in 
his  day  men  wore  corduroy  or  cloth  breeches,  jackets, 
broad-brimmed,  low-crowned  hats,  placing  around  the 
crown  a  girdle  of  silver  or  gold  thread,  or  simply  of 
beads,  connnonly  called  chaquiras,  but  to  which  the 
missionaries  gave  the  name  of  paternosters.     In  rainy 
weather  the  hat  was  covered  with  a  thin  yellow  oil- 
cloth.   Top-boots  were  common,  botas  de  ala  6  de  tiiKin, 
of  chamois-skin  or  leather,  most  of  them  being  made  in 
the  country,  the  upper  part  secured  with  silk  ril)l)oiis 
of  various  colors.     They  also  wore  berruchi  shoes,  and 
another  kind  called  zapatones,  a  large  clumsy  aHliir. 
The  berruchi  were  tied  on  the  outer  side,  the  zapatones 
on   the  middle  of  the  foot,  with  thin  straps  or  with 
strings. 

Some  of  the  men  wore  short  breeches,  reaching 
down  to  the  knee  only,  open  about  six  inches  on  the 
outer  side,  where  were  buttons  of  silver,  or  of  some 
base  metal,  according  to  the  wearer's  means.  They 
iiad  falls  which  were  closed  with  a  fine  silver  button, 
or  W'th  one  of  copper  if  the  wearer  could  not  atl'ord 
the  fermer.     The  buttons  used  by  the  wealthy  hatl  the 


CALIFORNIAN  TOILETS. 


387 


^loxican  eagle  stamped  on  them.  The  breeches  were 
secured  round  the  waist  with  a  handsome  silk  or  crape 
sash,  which  was  further  ornamented  with  tassels  of 
trold  or  silver  thread,  the  ends  hanirins:  on  either  side, 
or  both  on  one  side,  but  never  in  the  middle.  ^len 
were  likewise  accustomed  to  wear  cloth  sleeves  of  blue, 
coffee-color,  or  black,  with  silk  or  velvet  cuffs,  round 
wJiich  was  silver  or  gold  thread  wound.  The  hair 
was  braided  like  that  of  the  Chinese,  but  never  in- 
crcased  by  any  false  hair.  In  1840  they  began  to 
kave  off  these  cues,  and  cut  tlie  hair  short  behind, 
leaving  it  long  in  front.  This  way  of  dressing  tlio 
hair  went  by  the  name  of  imnado  de  fiiria,  the  fury 
fashion  of  carrying  the  hair. 

Women  in  former  times  braided  the  hair  in  one  pieco, 
and  twisted  it  round  the  top  of  the  head,  which 
fashion  was  called  pcumdo  delmolote,  the  molote  being 
liuld  by  a  comb  made  of  horn,  or  of  tortoise  shell,  ac- 
cording to  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  wearer.  The 
American  captain,  Fitch,  in  one  of  his  voyages  friMU 
Peru,  brought  four  tortoise-shell  combs,  which  he  sold 
at  3'»00  each,  one  of  them  being  purchased  by  Josd  de 
la  Guerra  y  Noriega  for  his  wife,  one  by  Mariano  Es- 
trada, another  by  Joaquin  Maitorena,  who  shortly 
afterward  was  elected  a  deputy  to  the  national  con- 
gress, and  Vallejo  the  last  one. 

Until  six  or  eight  years  of  age,  children  wore  short 
shirts.  From  an  early  day,  boys  whose  parents  could 
afford  it  indulged  in  trousers  of  cloth.  After  that 
age  they  wore  pantaloons  of  jerga,  or  bayeton,  or 
coleta — chiefly  the  last.  Children  of  wealthy  parents 
wore  shoes,  but  generally  a  boy  put  on  shoes  only 
afucr  he  could  earn  them.  More  pains  were  taken 
with  regard  to  girls*  shoes.  It  was  rare  to  see  a  boy 
of  k'ss  than  12  or  14  years  with  a  hat. 

The  following  was  the  way  in  which  a  rich  young 
man  of  Los  Angeles  was  dressed  on  his  wedding  day, 
in  IS 42,  Yellow  hat  of  vicufla  wool,  with  abundance 
of  glass-seed  beads ;  the  under-part  of  the  brim  nearly 


u 


FOOD,   DRESS  AND  DWELLINGS. 


I  \ 


covered  with  silver  lace.  The  jacket  easy  set,  of 
groon  satin,  with  large  flapi?  of  the  same  material,  its 
buttons  being  of  Mexican  pesetas  with  t!ic  eagle  staiiii) 
on  the  exterior.  The  waist-coat  of  yellow  satin  with 
the  pocket  flaps  buttoned  up  with  gold  dollars.  Bn  t;i  I 
breeches  of  red  velvet  to  the  knees,  held  with  silv<  r 
buckles.  The  buttons  of  the  breeches  flap,  plainly 
visible  being  also  pesetas.  On  these  buttons,  the  one 
known  as  the  atrancador  exhibited  a  motto  in  these 
words,  '*No  me  saques  sin  razon,  ni  me  metas  sin 
honor."  A  buckskin  boot  of  the  natural  color,  bound 
to  the  knee  where  the  breeches  ended,  with  gi'cen 
silk  ribbons  forming  a  flower,  and  with  tassels  from 
which  depended  little  figures  of  cats,  dogs,  puppets, 
etc.,  made  of  seed-glass  beads,  interpolated  with  eiii- 
bei'ilshments  of  ^old  and  silver  thread.  Where  the 
boot-leg  ended  began  the  shoe,  which  was  sharp- 
pointed  and  turned  upwards,  with  tinsel  ornanKMits, 
most  of  them  in  the  form  of  roses.  The  man'>a  was  of 
sky-blue  cloth  of  the  finest  quality,  with  red  lining; 
the  opening  for  the  head  was  lined  with  black  velvi  t, 
and  was  oval-shaped,  with  silver  galloon  all  round  it, 
and  fringed.  The  hair  in  three  braids  fell  upon  the 
jacket;  at  the  end  was  a  large  flower  of  green  ribbon. 
To  liuht  his  ci<jarctte  housed  a  mechero,  or  cottmi 
twist  burnt  at  one  end,  with  a  steel  piece  and  a  flint - 
stone  wei«>hin<j:  about  an  ounce:  from  the  mecht  ro 
hung  an  ornament  of  beads,  beautifully  made.  Tlii< 
media  or  tinder  was  perfumed  with  Peruvian  balsam. 

The  bride  of  about  eighteen,  a  brunette,  was  biisk 
in  her  movements.  She  wore  a  dress  of  j-ellow  sat  in, 
adorned  in  the  lower  part  with  green  ribbons  ;  wliite 
satin  shoes  with  the  points  turning  upward,  tit  si i 
colored  st»)ckings,  black  handkercliief  round  the  ho.ul, 
a  triangular  shawl,  and  artificial  flowers. 

Lugo,  who  in  his  Vida  de  mi  Fanchero,  writes  of 
1824,  savs  that  most  of  the  men  bound  around  tlie 
head  a  black  silken  handkerchief,  some  tying  it  beliiml, 
others  over  the    forehead.     Over  this  was  placed  a 


HATS  AND  SHOKS. 


380 


il,  its 

,  Avitli 

silv(  r 
)laitily 
[\G  one 

tlieso 
as  sill 
bouiitl 

gr,vu 
s  troll  I 
uppets, 
til  eiii- 
ero  tilt' 

sViavi'- 
auKMits. 

IWJIS  tit 

liuin;j;; 

\a'lvrt. 

;)U11<1  it, 

poll  tlic 

ril)l)on. 
cotton 
a  iliiit- 

[neclii  i" 
Tlii> 

I  balsam. 

las  brisk 

[(WBiltil), 

white 

|a,  ilfsU 

le  btiHl, 

/■ritos  o'l 
ind  the 
belli  nth 
ilacttl  a 


li;it  <»r  tbo  fashion  we  now  use.     It  was  always  se- 
( urcd  by  a  barbiquijo,  or  tliroat-stia^),  of  aiitcloi)L'- 
i^kiii,  or  of  silktn  ribbon,  which  latter  motlo  was  in 
vogue  among   such  as  were    in  comfortable  circuni- 
btances.     He  who  aft'ected  a  dashing  style  wore  his 
hat  cocked  on  one  side,  or  tilted  far  back  on  the  head. 
The  hats  in  general  use  were  called  poblanos,  because 
they  came  from  Puebla  in  Mexico,  and  were  low  in 
tlie  crown  and  rather  broad  of  brim.     Some  of  fine 
vicuna  wool  wt^re   bought  only  by  the  otticiTS,  or  men 
of  means.     Some  hats  were  of  leather,  and    others, 
wliich    were  made   by    the  Indians,   of  palm-leaves. 
Thi>  betas,  which  may  be  translated  leggings,  were 
of  antelopc-skin — a  whole  skin,  less  the  legs,  forming 
one  beta — from  the  neck  of  the  animal  downwari^L 
Tlu!  skin  reached  to  just  below  the  ankle,  and  was 
.Sewn     for    a    short    distance     at    the    l(>wer    end. 
^lost   men  used    the  whole  width    of   the  skin,  but 
!-oiHe  doubled  it    into  two,    others   hito   three  folds. 
The  bota  was  secured  by  a  strap,  a  ribbon  or  a  garter 
woven    of  silk  intermingled    gold  and    silver    thread 
siiaiigles   and  escarchi  (gold   and    silver   twist,  such 
Jis    i.s  used    in  epaulettes).     The  bota    was  well  un<l 
thil)orately  stamped  or  worked  («libujada),  and  bi>und 
on  the  edges.     The  shoes  were  of  calf-skin,  end)rt)i- 
(.Kred  with  white  thread  of  the  maguey;  came  up  to 
tiie  ankle  only;  were  open  on  the  outside  that  tlu! 
t  lot  might  be  introduced,  the  ojiening  being  closed  by 
a  tlap  bound  with  some  colored  material,  and  fastenetl 
with  black  leathern  straps  or  silken  cords.     Men  of 
ineaus  wore  about  the  neck  a  whole  silktn  handker- 
chief— black  generally.     A  nian's  hair  was  sel(h)m  cut 
— never,  were  he  a  soldier.      His  hair    was  cond)ed 
hack  and  parted  in  the  middle.     It  was  then  tied  as 
]ii;j;h  on  his  head  as  possible,  and  in  three  strands, 
l>iaided    into   a  sort   of  cue  which    hung  down  the 
hack  like  those  of  the  Chinese.     At  last  the  soldiers 
\V(  re   forced    to   cut   their   hair.     The  women   wore 
tlic  hair  in  the  same  fashion — except  that  their  cars 


390 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


Were  concealed.  The  face  was  clean-shaven,  except 
the  part  covered  by  a  whisker  from  the  temple  to  the 
edge  of  the  lower  jaw.  Generally  men  shaved  every 
four  or  five  days;  but  some  did  so  only  on  Saturday 
night  or  Sunday  morning — in  order  to  present  them- 
selves clean  of  face  at  mass. 

The  full  dress  unifonn  of  the  frontier  soldier  was 
that  in  use  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  conquest. 
All  the  horses  were  large  and  of  one  color.     The  sol- 
diers wore  their  cueras,  or  leather  jackets,   being  a 
sleeveless  sack,  or  surtout,  sewed  and  quilted,  with 
four  or  five  dressed  sheep-skins,  finely  tanned,  of  a 
vellowish  color,  and  so  thick  that  the  Indian  arrows 
could   no+    easily   penetrate   them.      They    had   also 
an  adarga,  or  shield,  made  of  the  thickness  of  two 
ox-hides,  untanned;   they  were  oval-shaped,  and   of 
about  1 00  inches  in  circumference.     Inside  of  it  was 
a  strap,  through  which  the  soldier  put  his  left  arm 
The  face  of  the  shield  was  well  varnished,  and  the 
king's  arms  painted  on  it.     The  flint-lock  gun  was 
carried  in  a  sack  of  well-tanned  cow-hide,  embroidered 
on  the  outside,  laid  across  the  pommel  of  the  saddle, 
and  was  well  covered  to  protect  it  from  the  ruin. 
They  used  also  a  long  lance,  or  spear,  with  a  flexible 
filbert-wood  pole.     A  cartridge-box  attached    to  tlie 
waist  contained  the  powder  and  ball ;  five  days'  provis- 
ions were  carried  in  bags  at  the  saddle  bow;  a  cow- 
liide  covering  extended  from  the  waist  to  below  the 
knee,  to  protect  the  legs  from  rain  and  from  shruhs; 
the  trousers  were  quite  short,  reaching  only  to  the 
knee,  and  from  there  was  visible  a  boot  of  chainnis 
leather  that  covered   the   legs.     The  hat  was  low- 
crowned ;  the  soldier  wore  his  hair  long,  and  flowing 
on  the  back  on  gala-days. 

A  California  dragoon's  dress,  as  Beechey  saw  it, 
was  a  round,  blue  cloth  jacket,  with  red  cufts  and 
collar,  blue  velvet  breeches  unbuttoned  at  the  knees, 
showing  white  cotton  stockings,  cased  over  half-way 
in   deer-skin   boots;    a    black   hat,   with   very   wide 


WOMEN  OF  THE  TWENTIES. 


801 


brim  and  low  crown,  kept  in  order  by  its  own  weii^ht; 
a  profusion  of  dark  hair,  which  met  behind  and  dangled 
half-way  down  the  back  in  a  thick  cue.  A  lonj^ 
musket,  with  fox-skin  round  the  lock,  was  balanced  on 
the  pommel  of  the  saddle;  the  bull's-hide  shield  still 
had  the  Spanish  arms;  a  double-fold  deer-skin  cuirass 
covered  the  body.  The  feet  were  arined  with  a  tre- 
mendous pair  of  iron  spurs,  secured  by  metal  chains, 
and  were  thrust  into  enormous  wooden,  box-shaped 
stinups. 

The  dress  of  the  middle  class  of  females  in  1829, 
savs  Robinson,  "  is  a  chemise  with  short  embroidered 
sleeves,  riclily  trimmed  with  lace,  a  muslin  petticoat 
flounced  with  scarlet,  and  secured  at  the  waist  by  a 
silk  band  of  the  same  color,  shoes  of  velvet  or  blue 
satin,  a  cotton  rebozo  or  scarf,  pearl  necklace  and  ear- 
rings, with  the  hair  falling  in  broad  plaits  down  the 
hack.  Others  of  the  hisjher  class  dress  in  the  English 
style,  and  instead  of  the  rebozo,  substitute  a  rich  and 
costly  shawl  of  silk  or  satin.  .  . .  Short  clothes  and 
jacket  trimmed  with  scarlet,  a  silk  sash  about  the 
waist,  betas  of  ornamented  and  embroidered  deer-skin, 
secured  by  colored  garters,  embroidered  shoes,  the 
hair  long,  braided,  and  fastened  behind  with  ribbons, 
a  black  silk  handkerchief  around  the  head,  surmounted 
by  an  oval  and  broad-brimmed  hat,  is  the  dress  uni- 
versally worn  by  the  men  of  California." 

Tomds  Yorba,  proprietor  of  the  rancho  de  Santa 
Ana,  between  San  Gabriel  and  San  Juan  Capistrano, 
wore  upon  his  head  a  black  silk  handkerchief,  the  four 
corners  hanging  down  behind.  "An  embroidered 
shirt,  cravat  of  white  jaconet  tastefully  tied,  a  blue 
damask  vest,  short  clothes  of  crimson  velvet,  a  bright 
green  cloth  jacket,  with  large  silver  buttons,  and  shoes 
of  embroidered  deer-skin."  On  some  occasions,  such 
as  a  feast  day  or  festival,  his  display  exceeded  in  value 
a  thousand  dollars. 

After  1832-3  the  dress  of  the  men  was  modified. 
Calzoneras   came   into   fashion.     The  calzoneras  iro 


302 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELUNGS. 


;  i  ':^ 


pantaloons  with  the  exterior  seam  oixjn  throufj^hrait 
its  length.  On  tlio  upi>cr  edge  was  a  strip  of  cloth — 
red,  l)lue,  or  black — in  which  were  the  button-holes. 
On  the  other  edge  were  eyelet-holes  for  the  buttons. 
In  some  cases  the  calzonera  was  sewn  from  the  hip  to 
the  middle  of  the  thigh,  in  others  buttoned.  Froiii 
the  middle  of  the  thiuh  downward  the  leg  was  cov- 
ered  by  the  bota,  used  by  every  one,  whatever  his 
dress. 

Gomez  states  that  up  to  1834,  when  the  colony 
came,  the  dress  was  a  big  green  silk  kerchief  tit-d 
round  the  head,  the  knot  in  front;  another  kerchief 
wrapped  the  neck;  a  blue  wide  chaleco,  partly  open 
below  to  exhibit  a  belt  of  crimson  silk — often  two  or 
three  belts — a  blue  jacket  adorned  with  big  metal 
buttons;  short,  wide  breeches  secured  at  the  kne»s; 
boots  of  deerskin  like  polainas — spatterdashers  or  leg- 
gings— secured  with  colored  silk  bands,  adorned  witli 
mottoes  in  silk  and  beads;  shoes  clasped  in  front— 
abrochados — a  wide-brimmed  hat,  low  crowned,  and 
small  opening  secured  by  a  string — barbiqu-jo.  In 
the  wide  pockets  of  the  jacket  a  silk  handkerchiof 
was  carried.     The  braided  hair  fell  over  the  shoulder. 

And  thus  Pena:  The  men  wore  braids  like  Chi- 
nese, but  without  adding  false  hair.  In  1840  this  f(jrni 
was  abandoned  for  short  hair,  very  short  behind,  huv- 
ing  it  very  long — largo — in  front.  This  was  ternird 
de  furia.  The  women  formerly  used  one  braid,  later 
two.  The  single  braid  was  coiled  on  the  crown,  and 
tliis  was  termed  del  molote.  A  comb  of  horn  or  tor- 
toise kept  it  in  pla^e. 

Coronel,  in  1834,  describes  the  underskirts  of  the 
women  as  elaborately  and  tastefully  embroidered, 
"he  clothing  of  the  men  who  could  afford  it  was  made 
y  the  women  of  the  family.  The  jacket,  of  cloth,  ^vith 
.  any  button-holes  worked  round  the  edges,  was  bound 
'  ith  ribbon  or  cloth  and  elaborately  stitched.  The 
./aistcoat,  of  cloth  or  silk,  was  also  elaborately  stitched 
with  silks  of  divers  colors,  the  button-holes  also  being 


COSTUME  IN  THE  THIRTIES. 


erchief 

uklcr. 

Chi- 

f«>riii 

,  IrMV- 

teruit'd 

latrr 

n,  aial 

)r  tor- 


cliiborately  worked  with  the  same.  The  manga,  or 
1  idiiiLf-jacket,  ailoriied  at  the  wrist  with  cloth,  vtlvet, 
or  fringe,  was  also  made  by  the  women,  as  wi'ie  the 
(itudcras,  or  garters,  used  by  the  men  to  keep  up  the 
1»  !4.s  of  their  boots,  and  which  were  woven  of  silk  with 
licads  in  the  figures  of  annuals,  fruit,  etc.  The  skirts 
of  the  men  were  also  embroidered. 

The  dress  of  a  seiu)ra  of  some  means  was  a  ttinico, 
or  gown,  the  skirt  very  narrow  and  de  medio  jutso,  be- 
fore mentioned,  that  is,  so  small  in  circumference  at  the 
bottom  tiiat  the  wearer  could  take  but  half  a  step  at  a 
time,  made  of  gauze  or  of  silk,  with  the  waist  very  high 
in  the  neck  and  close  fitting.  This  was  adorned  with 
ril)bons  and  the  like  according  to  the  taste  of  the  wearer, 
l^nderneath  the  skirt  was  worn  another  of  red  flannel. 
On  the  siioulders  was  a  rebozo  of  the  shape  of  tiic 
Spanish  mantilla,  and  on  the  feet  low  shoes  of  divers 
materials.  The  hair  was  drawn  smoothly  and  tigiitly 
to  the  back  of  the  head,  and  plaited  in  a  single  braid, 
which  was  tied  above  by  a  ribbon,  and  below  ended  in 
a  rosette  or  bow,  also  of  ribbon.  A  kerchief  of  silk  was 
worn  about  the  neck,  the  ends  being  knotted  in  front. 
Some  women  used  the  camorra,  a  black  silken  shawl 
coquettishly  disposed  about  the  head  and  shoulders. 

The  men  wore  breeches  which  reached  almost  to 
the  knee.  The  exterior  seam  was  open  for  about  six 
inches  from  the  bottom,  the  edges  being  bound  with 
ribbon,  cloth,  or  braid,  and  ornamented  with  four  or 
six  buttons  of  silver  or  some  other  metal.  The  open- 
ing in  front  of  the  breeches  was  secured  by  a  single 
button  of  silver  about  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar.  The 
waistcoat  was  of  cloth,  velvet,  silk,  or  cotton  stuff, 
cauio  well  down  over  the  belly,  and  was  capriciously 
adorned.  The  jacket  was  of  like  materials,  but  larger, 
and  w.s  similarly  adorned.  The  betas,  a  sort  of  leg- 
ging which  had  heels,  were  made  each  of  the  entire 
skill  of  a  deer  tanned  and  dyed  black  or  red,  and  was 
tdoled  or  embroidered  with  silk  capriciously.  A  strap 
passed  under  the  bottom  of  the  foot.     From  the  top 


394 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


I  i 


the  beta  was  doubled  over  until  it  came  to  just  below 
the  knee,  where  it  was  confined  by  the  atadera,  or  gar- 
ter. The  shoe  was  made  of  tanned  calf  or  buckskin 
in  four  or  six  pieces,  each  being  of  two  colors,  red  and 
black,  the  piece  going  over  the  instep  being  embroi- 
dered  with  silk  or  thread  of  maguey.  The  sole  of  the 
shoe  was  of  tanned  ox-hide,  single,  so  that  it  might  be 
flexible,  allowing  the  foot  to  cling  to  the  stirrup,  and 
ending  in  a  point  which  turned  up  over  the  toe  and 
protected  the  leather  of  the  shoe  from  the  stirrup. 
The  shoe  so  made  was  called  del  berruchi.  The  hat, 
broad  in  the  brim  and  round  as  to  the  crown,  was  of 
wool,  and  kept  on  the  head  by  means  of  a  ribbon  two 
inches  wide  passing  under  the  chin,  and  ornamented 
below  the  chin  by  a  great  rosette.  Almost  all  the 
men  bound  a  large  black  handkerchief  about  the  head 
after  the  manner  of  the  lower  classes  in  Andalusia. 

On  the  arrival,  in  the  Hijar  colony,  of  women  from 
the  city  of  Mexico,  fashionable  females  exchanged 
their  narrow  skirts  for  more  flowing  garments,  and 
abandoned  the  braided  hair  for  the  coil,  and  the  large 
combs  till  then  in  use  for  smaller  combs.  The  poorer 
women,  and  in  general  old  women,  from  the  waist 
down  dressed  in  an  underskirt  only,  dispensing  with 
the  gown — the  material  being  according  to  the  means 
of  the  wearer — and  a  chemise  with  sleeves  coming 
below  the  elbow.  The  neck  and  breast  were  covered 
by  a  black  handkerchief,  of  silk  or  cotton,  doubled 
corner-wise,  tlie  corner  being  secured  at  the  back  and 
the  two  points  passing  over  the  shoulders  and  cover- 
ing the  neck  and  breast,  and  fastened  at  the  waist  by 
pins.  The  poorer  women  retained  and  continually 
wore  the  rebozo  of  linen  or  cotton.  Their  shoes, 
made  by  a  member  of  the  family  or  other  relative,  were 
called  del  berruchi,  for  the  sole  ended  in  a  turned-up 
point,  and  another  point  at  the  heel.  All  women  of 
means  wore  stockings,  for  it  was  deemed  imnu)dest 
to  allow  more  than  the  face  and  hands  to  be  uncovered. 
Sheets  and  pillow-cases  were  embroidered,  more  or 


PECULIARITIES  OP  THE  PERIOD. 


less  elaborately,  and  as  stuffs  were  costly,  they  were 
mended  and  remended  as  long  as  possible. 

At  the  missions  were  kept  a  great  store  of  woollen 
cloths,  blankets,  serapes,  jergas,  etc.,  and  at  length 
some  of  them  manufactured  sayal  and  pano  good 
enough  for  clothes  for  the  missionaries.  Formerly 
no  gente  de  razon  went  without  shoes;  but  the  cholos 
of  Micheitorena  introduced  the  custom  of  wearing 
sandals  of  rawhide,  protecting  the  feet  from  stones, 
but  not  against  the  hot  sun. , 

In  the  Vallejo  documents  are  some  satirical  verses 
of  Buelna  entitled,  Paquete  que  se  andan  dando — 
Dandies  arriving — in  bad  rhyme  and  worse  grammar, 
addressed  to  the  first  native  rancheros  who  wore 
lovitas,  frock-coats,  and  tirantes,  or  suspenders. 

"On  arriving  from  Mexico  in  1834,"  says  Hijar,  "I 
was  surprised  to  see  the  men  with  hair  as  long  as  that 
of  the  women,  worn  in  a  braid  over  the  back,  or 
gathered  in  the  crown  of  the  hat." 

Wlien  he  went  on  an  Indian  expedition,  or  when  in 
the  military  service,  the  Californian  added  to  his  usual 
rklinijj-dress  the  cuera,  a  long  overcoat  made  of  seven 
thicknesses  of  antelope-hide  stitched  together,  which 
covered  the  body  from  the  neck  to  the  knees,  and  pro- 
tected the  wearer  against  arrows.  He  also  carried  on 
his  left  arm  a  concavtvconvex  oval  shield — adarga — the 
convex  side  outward.  His  arms  consisted  of  an  old 
tlint-lock  escopeta,  occasionally  a  lance,  sometimes 
pistols,  these  latter  rarely,  and  only  for  officers. 
Generally  all  carried  the  Spanish  Toledan  raj)ier. 
The  same  arms  and  equipment  were  used  by  military 
iiitn,  who  were  however  distinguished  by  their  in- 
sij^nia  and  devices.  The  knife  was  an  article  of  prime 
necessity,  and  was  carried  in  a  slieath  stuck  in  the 
gaiter  on  the  outside  of  the  right  leg.  The  sword, 
although  not  of  much  use  to  civilians,  was  carried  by 
all  mounted  men,  and  was  fastened  on  the  left-hand 
sid(>  of  the  saddle,  under  the  leg. 

]Markoff,  at    San   Francisco   about  1835,  thus  de- 


396 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


scribes  the  rig  of  Senor  Castro,  the  alcalde^  on  his 
visit  to  that  place:  "He  rode  in  a  long  blue  velvLt 
cloak,  with  a  small  cape  of  the  same  color,  resembling 
a  woman's  pelerine,  embroidered  and  trimmed  with 
yellow  velvet.  Beneath  the  cloak  a  petticoat  or  sliott 
skirt  was  visible,  held  together  by  a  wide  silk  sc^arf, 
from  which  a  beautiful  dagger  protruded.  A  black 
felt  hat  and  long  black  mustaches  gave  his  face  a 
martial  and  severe  expression."  At  this  time  tho 
women  wore  slipper-shaped  shoes  of  satin  or  buck-skin, 
with  heels;  they  were  fond  of  jewelry;  had  each  as 
many  silk  dresses  as  she  could  afford.  Bernardo  Yorba, 
of  Santa  Ana,  had  150  dress  patterns  of  silk  and  satin 
of  the  finest  sort,  and  whenever  a  son  or  dauglitcr 
married,  to  the  bride  was  given  a  trunk  full  of  dresses 
worth  $80  or  $100  each. 

A  cuotom  which  ealled  my  attention  in  Santa  Biir- 
bara  in  1840,  says  Arnaz,  was  the  camorra  of  the  wo- 
me!i — a  black  silk  kercliief,  folded  into  a  band  of  abt)ut 
two  inches  in  width,  tied  round  the  forehead,  into  a 
knot  under  the  nape.  This  gave  the  Santa  Bilrbara 
women  a  different  appearance  from  others  in  soutliorii 
California,  and  all  tliere  used  it. 

Wealthy  women  wore  pearl  or  gold  bead  necklaces; 
aretes  or  coquetas  of  gold,  diamond  rings,  and  the  like. 

The  shoes  of  the  men  were  often  of  gamuza,  em- 
broidered with  gold  and  silver  thread.  The  women 
had  silken  shoes  for  balls,  but  cotton  shoes  for  ordinary 
wear.  People  sometimes  bought  ready-made  clothing, 
but  generally  purchased  the  cloth,  made  it  up  them- 
selves into  the  style  of  dress  desired. 

Sir  Simpson,  of  the  honorable  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, found  the  women  of  California  in  1844  wearing 
a  sliort  gown,  displayhig  a  neat  foot  and  ankle  with 
white  stockings  and  black  shoes;  a  handkerchief  mi 
the  head  concealed  all  the  hair,  except  a  single  looj)  o\\ 
either  cheek ;  the  shoulders  were  swathed  in  a  shawl, 
and  over  all  when  they  walked  out  was  the  "beautiful 
and  mysterious  mantilla." 


HATS,  BOOTS,  AND  BREECHES. 


SbT 


The  dress  of  the  men  was  more  showy  and  elab- 
orate: a  broad-brimmed  hat  tied  round  with  parti- 
colored cord  or  handkerchief;  a  shirt  usually  of  the 
finest  linen,  with  a  profusion  of  lace  and  embroidery 
on  the  breast;  a  cotton  or  silk  jacket  of  the  gayest 
hues,  with  frogs  on  the  back  and  numerous  buttons 
on  breast  and  cuffs;  the  pantaloons  split  on  the  outside 
from  the  hip  to  the  foot  with  a  row  of  buttons  on 
either  edge  of  the  opening,  which  is  laced  nearly  down 
to  the  knee;  and  a  silken  belt  round  the  waist  serving 
the  purpose  of  braces.  Under  the  pantaloons  peer 
out  full  linen  drawers,  with  boots  of  untanned  deer- 
skin, the  one  on  the  right  leg  invariably  forming  a 
sc:il)bard  for  a  knife. 

Heeled  boots,  de  ala  6  de  talon,  were  used  of  deer 
or  calf  skin,  and  chieflv  made  in  California.  The 
upper  part  of  the  boot  was  secured  with  silk  bands  of 
viuious  colors.  The  shoes  were  called  berruchi  and 
za|»atoncs.  The  berruchis  were  laced  on  the  side,  the 
zapa tones  in  the  centre  of  the  foot  with  cords  or  thongs. 
Wlien  women  went  out  to  ride,  Serrano  says,  they 
put  on  the  head  a  broad  sun  cloth,  white  or  colored, 
and  ornamented  at  the  four  corners  with  embroidery 
of  silk,  gold,  silver,  or  beads.  This  was  intended  to 
keep  the  face  cool  by  its  fla])ptng;  over  it  was  placed 
a  wide  straw  hat  as  a  protection  from  the  sun ;  at  the 
ri^lit  side  she  carried  her  silk  shawl  or  rebozo,  a  part 
of  tlio  dress  that  is  highly  esteemed  and  great  care 
taken   of 

It  was  regarded  as  ill-bred  to  expose  the  ears,  and 
so  the  long  hair  was  allowed  to  cover  them.  Says 
tlie  ( alifomiian,  in  April  1847:  "For  a  month  past 
tlie  (piestion  has  been  agitated  among  the  wcnnen, 
S'lall  they,  or  shall  they  not,  adopt  the  use  of  bormets? 
Fi-.im  present  indications  the  ayes  have  it.  Who 
will  supply  them?" 

At  Angeles  twenty-six  years  later  we  find  a  bride- 
j?i 'om  at  a  fashionable  wedding  dressed  in  a  yellow 
liat  of  vicuna-skin,  adorned  with  heavy  bands  of  cha- 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


quira  beads  of  different  colors,  \s^ith  tufts  of  the  same 
material,  the  falda  or  skirt  almost  covered  below  witli 
heavy  silver  galloons.  A  wide  chaqueta,  or  jacket,  of 
green  satin,  with  large  flaps,  was  ornamented  with 
buttons  of  Mexican  pesetas,  the  eagle  on  the  face. 
Vest  of  yellow  satin,  with  pockets  de  cartera,  buttoned 
with  gold  escuditos,  worth  $1  each,  eagle  facing  out- 
ward. Wide  breeches  of  red  velvet  were  sometimes 
seen,  reaching  to  the  knees,  where  they  were  fastened 
by  silver  hebillas  on  the  side.  The  bragueta,  which 
revealed  itself  at  every  movement,  was  set  with 
pesetas,  one  of  which,  of  copper  and  very  large,  called 
atrancador,  bore  an  inscription  which  decency  forbids 
a  mention  of  here.  Some  of  the  people  displayed 
botas  of  deer-skin,  of  natural  color,  reaching  to  the 
knee,  where  they  were  secured  with  green  silk  bands, 
tied  in  a  rose,  with  pendants  holding  figures  of  cats, 
dogs,  dolls,  etc.,  of  chaquira  beads  and  gold  and  silver 
thread,  called  alinos.  Where  the  botas  ended  began 
the  shoe,  which  was  pointed  upwards,  with  colgaduras 
covered  with  tinsel  figures,  generally  roses,  which 
were  introduced  between  the  coverings  and  fixed  witli 
cement ;  the  rest  was  covered  with  embroidered  green 
silk  manga,  tastefully  braided — terciada — of  blue  fine 
cloth,  with  red  lining.  The  opening  for  the  head, 
called  muceta,  was  bordered  with  black  velvet  of  oval 
form,  with  silver  galloon  around  and  pendones  of  the 
same  stuff.  The  hair,  according  to  the  prevailing 
fashion,  fell  in  a  braid  over  the  jacket,  ending  in  a  rose 
of  green  ribbons.  He  used  a  mechero  to  hold  the 
cigarrito  of  native  tobacco  and  maize  leaf,  with  flint  and 
steel  weighing  an  ounce.  From  the  end  of  the  media, 
or  wick,  hung  a  bead  doll,  well  worked,  one  cuarta  in 
size,  and  perfumed  with  Peruvian  balsam. 

The  bride  wore  a  tunic  of  yellow  satin,  adorned  he- 
low  with  green  stripes;  white  satin  shoes  called  Ixr- 
ruchi,  pointed  upwards  ;  stockings  of  flesh-colored  silk; 
pafloleta  with  green  points,  triangular,  with  a  green  silk 
flower  in  the  end  falling  over  the  back  and  secured 


I  ' 


CLOAK  AM)  SPUBfl. 


over  the  breast  with  a  similar  flower;  black  niascada 
gathered  like  a  turban  on  the  head,  surmounted  by  a 
crown  of  white  artificial  flowers,  closed  by  costly 
Chinese  silk  of  different  colors,  with  figures  of  birds, 
fruit,  etc.;  ear-rings  of  false  pearls  and  necklace  of  the 
same. 

A  writer  on  Santa  Bdrbara  speaks  of  the  prevailing 
costume  of  the  country  as  consisting  of  "a  broad- 
brimmed  hat,  usually  black,  with  a  gilt  or  figured  band 
round  the  crown,  and  lined  with  silk;  a  short  jacket  of 
silk  or  figured  calico,  the  European  skirted  body-coat 
being  never  worn;  the  shirt  usually  open  at  the  neck ;  a 
waist-coat,  when  worn,  always  of  a  rich  quality ;  the 
trousers,  wide,  straight,  and  long,  usually  of  velvet, 
vilveteen,  or  broadcloth,  occasionally  knee-breeches 
are  worn  with  white  stockings;  shoes  of  deer-skin  are 
used ;  they  are  of  a  dark  brown  color,  and  being  made 
by  the  Indians,  are  commonly  nmch  ornamented; 
braces  are  never  worn,  the  indispensable  sash  twisted 
round  the  waist  serving  all  their  purposes;  the  sash 
is  usually  red,  and  varies  in  quality  according  to  the 
means  of  the  wearer;  if  to  this  is  added  the  never- 
failing  cloak,  the  dress  of  the  Californian  is  complete. 
The  latter  article  of  dress,  however,  is  a  never-failing 
criterion  of  the  rank  or  wealth  of  its  owner.  The 
cahallero,  or  gentleman  aristocrat,  wears  a  cloak  of 
black  or  dark  blue  broadcloth,  with  as  much  velvet 
and  trimming  on  it  as  it  is  possible  to  put  there ;  from 
this,  the  cloaks  gradually  descend  through  all  grades 
until  the  primitive  blankco  of  the  Indian  is  reached. 
The  middle  class  wear  a  species  of  cloak  very  much 
resembling  a  table-cloth,  with  a  large  hole  in  the  cen- 
tre for  the  head  to  go  through;  this  is  often  as  coarse 
as  a  blanket,  but  it  is  generally  beautifully  woven  with 
various  colors,  and  has  a  showy  appearance  at  a  dis- 
tance. There  is  no  working-class  amongst  the  Span- 
iards, the  Indians  doing  all  the  hard  work ;  thus  a 
rich  man  looks  and  dresses  like  a  grandee,  whilst  even 
a  miserably  poor  individual  has  the  appearance  of  a 


400 


POOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELLINGS. 


broken-down  gentleman ;  it  is  not,  therefore,  by  any 
means  uncommon  to  see  a  man  with  a  fine  figure  and 
courteous  nip,  mer  dressed  in  broadcloth  or  velvet,  and 
mounted  on  a  noble  horse,  completely  covered  witli 
trappings,  who  perhaps  has  not  a  real  in  his  pocket, 
and  may  even  be  suffering  from  absolute  hunger." 

Many  Californians  wore  silver  spurs,  and  plated 
work  on  their  saddles  and  reins;  and  on  arriving  at 
the  house  of  a  friend,  they  would  give  the  servant  a 
dollar  to  take  off  their  spurs.  General  Vallejo  says 
that  after  tlie  discovery  of  gold  he  used  to  fling  the 
boy  who  held  his  horse  an  ounce,  equivalent  to  sixteen 
dollars.  Later  tlie  general  would  have  been  glad  to 
have  had  some  of  those  ounces  back  in  his  pocket. 

"Leading  Californians,"  Torres  remarks,  "as  Gueria, 
Alvarado,  Vallejo,  Alvarez,  always  wore  short  hair 
since  I  knew  them,  while  the  middle-blood  people 
wore  it  long."  A  popular  hau  was  the  sombrero  de 
vicuna,  yellow,  with  wide  rim,  and  a  crown  four  or 
five  inches  high.  They  were  not  flexible,  but  were 
light.  On  the  rim  round  the  crown  lay  a  coil  of  gold 
or  silver  braid,  while  some  persons  placed  an  emerald 
where  tlie  coil  united.  A  hat  without  a  coil  cost  $40 ; 
but  after  the  conquest  an  imitation  very  similar  to  the 
vicuna  was  introduced,  which  at  first  brought  the 
same  price  as  the  real  article,  and  then  fell  to  half  an 
ounce.     Americans  liked  them  for  their  comfort. 

Thus  we  see  that  although  the  appetite  was  moder- 
ate, vanity  ruled  high,  as  displayed  in  elaborate  and 
costly  trappings  and  attire,  and  that  here,  as  in  the 
animal  kingdom,  the  male  donned  the  gayer  pluma!4o. 
To  this  love  of  finery,  the  trading  vessels  pandund 
by  bidding  freely  for  hides  and  tallow  with  articles  of 
fancy  and  utility.  While  supplying  cloth  and  ribbons, 
however,  they  could  not  dictate  the  fashions,  wliifli 
followed  those  of  Mexico,  although  there  they  were 
greatly  modified  by  Europe. 

The  true  import  of  home,  that  great  promoter  of 


HOME  SURROUNDINGS. 


401 


culture,  was  little  understood.  The  Californian  lived 
ill  the  open  air  and  in  the  invigorating  sunshine.  The 
li»\v,  one-story  dwelling  of  adobe,  or  mud  and  sticks, 
was  reserved  for  sleep  and  storage.  Notwithstanding 
the  gleaming  whitewashed  walls  and  bright  tile  roof, 
it  lacked  allurements,  and  was  devoid  of  the  romantic 
aspect  so  widely  attributed  to  Anglo-Saxon  country 
houses.  Xo  pretty  creepers,  no  infolding  grove,  no 
shady  trees  in  close  proximity,  no  ornamental  garden 
fringe,  to  relieve  the  desolate  bareness,  which  was  in- 
creased bv  the  absence  of  architectural  decorations, 
and  by  the  smallnes-s  and  de|»th  of  the  window  open- 
ing, seldom  glazed,  and  often  barred.  This  conibined 
dearth  of  taste  and  carelessness  was  a  Spanish  inher- 
itance. 

Tlie  door  opened  frequently  into  an  only  room,  with 
day  floor,  for  lumber  was  costly  from  the  lack  of 
mills.  The  simi)le  furniture  consisted  of  a  bench  or 
two  along  the  walls,  perhaps  some  chairs  plaited  with 
rawhide  thongs,  a  table;  in  one  corner  a  stretcluT 
with  a  hide  cover  for  a  bed,  perhaps  curtained  off  in 
the  absence  of  walled  partitions.  The  low  walls  were 
relieved  with  a  looking-glass,  some  gaudy  pi'ints  of 
martyrs,  and  a  madonna  image,  or  crucifix,  with  its 
dim  light  which  shed  a  gleam  of  solemnity  through 
the  half-gloom  of  the  corner,  a  guiding-star  to  loftier 
thoughts.  The  Anglo-Saxon  hearth  was  not  to  be 
seen.  The  only  fireplace  was  in  a  shed  or  separate 
hut,  partly  because  of  the  mild  climate,  partly  from  a 
superstitious  aversion  to  fires  in  dwellings.  In  this 
hut  could  be  seen  a  few  pieces  of  pottery  and  in^n- 
ware,  and  a  hand-mill  for  grinding  the  daily  sup})ly  of 
flour.  Xear  by  hung  the  hammock  wherein  the  lord 
and  master  swunof  himself  into  reverie  while  awaiting: 
preparation  f»)r  the  meal  by  the  mistress  and  her 
liaud  maidens. 

The  guest  was  placed  in  possession  of  the  premises 
—theoretically;  the  key  to  the  gate  perhaps  was 
given  him;  the  house  was  his  own,  and  all  its  inmates 

Cal.  Past.    26 


11 


402 


FOOD,  DRESS,  AND  DWELUNGS. 


were  his  servants.  On  retiring  to  rest,  tlie  family 
united  in  pronouncing  a  benediction,  and  calling  on  all 
the  saints  to  guard  him. 

There  was  also  a  better  class  of  houses,  built  after 
the  Spanish  fashion,  in  squares,  with  small  inner  court 
filled  with  luxuriant  plants,  watered  by  a  fountain  in 
the  centre.  All  around  the  court  ran  a  corridor,  ujioii 
which  opened  the  large,  half-lighted  rooms,  witli  low 
ceiling,  and  furnished  with  something  of  barbaric 
luxuriousness.  The  red-tiled  roof  w  ith  fervid  stolid- 
ity returned  the  sun's  stare.  Several  of  the  richer 
families  possessed,  after  1824,  handsome  bureaus,  laryo 
mirrors,  tables  inlaid  with  shells — all  brought  from 
China  or  Peru. 

The  rancho  house  wa&  of  wood  (palo  parado),  with 
tule  roof,  and  had  at  the  most  two  divisions,  one  for  a 
sitting-room  (sala  y  alcoba),  the  other  for  sleeping  in. 
If  the  family  was  large,  they  spread  into  both  rooms. 
Many  houses  had  a  door  of  sticks  covered  with  an  ox 
or  horse  hide,  but  none  had  locks;  nor  was  it  neces- 
sary to  lock  the  door  on  the  outside,  for  none  wislied 
to  rob,  and  besides  there  was  nothing  to  steal.  If  the 
family  were  absent  for  some  days,  the  things  of  value 
were  taken  along,  such  as  the  trunk  of  clothes  and 
bed. 

Some  had  beds  of  poplar  (dlamo  or  alamillo)  lined 
with  leather,  and  with  it  sheets,  blankets,  and  cushions, 
according  to  means.  Others  slept  in  big  cacdisks, 
.made  of  latitas  with  a  hide  on  top.  Others  slept  on  a 
hide.  The  furniture  consisted  of  a  table,  a  bench, 
stools,  whalebone  seats,  small  cacdistes  of  reed,  latita. 

Outside  the  house  were  adobe  benches  (poyetes)  at 
least  a  vara  high,  often  whitewashed  like  the  wall. 
Sometimes  the  whitewash  was  too  difficult  to  obtain. 

In  some  parts  the  kitchen  was  an  adobe  oven  (lior- 
nillas),  upon  which  the  pots  were  placed  to  cook. 
Others  had  only  stones  to  support  the  pots  over  the 
fire. 

"  The  houses,"  remarks   a   traveller,   *'  in  all  the 


MISSIONS  AND  RANCHOS. 


408 


towns,  are  of  one  story,  and  are  built  of  bricks.  These 
bricks  are  about  four  and  a  half  inches  square  and 
from  three  to  four  inches  thick,  hardened  in  the  sun. 
They  are  cemented  by  mortar  made  of  clay,  and  the 
wliole  is  of  a  common  dii-t  color.  The  floors  are  gen- 
erally of  earth,  the  windows  grated,  mostly  without 
glass,  and  the  doors,  which  are  seldom  shut,  open  into 
the  common  room,  there  being  no  passage  or  entrance 
lialls.  Some  of  the  wealthier  inhabitants,  however, 
have  glass  to  their  windows,  and  have  their  floors 
boarded.  The  common  houses  have  two  or  three 
rooms  which  open  into  each  other,  the  furniture  con- 
testing of  a  bed  or  two,  a  few  chairs  and  tables,  a 
looking-glass,  a  crucifix  of  some  material  or  other,  and 
a  few  small  daubs  of  paintings  enclosed  in  glass,  repre- 
senting some  miracle  or  martyrdom.  They  have  no 
chimneys  nor  fireplaces  to  the  houses,  the  climate 
being  such  as  to  make  fires  unnecessary;  all  the 
kitchens  are  detached  from  the  houses.  The  Indians 
do  all  the  hard  work,  two  or  three  being  attached  to 
every  house;  and  even  the  poorest  amongst  the 
inhabitants  are  able  to  keep  one  at  least.  All  that 
lias  to  be  given  to  these  poor  creatures  is  their  food, 
and  occasionally  a  small  piece  of  coarse  cloth  and  a 
bolt  to  the  men,  and  a  coarse  gown,  without  either 
shoes  or  stockings,  to  the  females." 

The  mission  children,  Wilkes  affirms,  were  for  the 
most  part  left  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  run 
abcmt  naked  and  dirty.  A  large  number  died  from 
accidental  falls  from  horses,  which  they  rode  from 
earliest  childhood.  Amador  sa3's:  "When  I  was  a 
young  man  every  one  retired  for  the  night  at  eight  or 
nine  o'clock,  immediately  after  supper.  Each  young 
person  of  either  sex  slept  in  an  apartment  under  lock 
and  key.  The  parents  always  arose  very  early  in  the 
morning  in  order  to  open  the  doors,  the  father  those 
of  the  boys'  apartments,  the  mother  those  of  the  girls'." 

Although  hospitable,  the  Californians  seldom  al- 


404 


POOB,  BRESS,  AND  DWELLIKOS. 


^t 


lowed  strangers  in  their  private  t'aniily  rooms.  In  the 
houses  of  the  wealthy  there  were  rooms  for  strang^trs, 
but  they  were  not  allowed  to  enter  into  familiar  (mm- 
versation  with  the  young  women.  It  was  conniKui 
for  the  Californian  to  sleep  out  of  doors,  when  tlic 
saddle-tree  served  as  a  pillow,  while  lying  on  the  sad- 
dle-cover with  his  serape  over  him. 

Small  children  of  both  sexes  had  various  games. 
On  moonlit  nights  they  played  gallina  ciega,  or  blind- 
man's  buff;  they  rode  wooden  horses  about  the  hill.-,; 
they  played  vaquela,  which  consisted  t>f  throwing  l)its 
of  stone,  or  the  like,  at  a  mark  drawn  on  the  ground 
at  a  certain  distance.  There  was  also  a  game  called 
caiia,  or  tdngano,  the  American  ducks  and  drakes, 
a  game  which  Roma^i  children  played,  meta  in  ludo, 
and  to-day  almost  universal.  On  the  result  of  the 
game  they  bet  buttons,  encouraged  so  to  do  by  tluir 
elders,  who  staked  money.  Often  urchins  might  he 
seen  without  a  button  on  their  clothes,  all  having  boiu 
cut  off  by  them  and  laid  upon  the  altar  of  fortune. 

A  fondness  for  some  particular  name  was  frequent. 
Thus,  Juan  Antonio  Hernandez  had  three  sons  named 
Jos^  Basilio,  Jose  Fernando,  and  Jose  Antonio,  while 
two  of  his  daughters  were  named  Marfa. 

Parents,  or  rather  fathers— for  the  punishment 
usually  hurt  the  mother  as  nmch  as  the  child — were 
very  strict  with  their  children.  A  common  way  of 
inflicting  punishment  was  to  oblige  the  youthful 
wrong-doer,  while  his  parents  and  playmates  were 
eating  their  noon  meal  at  the  table,  to  kneel  before  a 
hide-covered  stool,  bearing  an  earthen  plate,  a  tin  cup, 
and  a  wooden  spoon,  in  one  corner  of  the  dining-room. 
"  It  was  a  thousand  times  worse  than  flogging,"  says 
Alvarado,  "as  I  know  by  frequent  experience;  hut 
we  never  used  to  increase  the  shame  of  it  by  laughing 
at  the  culprit.  And  as  soon  as  the  father  went  out, 
mother  and  brothers  and  sisters  always  hastened  to 
the  one  en  penitencia,  and  gave  him  all  the  choice 
food  he  could  eat,  besides  their  sympathy." 


l!  I 


BOYS  AND  WOMEN. 


405 


And  Yallejo  laments:  "In  our  day  a  boy  would 
liave  been  buried  in  the  bowels  of  tiie  earth  sooner 
than  appear  before  his  father  with  a  cigar  in  his 
luttutli ;  but  now  it  is  common.  Before  the  Americans 
tame,  our  sons,  meeting  us  on  the  street,  came  up  re- 
spectfully, and  with  hat  in  hand,  said,  'Senor  padre, 
he  saHdo  de  su  casa  con  dnimo  de  ir  con  Fulano  d  dar 
im  pasco.  I  Me  permite  Vd.  que  continue  divirtiendo- 
1110  r  If  we  consented,  he  saluted  again,  and  went 
away;  but  if  we  refused,  he  obeyed  without  a  word. 
Now,  children  say,  'conio  te  va,  papd,  d  donde  vas^' 
TluMi,  'conio  estd  Vd.,  senor  padre,  que  se  le  ofrece?'" 

Writhig  from  Monterey,  on  the  1st  of  July,  1785, 
to  Diego  Gonzalez,  Governor  Fagcs  communicated 
the  following  order  by  the  comandantc  general.  It 
being  notorious  that  the  officers  and  troops  of  the  pre- 
sidios conduct  themselves  among  the  missions  with 
yreat  laxity  and  innnorality,  very  prejudicial  from  the 
scandalous  deeds  committed  with  the  Indian  females, 
the  governor  is  ordered  to  prevent  a  contiimance  of 
siK'h  evils,  and  to  issue  an  order  condemning  such 
jdactices,  and  imposing  severe  punishment  to  those 
will)  commit  them,  overlooking  none  in  this  matter. 

The  padre  presidente,  speaking  to  his  Hock  the  Gth 
of  ^Tay,  1829,  regrets  the  many  promises  given  by 
men  to  incautious  women,  often  merely  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enjoying  the  privileges  of  marriage.  When 
the  men  thereupon  wish  to  marry  others,  the  women 
interposed  objections.  He  finds  the  remedy  in  a  ce- 
dula  of  April  10,  1803,  which  orders  that  no  tribunal 
shall  admit  petitions  regarding  marriages  unless  cele- 
brated by  authorized  persons,  or  promised  by  public 
writing.  Hence  the  women  must  know  that  no  heed 
will  be  given  to  their  complaints,  unless  the  promise 
is  proved  by  escritura  publica. 


iir 
III 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AMUSEMENTS. 

Vomm  pone  moras,  et  atndiuin  Incri; 
Kigronniique  memor,  duni  licet,  ignium, 
Miaue  stultitiam  consiliis  hrevcui: 
Dulce  eat  dusipere  iu  lovo. 

— Itornee, 

The  Californians  were  much  given  to  divertliit,' 
themselves.  Iiulocd,  to  pass  the  time  pleasantly,  joy- 
ouslv,  was  one  of  the  serious  consideratioTis  amonjjf  this 
world's  affairs,  and  was  on  a  par  with  eating,  drinkiiii;, 
and  religion,  which  latter  was  but  the  securing  of  a 
happy  existence  in  the  heavenly  kingdom,  while  busi- 
ness, learning,  and  all  that  were  but  secondary  aftlii is. 
And  why  should  they  not  devote  themselves  to  wli:it- 
ever  they  most  enjoyed?  Is  not  this  the  privik'i,n  — 
nay,  the  chief  end — of  man,  of  all  animate  things,  tlic 
butterfly  and  the  bee,  apes  and  women,  and  no  ]( ss 
the  merchant,  the  politician,  the  preacher,  and  }>•  il- 
lor,  and  pig? 

It  is  said  by  Senor  Arnaz  that  the  San  Diego  peo- 
ple were  very  merry  and  fond  of  fandangos,  while  +li<»se 
of  Loii  An<>cles  were  more  reserved,  and  at  Santa  I^.;ir- 
bara  thoy  •'/ere  still  more  so,  their  superior  gravity  in 
that  quarter  having  a  religious  tint,  due  to  the  padiis 
and  to  the  great  13e  la  Guerra,  the  latter  being  n<>t 
only  the  defender  of  Santa  Bdrbara,  but  the  consoL  r 
of  the  poor.  During  the  later  years  of  Mexican  rr.k' 
morals  declined,  as  shown  by  the  many  bastard  cliil- 
drcn,  sober  Santa  Bdrbara  having  her  full  quota  ot 
these.     Entertainments  were  more  common  at  31  ou- 

(406) 


SAX  DIEflO  AND  SANTA  BXrRARA. 


407 


toroy,  whoro  tlio  contact  with  stran«5oi'8,  the  presence  of 
tlicj^overnorand  otticials,  IiaclBtaniped  the  customs  and 
manners  in  accordance.  Picnics  (paseos  al  canux))  and 
l)alls  were  frequent.  Society  was  organizi'd  and  classes 
separated;  order  and  fun  reigned  at  entt^rtainnients. 
Cooper,  Aniesti,  and  Abrego's  liouses  were  tlie  cen- 
tres where  halls  were  given  on  festival  nights,  with- 
out ostentation  or  cost.  At  public  balls  rich  wines 
ill  1(1  delicacies  were  plentiful. 

Picnics  to  the  country  were  common,  in  which  sev- 
eral families  joined,  each  contributing  something,  such 
as  chickens,  stuffed  turkeys,  tamales,  enchiladas,  etc  ; 
usually  a  fat  calf  was  killed  on  the  spot  and  roasted 
in  the  open  air. 

One  or  more  carretas  went  in  advance  with  provis- 
ions. Elderly  and  married  females  went  on  horseback, 
on  their  own  saddles;  the  young  women  rode  with  the 
young  men,  having  a  straw  stirrup  to  rest  the  foot,  the 
man  seated  behind  with  an  arm  around  the  damsel  to 
support  her,  his  hat  on  her  head,  while  his  head  was 
bare,  or  a  handkerchief  bound  around  it. 

Arrived  at  the  picnic-ground,  all  alighted,  and  the 
fun  began  under  the  trees,  eating,  drinking,  singing, 
dancing,  and  games.  For  the  picnic,  mats  covered 
witli  shawls  were  spread  on  the  ground,  and  on  these 
wi'ie  placed  the  eatables,  wines,  etc.  On  returning 
to  town,  a  ball  was  given  in  the  house  of  some  one  of 
the  party,  which  lasted  until  the  following  morning. 
Tlie  young  men  supplied  the  wines.  It  was  usual  to 
have  a  sui)per  at  midnight. 

Sometimes  on  a  picnic  they  would  ride  in  wagons 
drawn  by  oxen,  and  in  returning  various  popular  S(^ngs 
Would  be  sung.  If  a  violin  or  guitar  player  was  pres- 
ent, a  friend  would  mount  behind  him  to  guide  the 
horse  while  he  played.  In  the  fruit  season,  people  de 
razon  were  always  allowed  to  enter  the  mission  or- 
chards and  gather  fruit. 

J)ona  liefugio  de  Bandini  speaks  enthusiastically 
ef  tlio  time  when  she  was  a  irirl.     "How  often  did  we 


m 


AMUSEMENTS. 


1 1 


spend  half  the  night  at  a  tertulia  till  2  o'clock  in  the 
niorninjjf,  in  the  most  aarreeable  and  distinsjjuished  so- 
ciety.  Our  house  would  be  full  of  company — thirty 
or  forty  persons  at  the  table;  it  would  have  to  be  sit 
twice.  A  single  fiesta  might  cost  $1,000,  but  in  thoso 
days  the  receipts  at  my  husband's  store  were  $18,000 
a  month.  The  prettiest  women  were  to  be  found  at 
San  Diego." 

The  permission  of  the  authorities  had  to  be  obtained 
to  hold  a  ball  and  illumination ;  as  for  instance,  the  oiu- 
at  Carrillo's  house,  in  honor  of  Fitch's  return  with  his 
bride  in  1830. 

Dancing  was  a  passion  with  the  Californians.  It 
affected  all,  from  infancy  to  old  age;  grandmothers 
and  grandchildren  were  seen  dancing  together;  tlieir 
houses  were  constructed  with  reference  to  this  anmse- 
ment,  and  most  of  the  interior  space  was  appropriated 
to  the  sala,  a  large,  barn-like  room.  A  few  chairs 
and  a  wooden  settee  were  all  its  furniture.  If  a  few- 
people  got  together  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  the  first 
thought  was  to  send  for  a  violin  and  guitar,  and  shoiilil 
the  violin  and  guitar  be  found  together,  in  appropri- 
ate hands,  that  of  itself  was  sufficient  reason  to  send 
for  the  dancers. 

In  early  times  balls  broke  up  at  10  or  11  o'clock 
at  night.  Subsequent  to  1817,  or  thereabout,  the 
keeping  of  such  early  hours  began  to  be  disregartUcl. 
Finally  the  balls  lasted  the  night  through.  In  1840, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  one  of  his  sons, 
Amador  remembers  that  there  was  a  ball  at  the  house 
of  Sdlvio  Pacheco,  at  San  Jose,  which  lasted  all  night, 
and  until  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  continuing  again 
at  8  in  the  evening  of  this  second  day,  and  kept 
up  all  night.  In  1843,  at  the  marriage  of  another 
son,  dancing  continued  for  three  days  and  nights.  The 
supply  of  wine,  aguardiente,  and  comestibles  of  all 
kinds  was  unlimited. 

of  California  dances  and 


)bably 


analy 


m 


dancing  is  by  Coronel,  and  dates  from   1834.     For  a 


PASTORAL  DANCES. 


409 


«« 


ball,  ho  says,  a  large  space  in  front  of  the  house 
selected  was  roofed  with  boughs,  three  of  its  sides 
being  covered  with  white  cotton  stuff  adorned  with 
ribbons  and  artificial  ilowers.  The  fourth  side  was 
left  open,  and  there  horsemen  collected  in  a  group,  a 
strong  fence  preventing  the  intrusion  of  the  horses. 
Around,  the  three  enclosed  sides  were  seats  for  the 
women.  The  musicians,  consisting  of  a  violinist,  a 
guitarist,  and  two  or  three  singers,  stationed  them- 
selves in  a  corner,  where  they  were  out  of  the  way. 

The  master  of  ceremonies,  or  bastovero,  was  called 
el  tecolcro;  from  the  first  he  was  present  organizing 
everything  connected  with  the  ball.  He  led  out  the 
women  when  they  danced  singly;  beginning  at  one 
end  of  the  salon.  Clapping  his  hands,  ho  took  steps 
to  the  music  in  front  of  her  whom  ho  desired  to  call 
out.  She  rising  went  to  the  centre  of  the  salon,  and 
with  both  hands  taking  hold  and  extending  her  skirts, 
began  to  dance  to  the  sound  of  the  music.  After 
taking  a  turn  or  two  in  the  centre  of  the  salon,  she 
retired  and  another  took  her  place.  In  this  way  all 
the  women  present  were  in  turn  called  out,  except 
such  as  could  not  dance  Or  did  not  desire  to  do  so, 
and  these,  for  compliment's  sake,  rose,  and  giving  a 
liand  to  the  tecolcro,  were  by  him  turned  and  reseated. 
While  the  women  were  dancinir,  the  men  on  horseback 
ke[)t  up  a  continual  movement,  and  sky-larking,  com- 
ing and  goin<^,  and  disputing  places,  each  endeavoring 
to  force  his  lu^rse  to  the  front. 

If  the  piece  were  to  be  danced  by  a  couple,  the 
horsemen  who  wished  to  take  part  dismounted,  re- 
ni(»ved  their  spurs,  and  hung  them  at  the  saddle-bow; 
then,  hat  in  hand,  they  entered  the  sakm,  and  took 
out  f'.acli  the  female  selected.  The  piece  concluded, 
tlio  women  retired  to  their  seats  and  the  men  re- 
mounted. 

Their  balls  the  Californians  called  sones,  and  though 
all  were  much  alike,  they  varied  in  the  song  and  in 
the;  e'Tcmonies.  The  jota  was  the  favorite,  and  was 
danced  thus:  Each  cavalier  took  out  a  lady,  and  the 


410 


AMUSEMENTS. 


couples  faced  one  the  other.     The  music  commenced, 
and  the  singers  began  their  verses,  or  estribillos — a 
kind  of  refrain  of  lyric  couplets  of  not  a  very  high 
order  of  poetry — and  immediately  each  set  of  couples 
commenced  to  move  the  hands  and  arms  capriciously, 
taking  care  that  this  should  last  as  long  as  the  verse 
lasted.     Then  the  singers  began  an  estribill'^,  and  all 
the  couples  taking  hold  of  hands  formed  in  a  circle  a 
chain,  whereupon  the  men  went  in  one  direction  and 
the  women  in  the  other  until  partners  met  again,  wJieu 
each  couple  took  its  proper  place.     The  singers  tlioii 
began  another  verse,  and  the  couples  began  to  make 
different  figures,  but  during  the  estribillo  the  move- 
ments were  as  during  the  first.     Of  this  da.nr  e,  the 
step  consisted  in  alternately  raising  the  ftdt  r.i    )  liop- 
ping  gracefully  in  time  with  the  music.      ^^V!,,      the 
dancers  understood  this  dance  it  was  very  ha^m  luious 
and  graceful ;  hence  it  was  generally  executed   by  the 
older  people  who  fully  understood  it,  and  because  this 
dance  required  in  its  execution  a  certain  majestic  grace. 
The  words  of  the  verses  were  according  to  the  caprice 
of  the  singers,  and  perhaps  came  down  from  ancient 
times.     The  estribillo  was  long  or  short,  according  to 
the  number  of  couples  taking  part  in  the  dance. 

The  bamba  was  danced  only  by  those  women  who 
knew  it,  for  it  consisted  of  many  intricate  steps  wliich 
changed  frequently.  The  most  dexterous  [)lacecl  on 
the  head  a  tumbler  of  water;  on  the  floor  was  pi;) cod 
a  handkerchief  with  two  of  the  corners  tied  togcrher. 
This  handkerchief,  the  dancer  while  dancinif  to<) 
up  with  her  feet  and  concealed  about  her  person  - 
sometimes  doing  so  with  two  or  three  handkercJdefs. 
These  she  would  afterward  again  place  on  the  ihnn-. 
All  this  she  did  without  a  single  drop  of  water  being 
spilled.  The  feat  concluded,  the  tecolero  took  from 
her  the  glass  of  water,  and  amid  frantic  applause  slie 
returned  to  her  seat. 

The  zorrita  was  danced  by  couples,  as  was  the  sot 
from  which  it  differed  in  that  durini?  the  sinsifiiiL; 
verse  the  men  made  to  their  partners  signs  or  demon- 


ZORRITA,  ZOTA,  AND  FANDANGO. 


411 


strations  in  keeping  with  the  sentiment  of  the  verse. 
During  the  estribillo  each  two  couples,  joining  hands, 
made  a  turn  or  chain.     A  second  estribillo  indicated 
tlie  time  when  the  men  gave  a  leap  while  clapping 
tlieir   hands.     Los  camotes  was  a  dance  somewhat 
similar  to  the  foregoing,  though  the  time  of  the  music 
as  well  as  the  verses  and  movements  were  distinct. 
This  dance  was  characterized  by  very  measured  move- 
ments,  and   at   the   end   of  the   estribillo   the    man 
saluted  his  partner,  another  taking  his  place.     More- 
over, the  dancers  also  sang.     El  borrego  was  danced 
by  a  man  and  a  woman.     When  the  music  struck  up 
they  began  to  take  steps,  and  on  the  singing  com- 
mencing, each  took   out   a   handkerchief  and    made 
motions  with  the  hands  appropriate  to  the  sense  of 
the  words — for  if  the  verse  said  borrego,  the   man 
feigned  an  attack  on  his  partner,  who  made  motions 
with  the  handkerchief  as  if  baiting  a  bull,  capear;  if 
the  verse  said  borrega,  the  r61es  were  reversed.     El 
burro  was  generally  danced  at  reunions  of  persons 
who  were  intimate,  and  toward  the  close  of  the  diver- 
sion.    As  many  men  as  women  took  hold  of  hands 
and  formed  a  circle.     Another  person,  cither  man  or 
woman,  took  place  within  the  circle  as  burro.     When 
tlie  nmsic  commenced,  those  forming  the  circle  began 
to  dance  about  the  central  fiijure.     Two  or  three  verses 
were  sung,  and  at  a  certain  word  each  man  embraced 
a  woman,  and  the  person  who  was  left  alone  became 
l)urro.     In  all  these  dances,  there  was  a  great  variety 
in  the  words  of  the  versos  and  estribillos. 

xlie  ftindango  was  danced  by  a  man  and  a  woman. 
It  was  necessary  that  he  should  understand  the  dance, 
for  after  a  jaleo  with  castanets,  or  if  he  did  not  know 
how  to  use  them,  snapping  his  fingers,  with  changes 
ami  motions  of  arms,  several  walks  were  taken,  while 
the  nmsic  played  and  the  singer  finislied  the  verso  and 
estribillo.  The  music  ceasing,  the  singer  said  boinba ! 
and  the  man  had  to  recite  a  verse,  generally  of  an 
amorous  character,  to  his  partner — wliioli  poetry  was 
good  or  bad  according  to  the  intelligence  of  him  re- 


0i 


AMUSEMENTS. 


citing  the  same.  On  :  repetition  of  the  perfornianco, 
the  lady  was  the  one  who  recited  the  verse.  If  slio 
did  not  or  could  not  do  so,  the  man  recited  another 
verse.  Another  man  would  then  step  forward,  and 
the  tecolero  would  lead  out  another  woman. 

El  jarabe  is  the  national  dance  of  the  Mexican  peo- 
ple, and  is  of  a  capricious  character,  for  many  words 
and  airs  being  mingled,  each  change  requires  new  steps 
and  movements.  The  tecolero  selected  a  man  and 
woman  who  he  knew  could  dance  it  well.  Tluy 
began  to  dance,  and  in  tlie  pauses  between  the  diflcr- 
ent  airs  the  sincfers  san<;  verses  according^  to  the  nmsic 
which  had  just  been  playefl. 

ia  contradanza  was  a  dance  of  the  better  class  of 
.-.  lety.  The  partners  sto  )d  in  two  rows — the  men 
facing  the  women.  The  nmsic  was  that  of  a  slow 
waltz — durinjj  the  first  four  bars  the  fij^ure  was 
formed,  and  during  the  next  four  waltzing  took  place. 
The  figures  referred  to  were  capricious,  but  genei  .Jly 
the  same  routine  was  followed.  Young  persons  rarely 
took  part  in  this  dance.  The  old  women  of  the  lower 
class  also  had  their  popular  dances.  El  caballo  was 
danced  by  a  man  and  woman,  who,  when  the  nmsic 
commenced,  began  to  balance  to  each  other.  While 
the  verso  was  sunij,  therr  were  movements  of  handkor- 
chiefs.  At  a  certain  designated  time  the  woman 
seized  her  skirts  before  and  behind  as  if  about  to 
mount  a  horse,  the  man  got  astride  of  his  handkii- 
chief,  and  to  the  sound  of  the  music  they  made  move- 
ments as  if  on  horseback. 

Torre  says  that  the  balls  given  at  a  celebration  of 
nuptials  lasted  regularly  three  days.  The  people  atf, 
drank,  and  danced  day  and  night;  while  some  rested 
or  slept,  others  continued  the  festivities.  These  balls 
were  given  in  arbors,  the  ground  being  well  watend 
and  beaten  level  some  days  previor.s.  The  arbor  was 
lined  inside  with  sheets,  bed-covers,  or  other  articks, 
to  exclude  the  wind ;  around  the  sides  were  benches. 
The  women  occupied  one  end,  entirely  separated  from 
the  men.     If  the  women  were  numerous  and  filled 


MUSIC  AND  SONG. 


413 


tlio  scats,  the  men  would  stand  at  the  entmnce,  which 
was  very  wide,  some  on  loot,  others  on  horseback. 
The  musicians  occupied  a  place  assigned  to  them  in 
the  middle  of  one  of  the  sides.  The  tecolero  went 
around  beating  time  with  his  feet  and  leading  out  the 
females  to  dance.  His  method  was  to  make  pirouettes, 
(»r  clianges  of  place,  accompanied  by  clapping  the 
liiuids.  V  ery  soon  the  female  came  forward  dancing, 
wliile  he  made  a  turn  around  her  like  a  cock  around  a 
hen.  The  music  consisted  usually  of  two  violins  and 
a  guitar,  which  la  :ter  the  plaj'er  thrummed  as  hard  as 
he  eould.  Soon  came  out  two  or  three  singers,  who 
s(jU'»tted  in  front  of  the  nmsicians  to  sing  the  air  for 
(liinci.  ■••,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  dance  was  carried 
on  to  song  accompaniment. 

The  female  who  came  out  to  dance  retired  to  her 
place  when  she  so  desired,  and  the  tecolero  con- 
tuiu'd  beatiuix  time  with  his  feet  and  l)rini»ing  out  the 
women  one  by  one  until  he  had  exhausted  the  number. 
Tiio  woman  who  did  not  know  how  to  dance  well,  or 
ciiiild  not  for  some  other  reason,  came  out,  gave  one 
turn,  and  returned  to  her  place. 

It  often  happened  that  while  a  woman  was  dancing 
(iiie  or  more  men  on  horseback  wt)uld  enter  the  arbor 
with  glasses  or  bottles  of  aguardiente,  wherewith  they 
spri'.kled  the  ground  where  she  danced,  at  the  same 
time  making  their  horses  dance,  and  shouting,  "£che- 
las  todas,  mi  alma;  sabe  que  soy  suyo,  yo  la  amparo!" 
Throw  it  all  in,  my  darling;  know  that  I  am  thine,  and 
will  guard  thee  I  Presently  rows  began,  and  scrim- 
mages, and  those  brave  ones  went  forth  to  fii^ht  out- 
side. 

Ill  the  early  days  there  was  a  dance  called  the  con- 
tradanza,  very  measured.  The  jota  was  the  favorite 
(lance  among  Californians.  It  was  aeeompanied  by 
versi's  and  refrain.  In  the  verse  occurred  certain 
figures,  and  in  the  refrain  a  chain  of  hands.  On  oe- 
•  asidiis  there  were  sixteen  couples  in  the  jota,  and 
never  less  than  four.     The  refrain  was  lonjx  when  the 


414 


AMUSEMENTS. 


,  i:ii 


couples  were  numerous.  The  verses  were  unlimited 
iti  number.  For  example,  when  commencing  the  jota 
a  verse  such  as  the  following  was  sung : 

Piilomita,  vete  al  Campo, 

Y  ilile  &  lo8  tiradores 
Que  no  te  tiren,  porq'eres 
La  (lue&a  de  mis  ainores. 

Then  followed  the  refrain : 

El  cuervo  en  el  airo 
Vuela  vigilante 
Vuela  para  atrds 
Viiela  y&  delante. 
Si  la  piedra  es  dura; 
Tu  ores  un  diamante, 
Porque  no  ha  podido 
Mi  amor  ablandarte: 
Si  te  hago  un  cariAo 
Me  haces  un  despreciO) 

Y  luego  me  dices 
Quo  yo  soy  el  necio; 
Coino  si  el  quererte 
Fuera  necedad. 
Pero  anda,  ingratota, 
Quo  algun  dia  cntre  suefio 
Tii  to  acnrdaras 

Que  yo  ful  tu  dueflo. 

There  were  various  styles  of  refrain  and  verses  sung; 

Entro  liis  florea  de  lirio 
No  te  pude  conocer, 
Que  no  parecias  muger, 
Sino  Angel  del  Cielo  empfreo. 

Refrain : 

Yo  vide  una  rata 
Con  trcinta  ratones, 
Unoa  sin  ore j  as, 
Otros  ore  Jones: 
Unoa  sin  narices, 
Otros  narizones. 
Unos  sin  hocico 
Otros  hocieonea. 
Maflaua  me  voy 
Para  los  Sauzalea, 
A  ver  &  mi  china, 
La  Rosa  Morales. 
MaAana  me  voy 
Para  Vera  Cruz 
A  ver  d  mi  chata 
Maria  do  la  Luz. 
En  fin  el  burreon 
Siempre  canta  mal. 
Pajaro  lucido 
Solo  el  Cardenal; 
Falomita  hlanca, 
Pico  de  coral, 
Llevale  &  mi  duefi» 
Este  memorial. 


JARABE  AND  JOTA. 


415 


T^e  jarabe  was  also  danced,  in  which  two  or  four 
persons  took  part,  who  endeavored  to  excel  in  the 
shuffling  of  feet  and  sinj^fing  of  versos. 

Then  there  were  dances  among  the  very  low  classes ; 
these  were  the  same,  but  with  more  license  and  lati- 
tude. These  generally  ended  with  a  fight,  broken 
heads,  filthy  language,  and  insults. 

The  dances  changed  somewhat  with  time;  under 
Echeandia  it  was  customary  to  place  a  guard  at  the 
entrance,  those  among  respectable  persons  being  gen- 
erally held  in  the  parlor  of  the  government  house. 
For  these  there  were  invitation  tickets  issued,  which 
had  to  be  shown  to  the  sentry.  All  respectable  fami- 
lies, however  poor,  received  invitations.  Later,  tliese 
dances  became  demoralized,  and  respectable  families 
withdrew  from  them,  holding  balls  only  at  their  homes, 
when  some  modern  dances  were  introduced. 

Amador,  born  in  1781,  says :  "  When  I  was  a  young 
man,  the  dances  in  vogue  were  the  jarabe,  the  pon- 
torico,  the  navaraba,  the  cuando,  the  queso,  and  other 
airs  (sones)  which  I  do  not  remember."  From  Ama- 
dor's use  of  the  word  son,  it  is  evident  that  these  were 
names  of  different  airs  and  dances,  in  faster  or  slower 
time,  a  single  couple,  or  several,  occupying  the  tioor, 
eacii  individual  introducing  the  steps  he  chose  while 
keeping  time  to  the  music.  In  fact,  these  dances  re- 
sembled minuets  and  the  like,  rather  than  modern 
dances, 

A  ball  always  concluded  with  las  cuadrillas  or  the 
jota.  The  latter  came  from  Spain,  differing  slightly 
in  the  various  provinces,  that  of  Aragon  being  the 
better  known,  and  was  a  very  quick,  lively  dance.  It 
resembled  an  English  country-dance,  or  an  American 
Virginia  reel — the  men  and  women  standing  in  long 
lines  facing  each  oilier — with  which  twenty  years 
since  a  country  ball  in  the  United  States  concluded, 
and  in  some  parts  so  continues  to  do. 

Jn  1800  few  houses  had  any  other  floor  than  the 
bare  earth.     The  owners  would   bring   two    boards, 


416 


AMUSEMENTS. 


1 


which  were  nailed  upon  three  wooden  horses,  thus 
forming  a  platform  on  which  women  might  dame; 
also  tlioso  of  the  men  who  danced  well.  The  jaralx' 
v.as  danced  by  couples,  two,  tlirce,  or  four,  wiio  en- 
deavored each  to  execute  the  most  difficult  and  variiil 
sLeps. 

Kohinson  describes  a  fandango  at  Bandini's  liouso 
in  San  Diego  in  1829.  Any  one  might  attend  without 
an  invitation.  The  room  was  some  50  feet  lony;  bv 
20  wide,  crowded  along  its  sides.  A  mass  of  people 
around  the  door  shouted  their  approbation  of  tlie  per- 
formances. Two  persons  danced  the  jarabe,  kee})ing 
time  to  the  nmsic  by  drununing  with  their  feet,  on 
the  heel-and-toe  system.  The  female  dancer  stood 
erect,  with  liead  a  little  inclined  to  the  right  shoulder, 
her  bands  holding  her  dress  so  as  to  show  the  execu- 
tion of  her  feet.  Her  partner,  sombrero  undoft'etl, 
rattled  with  his  feet  with  wonderful  dexterity.  His 
arms  behind  bis  back  secured  tlie  points  of  his  scrape. 

Dye,  who  came  to  California  in  1832,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing about  ball-room  customs,  wiiich,  he  says,  wei-e 
co'.nnjon  among  the  highest  and  lowest.  Indeed,  in 
earlier  days  there  was  very  little  class  distinction; 
the  poor  and  rich  associated  on  equal  terms,  and  at- 
tended the  same  parties,  "excluding  oidy  such  persons 
— especially  women — as  were  known  to  be  lewd,  or  of 
notoriously  bad  conduct  in  other  respects."  This  state 
of  things  changed  in  later  years,  however,  and  class 
e'.lctinction  grew  clearly  defined — say  from  1 840  to 
ir  jO.  Fornierl}'  private  soldiers  and  their  wives  were 
fill.>wed  at  the  best  balls,  but  afterward  such  a  thini,^ 
wcs  never  seen. 

When  a  woman  was  a  skilful  dancer,  she  had  a 
piod  o})i)ortunity  to  display  her  graces.  The  nuu 
would  become  enthusiastic  and  applaud  her,  and  as 
a  mark  of  particular  appreciation  would  place  their 
hills  on  her  head,  one  on  top  of  the  other;  and  win  ii 
her  head  could  boar  no  more,  she  would  take  the  lints 
in  her  hands,  dancing  all  the  time;  still  more  hats, 


BALL-ROOM  CUSTOMS. 


417 


,  were 
'ud,  in 
K'tioii ; 
jid  tit- 
le rsons 
or  of 
state 
class 
l40   to 
WrVO 

,tiiiii<^' 
had  a 

IIU'U 

lid  as 

I  their 

^vlieii 

liats 

lliats, 


and  even  coin,  were  tlirown  at  lier  feet,  and  when  she 
returned  to  her  seat  these  were  jj^athcred  up  hy  the 
tecolero  and  brought  to  her.  All  the  hats  in  lier  pos- 
isession  liad  to  be  redeemed  by  tlie  owners  with  coin — 
each  one  paying  what  he  pleased,  from  two  reales  to 
five  dollars. 

Wlien  the  ball  broke  up,  the  men  accompanied  the 
women  to  their  homes,  playins;  music.  When  the 
female  eliMncnt  had  been  disposed  of,  the  men  went 
into  the  street  on  horseback,  and  sang  to  music  more 
or  k'ss  vulgar  songs.  Tired  of  this,  they  would  ri«le 
to  the  fields  and  lasso  or  colear  (seize  by  the  tail)  the 
stock;  or  tiny  would  watch  in  the  streets  for  some 
annual  to  give  it  gand)ia  with  the  lasso  from  opposite 
sides.  The  men  would  fre(|uently  leave  the  ball  at 
intervals  to  buy  brandy  at  the  tienda. 

"At  a  party  in  Santa  Barbara,"  says  Garcia,  writ- 
inn"  in  ls;5(),  "the  band  was  brought  by  the  ship  Qni- 
ph\  consisting  of  six  negroes,  with  a  bombo,  two  tam- 
1  tores,  a  timbal,  and  two  clarinets,  all  of  fearful 
tlix'oi'd.  Thonjpson's  house  was  lighted  up  by  8  P.  m., 
with  six  talh^w  candles  placed  along  the  wall  in 
candlesticks.  Soon  the  most  pronunent  families  bc- 
)IM\  to  arrive,  and  the  music  starttMl,  a  violin,  a  guitar, 
and  two  singers.  The  negroes  could  l>lay  (»nly  for 
eeitaiu  dances.  There  was  a  motley  of  colors,  which 
IVoni  the  mingling  presented  a  fine  app(>arance. 
Tliere  was  also  a  figure  in  mask,  general!}'  black, 
will  eh  was  termed  camorra,  if  with  turban.  If  the 
mask  was  narrow,  of  small  surface,  like  a  mere  band 
^vitll  a  knot  in  front,  it  was  called  melindre.  When 
the  director  shouted  vataa!  vataal  each  ])erson  rushed 
I'T  liis  partner.  At  II  or  ll:oO,  supper  was  an- 
nounced, consisting  of  tongue,  olives,  bread,  cheese, 
and  Mine.  After  this  dancinsj:  was  resumed.  At 
last  the  ball  concluded  with  the  canastita  de  fioi-cs, 
iDiisisiiiig  of  a  ring  formed  by  all  the  dancers,  who 
'inicd  around,  singing.  At  the  last  word,  each  man 
lushed  forward  to  embrace  the  girl  he  loved.     As  a 

Cal.  Past.    27 


418 


AMUSE  MKXTS. 


nil  ,  f^ome  fomalo  was  I'.^ft  in  tlic  cold,  nirl  ])ocaino  i].o 
clucuu  do  las  biirhis.  This  was  repeated  S"veral  tiims. 
so  tliat  tlio  diKM^ia  Avas  rlituii^ed." 

Doctor  ^Maxwell,  lonL'C  a  j)roinitient  physician  it) 
San  Fraiiclseo,  wrltiiiL:  in  1843,  says:  "We,  tin-  i-tH 
cers  of  the  squadron,  gave  a  ball  at  the  '^overnnniit 
h(3iise.  At  that  time  the  female  population  of  ^fun- 
terey  had  never  tasted  eak«,',  niince-pie,  or  anytliiii':; 
of  tliat  sort,  and  the  stewai'ds  of  our  nu^sses  were  sict 
to  wo)'k  niahin'j;  all  kinds  of  delit'aeies  of  the  kind  fur 

CD 

tlie  supper.  Our  ^fad^'ira  wine  was  all  ex])end('d.  so 
we  were  ohlijied  to  deiieiul  on  whiskev-toddv,  \\\'v\ 
the  ladies  thou_^ht  very  fine,  and  some  of  them  i'l- 
dulged  in  it  rather  too  freely.  At  the  1)all  wnv  m 
number  of  American  hunters,  who  had  come  to  toAvn 
because  of  our  presence  there.  Captain  Armstroii'^'s 
dancing  w;is  ver\' vigorous,  and  the  perspiration  rollcfl 
d(;wn  his  cheeks.  The  natives  called  h.im  T)r;izos 
Fuertes. 

"These  peo])le  had  the  most  extraordinary'  cu-fi'His:. 
They  Wf)ul(l  come  on  board  ship  and  dance  all  <l,iy, 
and  we  would  go  ashore  and  dance  all  night.  TIkv 
would  sit  down  to  tal)le,  and  every  woman  v.c.nld 
spread  her  handki'rchitf  in  her  lap  ;  whati'vcr  \\v  b;ifl 
on  the  table  they  would  eat  a  part  of,  and  car!-y  ort' 
the  rest  in  their  handkerchiefs — nuts,  fr>'S,  evervtliiii','. 
Their  manners  were  exceedingly  primitive."  The 
doctor  went  still  further  with  some  pin  in  relnt'')ii'; 
Ind(Hxl,  these  people,  in  their  unsophisticated  v.;  v>. 
would  do  things  sometiuK^s  that  would  b'j  consid^ivil 
improper  by  our  more  prudish  people. 

Every  Saturday  at  the  missions  the  neophyti^s  Imrl 
a  ball.  Some  missions  had  a  separate  place  fcv  ^1'"-^: 
at  others  the  dance  went  on  in  the  field.  Wlierv  ;i 
place  was  s(^t  aside,  it  consisted  of  a  rotunda,  ten  yin!> 
or  mon;  in  diameter,  formed  of  poles,  separated  fn^m 
one  another,  which  supported  a  tulo  roof. 


MISSION  INDIANS. 


410 


TliG  ball  l)o«j:au  about  isunsct.  Tlic  music  consisted 
ipf  di'Uin,  lu)iu  truiupcts,  and  small  sticks,  like  cas- 
tanets, wliicli  set  up  a  terrific  lium-drum.  A  fire 
W;is  ]ii;-bti'd  In  tlie  I'l'utre  of  tlie  danelng-[)laee,  and  sev- 
eral outside  Ibr  the  audience. 

The  dancers  were  usually  men,  covered  with  a  luin- 
cloth,  and  lines  (jf  black,  blue,  and  red  colors  over  the 
body  and  face.  On  the  head  they  wore  a  liat  with 
various  feathers,  k^aeh  held  a  stick  taller  than  lilni- 
scir.  Tliey  ])laced  thenist.lves  In  file,  and  be^an  to 
cir(  h'  round  the  fire  to  the  music,  making  contortions 
and  gi'imaees,  and  shouting  somewhat  lllce  sailors 
liiuviniif  the  anchor.  After  a  while  the  leader  of  the 
fiK'  W(»uld  throw  a  li\'o  sjtarrow-hawk  (ga\  llan)  Into 
ihe  fire,  whieli  all  turned  witli  tlieir  poles  wliik: 
dancing,  so  as  to  roast  It  wt.ll.  Wlien  done  it  was 
lalved  out  to  be  distributed. 

l)urln<f  tlie  dance  an  Indian  arrived  as  fromaiiTcat 
(j'stancc,  covered  with  feathers,  and  on  his  head 
pluines  bigger  than  tliose  of  the  rest.  On  seeing  him 
ii.l  s'uieked  in  afright,  and  ran  to  hide.  Amid  the 
.-'nlt'ks  tlie  name  of  cueusuy  (devil)  was  distlnetly 
l.uard.  Cueusuy  retired  after  a  few  moments  to  hide 
I  fhiud  the  trees,  wheiu-e  he  utteied  dies  at  Intervals, 
in  iiiiitation  (jf  some  animal.  WJieii  ho  de|)arted  the 
(liUii'crs  resumed,  the  ball  eontinulng  until  the  mayor- 
(.1(11  iH)  ordered  all  to  bed. 

J)uhaut-Cilly  in  ib'l-i  saw  twelve  mission  Indians 
(.In  ssed  in  a  long  sliirt,  and  feathers  on  the  head, 
('aiice  in  wonderful  accord,  strikin;/  tlie  <;round  with 
i-licks,  gesticulating  with  arms  and  eyes,  making  signs 
(f  love,  hate,  terror.  The  body  was  kept  C'Ved,  the 
l.iucs  soniewliat  bent.  The  scene  was  ligjil^.d  up  b}' 
torches.  The  ondiestra  fornual  a  half-circle  of  women 
.'^uiiMunded  bv  a  row  or  two  of  dilettanti.  The  liar- 
iiiciiy  was  plaintive  and  wild,  mcjvuig  the  nerves 
I'iitlicr  than  the  soul.  While  the  actors  rested,  a 
lidiii  was  blown  to  drive  away  evil  spirits;  the  padres 
winked  at  these  scattered  pagan  superstitious. 


h 


''1 11 


1  I 


;■! 


410  AMUSEMENTS. 

Three  days  of  (laiiciiio;  at  Sonora  re  rated  tlic 
treaty  between  Vallejo  and  Succara.  "Oh,"  e.\(  laiins 
the  autocrat,  "with  wliat  joy  I  pass  in  review  thf 
scenes  at  wliich  I  was  present  in  those  happy  days! 
Althou^li  tliirty-eiglit  years  have  passed,  I  renieniltt  r 
with  pleasure  the  j^raeeful  movements  <»f  the  pi(  tty 
dau«^liters  of  the  Suisun  warriors,  and  tlie  wives  of 
the  fierce  chiefs  of  the  Sotoyomes  in  the  diiiKc 
The  dances  were  much  more  charminj]^  than  tliose 
invented  by  the  boasted  modern  civihzation;  and 
their  manner  of  dress  was  so  simple  as  to  leave 
exposed  to  the  view  of  the  curious  the  larujer  part  (it 
the  dancer's  body,  and  they  presented  a  tout  ensumhle 
to  cause  a  thrill,  and  give  one  an  idea  of  the  terresti  ial 
paradise." 

In  1837,  at  San  Jose,  a  fandancjo  required  the  pn  - 
vious  permission  of  the  algalde.  Owners  or  occupants 
of  the  house  where  held  were  responsible,  jointly  with 
the  authors  of  the  ball,  for  disorders.  In  a  non- 
licensed  dance,  the  first  oflcnce  was  a  ■  of  $'20  ami 
the  stoppai^e  of  the  festivity.     After  first  (ttl'tiKo 

there  should  be  an  increase  of  fine  and  punishment  dis- 
cretionary with  the  alcalde. 

In  1889  there  was  a  municipal  decree  in  force  at 
Santa  Barbara,  to  the  effect  that  whoever  gave  a  hall 
hi  his  house  should  pay  $1,  or  be  fined  $2.  Day  ili- 
versions  were  exempted;  likewise  ])arties  at  niirlit 
when  the  number  did  not  exceed  three  families,  and 
the  hour  not  beyond  10  p.  M. 

In  184G  the  citizens  of  Los  Angeles  seemed  dissat- 
isfied with  the  fine  of  $2  upon  Indians  for  every  tUn- 
dango. 

In  1821.  the  waltz  was  prohibited  by  the  chuivli, 
under  penalty  of  excomunion  mayor.  Nevertheh  >s, 
Juan  Bandini  introduced  it  in  California  in  1830,  and 
it  was  danced  that  same  year  at  a  ball  given  by  tl'.e 
governor  to  the  diputacion  at  Monterey. 

In  the  mission  of  San  Cdrlos  de  Monterey,  gtnor- 


INAUGURATION  CP:REM0NIES. 


421 


ally  known  as  the  Carmclo,  situatoil  aWout  throe  miles 
from  the  capital,  resided  the  jj^reut  theolojifian,  Fray 
Vicente  Francisco  de  Sarria,  and  his  abh^  sccretarv, 
Fray  Estevan  Tapis,  the  f'onncr  at  that  time  jjresidcnt 
nt"  the  missions.  On  the  <lay  appointed  for  the  festivi 
ties  on  the  inau<j^iiration  of  the  last  Spanish  ^•ovcrnor  of 
the  Californias,  Don  Pahlo  Vicente  de  Sola,  in  1810, 
the  astute  father  jj^ave  orders  to  all  the  missionaries 
te  attend,  and  each  to  hring  with  liim  whatsoever  he 
tli(»u<j^ht  mijjfht  add  to  the  entertainnn'nt.  Therenpon 
eiie  of  the  two  missionaries  then  attached  to  each  mis- 
sion attended.  The  late  actin*^  governor,  Aroiiello, 
liad  also  issued  orders  to  the  connnanding  officers  of 
tlie  military  posts,  and  to  the  military  commissioni'rs 
of  the  towns,  to  be  present  at  the  ceri'mony.  The 
couuuidante  of  Monterey  made  ready  for  the  great 
occasion  the  ])laza  of  the  presidio,  200  varas  sijuare, 
with  houses  of  adobe,  tile-roofed,  and  surroundtnl  bv  a 
wall  twelve  feet  in  height.  The  })lace  was  entered  by 
a  huge  gate,  which  was  locked  and  tlu'  kiys  deposited 
witli  the  comnmnding  ofticer  of  the  principal  guard 
t  very  evening  at  sunset.  In  the  centre  of  the  pla/.a 
weie  constructed  broad  covered  corridors  or  yfallerii's 
supported  by  strong  pillars.  All  the  habitation  build- 
ings were  classified  as  quarters  for  the  commanders, 
olficers,  and  soldiers,  who  were  mostly  men  of  family. 
Oil  this  occasion  they  ornamented  the  place  M'ith  pine 
and  other  boughs,  placed  along  the  front  of  the  gal- 
leries, and  so  arranged  that  the  })lace  presented  a  very 
attractive  appearance.  The  church  standing  f»u  one 
si<le,  as  well  as  all  the  other  edifices  and  trees,  shone 
liiiHiant  from  liohts  placed  within  clav  vessels.  In 
the  centre  of  the  }>laza  stood  the  llag-stafl*  at  the  top 
"f  which  waved  the  S[)anish  ensign  with  its  lion  of 
Castile. 

'  hi  the  following  day,  about  twenty  priests,  with 
their  president,  were  in  attendance  at  the  church  to 

•  haiit  a  te  deum,  assisted  by  thirty  Indian  musicians 

•  ollected  from  the  different  missions,  together  with  an 


I 


FEASTLNG  AND  GAMES. 


423 


ml  )a  it 
iers  nf 

tmv ; 
:-lu-iiii, 
at'mns. 

J''ui;i 

<■•    In 

>  llu' 

will) 
i/.lllLi" 

ivte>, 
■  l!:c 
self, 
ell,  at 
1  tliut 
t.i  !iis 

sul'tlo 
y.'Uii;; 


liii" — to  kiss  the  hand  of  his  soiioria  in  the  nauic 
of  t]i(}ir  })areiits,  accordin^jf  to  custom.  Anions;  tiiose 
]>i<)tnin(M)t  for  their  beauty  and  iiianner  wnv  Mao- 
tlaiciia  liistudillo,  Ma*i,(lalcna  Valltjo,  and  Jusuhta 
Estrada.  I-pon  tiie  word,  the  lirst  named  stepped 
forward  and  informed  his  seiloria  that  she  and  her 
companions  liad  come  on  belialf  of  tlieir  ])arents  and 
iriends,  to  tender  to  his  scnoria  ^heir  fehcitaiions 
on  Ills  accession  to  the  ijovernment  of  the  peniusuhi. 
All  these  ^irls  were  dressed  in  the  heiglit  of  eh'^'ance, 
jiicording  to  tlie  usages  and  fasliions  of  tlie  times; 
llii.v  kissed  the  governor's  Jiorny  liand,  and  the  fat, 
lial»l.y  hands  of  the  missionaries.  Tlie  good  governor 
Jiked  it,  and  would  not  have  objected  to  more.  The 
]iriests  were  accustomed  to  it.  The  governor,  (d' 
cninse,  was  overwhelmed  at  the  sight  of  so  nmch 
gathei'ed  loveliness.  He  invited  them  to  take  seats, 
addressed  them  in  a[)pro}»riate  terms,  and  Illkil  with 
uratitude,  he  caused  his  orderly  to  brinsi'  into  the 
r(  i(  |)ti<,)n-room  several  l)eautiful  boxes  that  lu;  had 
iiiought  from  ^lexico,  containing  sweetmeats,  one  of 
wliich  he  gave  to  each  of  the  lovely  damsels,  who 
I'll  rru])on  r"tlretl,  ■.veil  satisfied  at  having  thus  fuliilled 
so  pleasing  !i,nd  important  a  duty. 

the  governor  and  suite  then  repaired  to  the  dining- 
inoiii,  wher.;  was  ready  an  a}nl>/;/n,  or  luncheon,  con- 
sist iiig  of  dt»mestic  and  game  birds,  conlials  a!id  wines, 
Iresh  and  jtreserved  fruits,  the  production  of  the  south- 
(  vii  ])art  ot' the  ])eninsula,  ))r'oniiiunt  amongst  the  nii-c 
things  being  tlie  t)h\es  of  iSan  JDieg(»,  the  oranges  and 
pomegranates  of  San  (iabriil,  the  tigs,  ]>ituhayas,  and 
jii'i  served  (Kites  of  Lower  California,  and  the  wines  of 
I'll'  San  J''<'rnando  mission,  whose  pailri'S  so  well 
ini<ier>tood  the  l)U.>-iness  that  the  like  of  tliem  has 
H'  \er  been  repeate(.  to  this  day.  The  table  was  fur 
tlur  set  otf  with  roses  and  other  llowers  from  JJou 
f  cjipo  (iarci'a's  garden,  about  half  a  mih;  east  ol"  the 
|'!'sidit).  \)i)\\  Fi'lipe  was  (|uitc  aged,  liaving  liteu 
"11'  of  the  lirst  settlers  of  the  capital.      l*resent  were 


424 


AMUSEMENTS. 


throe  of  Lis  oliarming  white  daugliters,  \vliito  as  snow 
and  with  rosy  cheeks,  and  black  liair  reaching  down  to 
their  ihi^t.  And  such  waa  its  profusion  tliat  their 
necks  had  grown  thick  in  carrying  it.  His  worshii) 
was (juite  struck  witli  tlie  niagniticence of  tliis ban(|U(t, 
which  displayed  such  liberality  and  good  taste.  Tlic 
bread  and  cakes  were  of  wheat  tlour  from  the  mission 
of  San  Antonio,  fan\ous  over  all  others  in  the  country 
for  its  good  quality.  After  the  ambigu,  which  was 
about  1  P.  M.,  and  the  toasts  and  usual  com[)linu  iits 
being  over,  as  the  quantity  of  viands  left  was  so  great, 
orilers  were  given  to  put  up  tables,  and  call  in  the  }»op- 
ulace  to  eat  and  be  tilled.  About  five  hundred  wiiv 
thus  fed,  and  there  was  still  food  enougli  left  to  1;l'lji 
the  otHcers  in  good  humor  for  a  i'ortnight. 

The  commandant  now  informed  the  governor  tliat 
the  soldiers,  dresF'^d  in  their  vaquero's  garl),  wcic 
ready  to  exhibit  before  his  worship  their  customary 
entertainment.  The  governor  expressing  his  assent, 
forthwith  four  riders  mmmted  on  Hery  steeds  enttittl 
the  plaza  through  tiie  great  gate  of  the  [)resi(Ho.  Tin  y 
were  covered  with  an  embroidered  cuirass,  and  an  aii- 
quera  with  bells.  They  were  not  alone,  but  \vitli 
them  were  two  large  black  bears;  four  other  horsr- 
mcn  drove  in  two  fii-rce  bulls,  which  were  to  be  made 
to  fight.  The  crowd  shouted  and  made  their  btt 
The  native  musicians  loudly  sounded  tlu'ir  violins, 
fiutes,  and  drums.  After  the  figlit  was  over,  the  gov- 
ernor was  told  bv  the  comandante  that  thi'se  Iteasts 
were  continuallv  coming  down  fr(.)m  the  high  nioun- 
tains  and  destroj'ing  cattle,  and  that  the  inhabitants 
had  no  nutans  of  exterminating  them.  A  ball  was 
amiounced  for  the  evening,  and  the  padres  tot>k  tin  ir 
departure. 

Two  days  later,  the  governor,  with  his  eseoit  of 
ofHeers,  soldiers,  and  private  persons,  repaired  to  tlic 
San  Ciirlos  mission,  proceeding  by  the  Calvario  loid. 
Tliis  road  went  through  a  dense  forest  of  pine,  ahout 
a  thousand  varas  from  the  mission  buildings.     In  ihf 


AT  THL  MISSION  CHURCH. 


425 


forest  were  placed  manv  ofreat  crosses,  slnfiiificaiit  of 
( 'lirist'.s  sufleriiiLifs.  They  had  not  procccdeil  far,  when, 
liilioldl  a  hand  of  holy  men  appeared,  to  tlie  nuniher 
(if  twenty,  all  woarinj^  newly  washetl  robes,  and  at- 
tended by  a  multitude  of  young  Indians,  who  also 
liad  on  their  dress  of  acolytes.  The  vaniifuard  of 
the  acolotists  Avas  closely  followed  by  tlie  padres 
marching"  in  two  wings,  and  in  the  centre,  u[>on  a 
grand  platform,  was  set  a  crucifix;  next  came  a 
lioi'de  of  whitewashed  savages,  to  the  number  of  two 
tliousand,  each  carrying  a  branch  in  his  hand.  The 
ii'overnor  was  escorted  by  twentv-five  cavalrymen  in 
full  uiiii'orm.  Behind  the  escort  came  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  ft'males  of  all  ages,  and  all  mounted  on  fine 
liurscs.  The  governor  and  his  officers  stopjx'd.  alighted, 
ami  walked  to  the  centre,  where  the  crucifix  was  pre- 
sented by  the  president  of  the  missions,  llfs  wor- 
?lii[>,  and  the  officers  one  by  one,  kissed  the  leet  of 
that  c'ffigy,  and  then  rei)aireil  to  the  temple.  The 
acolytes  kept  burning  incense  in  a  large  number  (»f 
silvt  r  thuribles.  The  church  ceremony  consisted  of  a 
srruKMi  preached  in  Spanish  and  in  Ii>  lian  by  the  vir- 
tuous Fray  Juan  An)oros. 

When  ( V>siromitinofl'  came  to  San  Francisco  with 
the  Hussian  governor  in  1842,  ho  gave  a  ball  <»n  board, 
t'l  which  iill  the  families  around  wore  invitt d,  the  ship 
heiiig  fitted  for  the  occasion,  and  with  burning  ]>or- 
funies  to  deaden  the  smell  of  the  Kodiaks.  Koal 
sherry  wine  was  ottered  in  honor  of  the  Califoiniaiis 
rt  the  bancjuet  preceding  the  ball.  Arnaz  savs  that 
Iridic  Quijas  came  and  changed  dress  with  him,  he 
takiug  the  priest's  robe  and  dancing  the  (juudrille 
with  iiim,  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  girls. 

So  great  was  the  res[)ect  f  »r  pan-nts  in  California 
tliata  young  man  would  never  dance  in  their  ])reseiice 
until  permitted.  They  were  not  allowed  to  jt»in  a  ball 
bt Tore  twenty,  although  they  may  have  learned  to 
(laiiee  in  the  alsi'uce  of  their  parents.  After  ltS;;i  the 
tu.st(nu  became  less  strict.     JJalls  wore  begun  by  the 


42G 


AMUSEMENTS. 


older  people,  no  3'^oung  person  taking  jiart  unless  mar- 
ried.    When  tlie  old  men  retired,  then  the  more  ad 
vanrcd  youth  entered. 

Ji;irkiii  gives  the  following  as  the  cost  of  a  ball: 
2  dozi'ii  wine,  .^li);  1,',  dozi'u  beer,  $13.50;  ^O  pits, 
s!:i;  cake,  ^12;  box  raisins,  84 ;  cheese,  $1.50;  U  \^^t- 
tles  aguardient(>,  $i:i.50;  nmsic,  $25;  i)  pounds  sperm 
candles,  $1);  comichi,  s5;  5  j>ouiids  cftfl'^e,  .i?2.5');  (i 
pounds  sugar,  $:];  servants,  $4.     Total,  $125. 

After  tids  was  a  sham  fiiiht  of  the  Indians,  t' rnii- 
nating  with  their  looseniufji;  the  striiiLi's  of  their  bov.s, 
;ind  laying  their  arms  at  the  feet  of  the  governor  as 
a  mark  of  .-lubmission.  The  Indians  were  dismissed 
after  presents  of  beads  had  been  distributetl  among 
them. 

( )n  the  arrival  at  San  Dit-go  of  the  Ilijar  colony,  a 
ball  was  given  in  their  honor  by  Jose  Antt)ino  Aguine, 
and  another  by  Juan  J^<tcha.  After  the  CaliforisiaiiS 
had  dane(Hl  their  sones,  ami  other  antiquated  and'ks, 
the  new-conn^rs  perfoiaued  th.e  more  modern  move- 
ments in  vogue  at  the  ca|)ital.  For  the  first  time  tlie 
wait/,  the  c]nadrill(>,  and  the  i-ontradanza  were  m;i.!  ' 
known  to  the  people  of  Calif  )rnia. 

Tht.'  following  is  a  litend  translation  of  a  print' d 
invitati(.n  toal)aJl:  "Jos(''  Figueroa,  J<ise  Antoiii" 
Carrillo,  i^io  l^ico,  Joaijuin  Ortega,  and  the  lieontiat.' 
Kafael  (/('mie/,,  retjue-^t  your  attendance  at  S  o'eloek 
this  eveiiinnf,  at  a  bnll  that  v,  ill  be  ii'iven  at  the  hoiiM' 
of  the  first  named,  to  congratulate  the  dhvctors  cf 
colonization  and  their  estimable  fellow-travellers,  the 
eleetioii  of  d(>[mt;es  for  th(>  tiM'iitory,  and  tiie  country 
U[>oii  its  enjoyiiient  of  miion  and   pi-ace.      M()ntci'iy, 


X 


ov 


!.  Is;l4.      ("it! 


xen 


.^[; 


inano  Ijonilla 


All  ( 'alif(»rnians  could  make  shoes  ami  play  tla' 
vihu'la  or  guitar.  I^nciv  niu'lit  thev  passed  tlii'tii-li 
the  streets  '''ivuig  seri'iiades  and  sinuin'-'  wluit  occuiicd 
to  them.     One  soif-'  ran  : 

o 
Yi  ii.'iriil  1  I  riti-  li'n  rntonc>:. 
Uuuii  biu  uabLxi — y  iitrub  cubuzoiiea. 


II ISTORIC  IN.STRU-MENTS. 


lilt' 

.1 

(■(H\ 

i» 

i'uit 

^ » 

1,:. 

•k 

cU 

-r 

lo 

<'f 

.   1^ 

U' 

i,try 

V, 

The  airs  playctl  at  liall.s  wne  v\  malciiado,  <■]  alor- 


ratlo,  ol  a'lullo,  (1  tu/;a.  ol  iiiaracuinlic,  la  va( 


iui 


a,  etc- 


MoNt  iiuu  could  ]dav  instruments  and  sin*'-,  so  that  niu- 
sicians  were  easily  relievi-d  at  a  party.  At  San  (Mrl'»s 
in  the  inventory  of"  rliureh  pro[terty  of  !84:'5  a[)[ 


thn 


CO  vioinies,  one  vioion,  one 


U 


tatuh 


ear 


)ra,  and  one  tnan- 


Allf). 


All  throuc^h  these  pastoral  d;iys  there  was  present 
the  material  for  a  hundred  pastor.d  ])oems,  oidy  there 
v;a;:5  not  present  any  discovered  Tlieocritus  or  Virgil 
to  v,-rite  them. 


.Vr!ia/  state 


-ni 


some  of  which  points  he  is  mis- 


I 


L-IU- 


takeii — that  the  usual  instruments  were  A-iolin- 
tirs,  and  some  clarinets  and  harps.  The  p!'>'HM'r 
jlano  was  played  by  Manuel  Jinieno.  Santa  Ijiirhava 
Mas  foremost  in  havinu'  the  •••uitar,  (!uillirm<»  (  'ariillo 


H  Ul 


1 
til 


tl 


le 


play 


er. 


<>1 


•era  musie  was  nt 


>t  1< 


nown, 


hut 


le  wonuMi  could  play  and  snii;'  J'retty  S}>ani<li  songs. 
Tiie  Soheranes  <>'ii'ls  had  no  musical  kn-'wled^e,  vet 
til- y  sang  well.  The  hest  violin  and  harp  players 
Were  at  Angeles;  the  hani  i)lavei'3  were   from   ^Irx- 

o,  one   Jjopi'Z  liemg  promn 


||  u 


t.     Tl 


le  vio 


lini-t- 


Wel' 


(  alifornians,  the  best  heing  the  Mrst  Imsl^and  of 
Sl'phen  Forster's  wife.  TIu'  missions  had  orchestras 
ef  Indians  taui-'ht  by  the  padres,  coiisistln-''  usuallv  of 
one  ])oinbo,  one  drum,  one  tria!V4lo,  one  violin,  sev- 
crd  base  viols,  and  one  tlute.     Tli'-  ])lavers  saiiLir  also 


l!l 


the  choir,  assisted  by  (.»thers.     Although  a.t  tim 


es 


'OOf 


1  compass,  yet  it  was  ofteti  dissonant,  b(>th  in 
l>l:\ing  and  sin<'in'jr.  The  Trdians  could  not  ^-i-asi) 
nuisic.  Tl!e\'  were  iicver  call"d  to  nhn'  at  a  baJl :  there 
til"  guitar  and  vidhn  were  connnonly  uslcI,  and  at  rare 
tiui's  the  band  was  brouglit  from  a  man-of-war. 

Xotwithstanding  what  Aiiia/  says.  San  ( Jabriel 
liad  an  orchestra  of  Indians  who  }>layed  ilute-,  guitars, 
violins,    drums,    tiiano-lcs,    and    cvmbals,      A1I    other 


missions  had  more  or  |i 


H'Ol  )( 


1  oreh.cstras  and  sinuers. 


K\"''rvtliing  played  in  tlie  temple  W.as  c-dl.  d  a  minuet. 
Joa(|uin  Carrillo,  father  in-law  of  A'allcjo,   was  an 


■  ni 


428 


AMUSEMENTS. 


accomplished  violinist.  When  a  soldier  he  was  ono. 
night  playing  at  a  ball  at  the  house  of  Comandaiitc 
Kuiz  at  San  Diego.  Ruiz  was  fond  of  a  certain  air, 
wiruh  ho  ordered  CarriUo  to  })lay;  and  because  he 
thought  the  latter  too  long  in  tuning  his  instrument, 
Ruiz  ordered  him  put  in  the  stocks,  and  sent  the 
guests  home,  it  being  then  about  midnight. 

While  Commodore  Jones  was  at  ATonterey,  many 
balls  were  given  in  his  honor  by  Larkin  and  otlnis. 
On  one  occasion  Larkin  borrowed  of  Abreijo  onr  of 
the  three  first  piamxs  brought  to  California.  They 
were  brought  from  Baltimore  by  Captain  Smith,  one 
sold  to  Jose  Abrego,  another  in  San  l^edro  to  Eulogio 
Celis,  and  the  third  to  M.  G.  Vallejo  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. Aijrego  granted  the  request,  but  suggisttil 
that  a  piano  would  not  be  of  much  use,  since  no  nw 
knew  how  to  play  on  it.  Rut  to  the  surprise  of  all, 
it  was  solemnly  affirmed,  the  boy  Pedro  Estrada  sui- 
ceeded  in  phu'ing  the  instrument,  althougli  he  had 
never  touched  one  before!  It  was  proposed  to  si  nd 
the  boy  to  Mexico  to  be  educated  in  nmsic,  but  the 
advice  of  David  Spence  prevailed,  who  thought  a  cai-- 
penter  more  useful  than  a  musician. 

Most  of  the  instruments  used  in  the  mission  choii-s 
were  made  at  the  missions,  and  were  consequently 
rude  and  inferior.  The  ancient  po])ular  songs  of  the 
Californians  were  introduced  from  Sonora. 

Their  ])assion  f  )r  nmsic  is  aptly  illustrated  In'  an 
incident  of  the  war.  California  once  conquered,  tlic 
ITnited  States  authorities  adopted  the  judicious  polii  y 
of  conciliathig  the  ^Texican  element  in  everv  wav 
possible.  Rights  of  property  were  respected,  and  the 
people  were  invited  by  proclamations  of  anniesty  and 
protection  to  return  to  their  homcb,  and  no  vioUiico 
should  be  ofl'ered  to  any.  The  commodore,  wluu 
at  Los  Aiigeles,  even  went  so  far  as  to  request  (^ip- 
tain  Rhelps,  long  a  trader  on  the  coast  and  a  man 
familiar  with  the  ways  of  the  people  and  possess! n.; 
their  confidence,  to  visit  them  in  their  hiding-places, 


I 


POWER  OF  MUSIC. 


429 


iissure  them  of  safety,  and  induce  them  to  come  forth. 
Ca{)tain  Phelps  ri'plied:  "You  have  a  fine  hand  of 
iiuisir;  such  a  thin«^'  was  never  before  in  tiiis  country. 
Let  it  phiy  one  liour  in  tiie  phiza  each  day  at  sunset, 
and  I  assure  you  it  will  do  more  toward  reconciling 
the  }><jo|>le  than  all  3-our  written  proclamations,  which, 
iiidcid,  l)ut  few  of  them  could  read."  "  My  sujj;<ifestion 
was  adopted."  continued  tlie  captain,  "and  the  results 
wtru  soon  evident.  At  fiist  the  children  on  the  hill 
vtiitured  down  and  j>ce})ed  round  the  corners  of  the 
linuses.  A  few  lively  tunes  brouirht  out  the  vivas  of 
tlic  elder  ones,  and  l)efore  closing  for  the  day  quite  a 
ciicle  (»f  delighted  natives  surrounded  the  musicians. 
The  following  afternoon,  the  peo[)le  from  the  ranchos 
at  a  distance,  hearing  of  the  wonderful  performance, 
iH'.jan  to  come  in.  I  saw  the  old  priest  of  the  mission 
of  San  (ial)riel  sitting  by  the  church  door,  op|»osite 
the  [)laza,  and  introduced  him  to  some  of  the  otiicers. 
The  old  man  said  he  had  not  heard  a  band  since  he 
Ktt  Spain,  over  fifty  3'ears  ago.  *Ah!'  said  he,  'that 
niu^ic  will  do  more  service  in  the  conquest  of  Califor- 
liia  than  a  thousand  bayonets.'  " 


The  Califoniians  were  not  without  their  dramatic 
{It  rfnruiances.  The  I\ii<f(>nla,  c<tmposed  by  J'adre 
Kloivncio  of  the  Soledad  mission,  and  a  copy  of 
\\liii'Ii  is  among  the  A'allejo  documents,  was  often  ]»er- 
t'uiiied.  It  was  a  great  favorite,  and  was  usually 
I'lought  out  on  Christmas  eve.  IMo  l*ico  used  to  phiy 
the  part  of  Bato,  the  chief  shepherd;  the  Vallejos  fre- 
•  lU'iitly  took  part.  But  the  best  playiT,  and  the  one 
wlio  used  to  get  most  applause,  was  Jacinto  Rodriguez, 
wlio  used  to  go  to  the  seashore  to  practise  his  part, 
uUering  fearful  shouts,  and  making  all  kinds  of  crazy 
L!i>tures,  to  the  jxreat  anmsement  of  the  boys  who  hid 
Hear  i)y  and  watched  him.  Under  Chico's  rule,  m 
1  '''.  a  company  of  Mexican  maromeros  (acrobats) 
caim  to  ^Monterey  to  perform. 


i    li 


4.10 


amu.-^i:mi:nt.s. 


M     I 


There  were  some  fine  race-liorsL'S  licrc  in  j^astcr;  1 
timus.  C()vairul»i;is  saw  a  liorse  from  San  Diego  at 
^rexico  in  18.10  wliich  Avas  fiunous  for  slioi't  di.-tancf  s. 

It  Mas  common  to  race  to  cliiircli  on  Sunday's  with 
oxen-drawn  wagons,  eontainingtlio  family.  The  staki  .< 
wei'c  money,  stoclc,  or  halls.  ^Tnnv  oxui  ^■a]l<:l)'(l 
like  jiorses,  and  did  sn  from  practice  without  h'  in^ 
urued  with  the  uoad. 


As  in  all  other  affairs,  the   law,  with  its 


mi 


)rn,ir 


w 


isdom  and  strength,   was  ncjt   iar  away.      In    IPHt 
Governor  Fi;4:ueroa  writes  to  Alcalde  Jinicno  lU'ohih- 


itinijf 


tl 


ic  runnni'. 


im 
.tray  ]ior.se.s  at  ^Monterey,  S. 


in 


Jose,  and  San  Francisco. 

In  IS'.VJ  at  Los  Anu'des  Avila  and  Diiai'tc 


;ie 


'.{ 


on  a  horse-race,  Ixtting  a  l);ii'rel  of  hrandy,  two  hri'lcon 
liorses,  and  H\'e  dollars.      Duarte  brc»ke  the  rules  of  the 


I 


race  uy  givmg  a  blow  < 


bl( 


on 


tlie  head  of  ^vvila's  1 


lorse  an 


hloch 


tl 


mu:  t!u>  w;p 


an( 


lAvih 


1 


appeared  1)1  fore  the  alcald. 


with  witnesses  to  demand  tlie  stake-<,  altliouuh  Duart 


e  s 


lorsc 


had 


(^tine    m   a 


head.      Avila    fiileil    to   charh 


l>rove  the  infringements.     After  Jiearing  the  testii 


noir, 


pro  and   con 


t!ie   alcalde   decided  that  as   the  course 


\\as  not  properly  fenced,  t]\c  ])arties  should  pay  a  Ihi;' 
of  i^'lO  each,  and  that  th-  r;\co  he  repeated  in  twenty 
days,  in  presence  of  a  ri'gidor. 

Suit  was  hrouglit  at  I.os  Angeles,  m  IS  (0,  a 
Fernando  Sepulveda  to  pay  A,  l*ico    100   calw 


L!"anr- 


a;;i 


diti 


(Mic  horse  lost  at  a  race  -  conditions  lia\i:i'>-  if 'H 
I'gally  arranged.  Sv>pi'il\eda  had  promised  to  j'ny. 
hut  afterward  refusid,  aUh(>ugh  the  judge  had  deriJ-'d 
against  him  with  costs,  in  accord  with  article  01  of  law  f^'f 
congress,  IS:")?.  Sepulveda,  on  heing  tlircaten(Ml  with 
execution,  pleaded  that  his  property  helong  d  to  h:< 
fith(  r;  he  was  merelv  an  hiio  de  familia.  '^riie  hiiiids- 
man  was  now  called  upon,  hut  he  showed  that  ^'ouiijif 
Seiu'ilveda  had  Won  hits  hifoiHv  and  received  the  stakes 


.1 
with  the  fa  tiler's  k 


low 


hd. 


Th 


uil^re   seizi 


d  tho 


stock  representing  stake  and  costs,  hut  was  orderetl  'y 
government  to  return  it,  SepiilviMla's  asscrtior.s  rcgi'''l- 


HORSE-R.vCiNf;   AND  COCK  FIi.KTINO. 


431 


iiv'"  tlic  mlnoritv  of  tint  son  1)i'liiLr  ivcou'iiizcd.  Tln^ 
Aii''i'k'S  iud'je  (IclavcMl  olx-viii''-  this  order,  and  t]i<> 
docuiMonts  mid  a  copy  of  Sopulvcda's  stateinont  was 

lit  to  t]io  supremo  trilmnal  of  ^foxico. 

Dii  t]io  7t1i  of  June,  1841,  tlie  governor  writes  the 
['i'(  feet  of  AiiLii'lc'S,  desiring"  tliat  some  persons  of  tho 

'     "'  '  tliat 


M' 


ices,  so 


( ity  sliall   propose  re^'ul.itions  foi'  liorse-r 

the  mu)iiei[ial  funds  may  ri'Cii\e  some  benefit  from  a 


lax  thei'coii 


he  cause  o 


f  tl 


lis  order  was  a  (hsputi 


ht'tween  two  men  arisiiiLT  from  a  liorsc-race.  JuK 
].'^  11,  the  prefect  and  five  vccinos  ni<  t  to  [)roposr  ruK  s 
for  ]iorse-ra»-'in_L:;',  whidi  w(trc  suhmitti'd  to  ^oNri'nment 
ai)]m»val.  Everv  rac/e  sliould  l.e  arrani;ed  hv  ]<  eal 
ohhi^ation  (ohliy^neiMii  juridiea),  wherein  amount  of 
In  t-^.  conditions,  and  rules  wei'c  to  he  specified,  and 
fr<im  wliicli  no  np[ie;d  was  allowed.  Those  who  het 
without  suhjt-etin;^'  themselves  to  this  law  wi'i'e  ne\-er- 
theless  bound  by  it.  Tho  winner  jtaid  a  tax  of  tv.-eiity 
reah^  for  every  slTj  bet,  i^f)  for  $50,  $G  for  $100.  and 
["  r  cent  beyond  tliis,  payabh-  to  the  nnniicipal  f,nid 


;t    tl 


ic    racm 


.^•-I'l: 


>ee 


If    elfert 


S      Wt 


re    stahed,    thev 


v.-ere  to  be  vahn  d  ill  the  [)res(  iiee  lA'  the  judge  of  tlie 
jilace,  in  order  that  the  tax  be  colh-eti-d.  P(  isons 
iiii!>t  ad\ise  tlie  iud^•^•  of  amount  staked  in  order  tliat 
the  tax  be  collected. 


Tn  Augu  t  IS\'2,  Prefect  Arg 


Ue 


decided    tluit   a 


hoise-race    l)etween    Nicolas  A.   J)en   and    J*io    I'ico 
nui.>t  be    I'un    o\'er   jiara   cortar   cue  ,>tioiie>.      ()ii    <lu' 


]i  of  A[i!il,  \^M'>,  tl 


ic    OON  I 


iiior  aholished.  the  L 


IV 


passed  by  the  prefect  of  Angeles  imposing  a  t.ix  .)n 
lioiNc-raees  (corredores  d.s  caliallos). 


'!''i..  <'ai'rera  del  g  dlo,  next  to  horsi'-racing,  wa^>  one 
ef  ^he  inost  popular  sports  among  the  native!  C'alifnr- 
liians.  ,V  livi' cock  was  burii  d  with  the  hea<l  above 
;.;i(>niid.  At  a  signal  a  horseman  would  start  at  full 
>i't  d  from  a  distance  of  about  sixtv  vards,  and  if  bv 
a  d.'xterous  swoop  he  could  take  the  bird  by  the  head, 
1  ''  was    louddy    a[)[ilaudcd.      Should   he  fail,    he    was 


432 


AMUSEMENTS. 


greeted  with  derisive  lauifliter,  and  was  sometimes 
unhorsed  witli  violence,  or  drajj^iyjed  in  tlie  dust  at  the 
risk  of  hrt!akin»x  his  linihs  or  neck.  Another  anuiS( - 
inent  was  to  place  on  the  ground  a  rawhide,  and  rid- 
ing at  full  speed  suddenly  rein  in  the  horse  the 
moment  his  fore-feet  struck  the  hide. 

Tliere  was  also  the  ruiming  or  coursing  of  bulls — 
corrida  dc  fi>ros.  For  this  spoi-t  a  large  space  of  ground 
was  enclosed  hv  a  stout  fi'iicc;,  outside  of  which  were 
erected  stands  for  the  si)ectators.  The  bull  lassoed 
by  the  horns  was  brought  and  loosed  in  the  arena, 
within  which  were  100  or  more  niounted  me»i,  and 
outside  an  e<|ual  number.  Those  within  the  enclosure, 
who  were  the  bi3st  horsemen  and  generally  the  most 
prominent  of  the  rancheros,  with  their  mangas  or 
scrapes  baited  the  bull.  This  was  ternu^d  ca])otear  el 
toro.  The  animal  was  occasionally  pricked  with  the 
rcjo7i — which  was  an  iron-pointed  lance  of  about  4  feet 
in  length.  When  the  bull  had  become  tired,  and  con- 
sequently less  mettlesome,  the  gate  was  o[)ened,  and 
he  was  driven  forth  at  full  speed.  Behind  him  came 
those  within  the  enclosure,  those  without  joining 
tlu'in,  and  following  after,  endeavored  to  cohar  or 
rahcar  the  animal— i.  e.,  seize  him  bv  the  tail  and 
throw  him.  In  disputing  this  honor  there  was  niucli 
jostling  and  coming  together  of  horses;  and  it  was 
frightful  to  behold  such  a  group  of  men  and  li(»rses 
sallvin'j;  out  of  the  enclosure  at  the  risk  of  life  and 
limb.  There  were  always,  on  these  occasions,  nun 
and  horses  more  or  less  injured.  Several  bulls  in 
succession  were  thus  c<^ursed. 

Another  diversion,  also  on  horseback,  was  known 
as  t]\cjnrtj()  de  hi  vara,  the  game  of  rods.  The  play- 
ers formed  in  a  ring,  the  horses  facing  inwards,  (hie 
of  the  number  then  rode  around  the  circle,  having  in 
his  hand  a  stout  rod  of  quince  or  other  similar  wood, 
which  from  behind  he  gave  to  one  of  the  play  (is. 
He  who  received  the  rod  pursued  the  giver,  directing 
blows  at  his  shoulders,  which  the  latter  bv  the  exti- 


BULL  AND  BEAR  FIGHT. 


433 


else  of  skilful  horsemanship  endeavored  to  elude,  until 
^'aining  a  vacant  place  in  the  circle  he  was  exempt 
fioni  further  persecution.  This  sport  was  continued 
for  hours,  and  he  who  was  not  a  skilled  horseman 
received  a  good  drubbing. 

A  bull  and  bear  fight  after  the  sabbath  services  in 
diurch  was  indeed  a  happy  occasion.  It  was  a  soul- 
refreshing  sight  to  see  the  y,rowling  beasts  of  blood  tied 
with  a  long  reata  by  one  of  its  hind  feet,  so  as  to  leave 
it  free  to  use  its  claws  and  teeth,  to  one  of  the  bull's 
feet,  leaving  it  otherwise  free  for  attack  or  defence. 
The  fight  usually  took  place  inside  of  a  strong  wooden 
fence,  behind  which,  and  at  a  short  distance,  was 
enacted  a  high  platform  for  women  and  children,  most 
of  the  men  being  on  horseback  outside  the  ring,  with 
reiitas  ready,  and  loaded  guns,  in  case  the  bear  should 
leap  the  barrier,  or  other  accident  occur.  The  diver- 
sion was  kept  up  for  hours,  or  until  one  or  other  of 
till'  animals  succumbed,  and  it  often  happened  that 
both  were  killed. 

There  were  also  bull-fights  by  skilled  and  practised 
toreadores,  which  consisted  in  baiting  the  beasts  on 
foot  or  horseback,  each  human  brute  trying  to 
exeel  the  other,  sticking  little  darts  with  colored  paj)er 
Hags  into  the  animal's  hide.  To  succeed  cleverly 
iv(juired  some  skill,  as  the  part  where  they  should  be 
placed  was  just  between  the  shoulders;  and  if  the 
toreador  struck  any  other  })lace  he  was  jeered  ^)y 
the  spectators.  The  bulls  were  seldom  killed,  except 
when  some  toreador  wished  to  show  his  skill  and 
('(iiirage  with  a  two-edged  sword  and  give  it  the  gol[)e 
dt'  gracia. 

"'  We  used  to  make  bears  and  bulls  fight,"  remarked 
Bhis  Pena,  "for  which  purp<)So  we  tied  the  bull  and 
i>eur  together,  the  bull  having  one  of  his  fore-Kgs 
strapped,  and  the  bear  one  of  his  hind-legs.  Some- 
times the  bull  came  off  victorious,  and  at  other  times 
Mic  bear,  the  result  depending  somewhat  upon  the  ages 
ot    the   beasts.     The    bears  were   caught   on   Mount 

Cai,.  Past.    28 


! 


434 


AMUSEMENTS. 


h 


Diablo  with  reatas  made  by  the  native  CaHforniiiiis, 
of  four  strinjjfs  of  ox-hide,  the  skin  heiiij^  first  dried  in 
tlie  sun  and  then  soaked  in  water.  When  they  hcL-an 
to  exliale  a  bad  odor,  they  were  cut  up  in  strijis  of 
about  half  an  inch  in  width,  and  braided."  Aniaz 
thinks  that  in  bear  and  bull  fij^hts  the  bear  <f<nciall\ 
obtained  tiie  victory.  "I  was  [»rescnt,"  he  says,  "  wluii 
a  bear  killed  three  bulls.  The  animals  were  tied  l.y 
one  foot;  sometimes  they  were  tied  to  one  anotht  r, 
with  plenty  of  loose  rope.  The  bull  was  ^MMurally 
left  free,  and  was  the  first  to  attack.  The  bear  stood 
on  the  defensive,  and  either  put  his  paw  in  tlie  face 
of  the  bull  or  seized  him  by  the  knee,  which  inude 
the  bull  lower  its  head  and  bellow,  whereu[»oi  the 
bear  seized  its  tongue.  They  were  at  this  juncture 
usually  separated  to  save  the  bull." 

Bear  stories  are  not  hard  to  tell.  Manuel  Larios 
was  very  expert  with  the  lasso,  or  reatii.  ()n<^  day  lie 
left  his  rancho  of  Santa  Ana,  for  the  rancho  Quit  n 
Sabe,  on  some  business.  Upon  the  summit  of  a  small 
hill  he  saw  a  bear  digging  at  a  squirrel-hole.  Throw- 
ing the  reata  he  lassoed  the  bear,  which  thereui'i  i 
furiously  rushed  toward  him.  Larios  ran  will;  tl  e 
bear  (^uite  close  to  his  horse's  heels,  until  <jn  reaching: 
a  small  tree  he  threw  the  end  of  the  reata  over  a 
branch,  and  catching  it  again  without  stoj»[»ing,  lie  had 
the  bear  dangling  almost  before  either  of  tliem  kiu.w 
it.  The  beast  could  scarcely  touch  the  ground  witli 
the  hind-feet.  Larios  took  two  turns  round  the  tree 
witli  the  reata  pretty  tiglitly  drawn.  He  then  aligliti  d 
and  secured  the  end  of  the  reata  to  a  strong  shout. 
With  one  end  of  a  rope  he  tied  ()ne  of  the  bear's  hiiid- 
legs,  and  with  the  other  lassoed  one  of  the  f(>re-l<gs, 
leaving  the  tree  between,  tightened  it  to  the  tree,  and 
with  a  silk  belt  tied  well  the  two  hind-legs,  and  tht  ii 
with  the  rope  did  the  same  with  the  fore-legs.  lie 
now  loosened  the  reata,  and  brought  the  f(tre-le.:s 
quite  close  together,  always  keeping  the  tree  betw. .  u 
himself  and  tlie  ferocious  monster.     This  done,  with  a 


A  BEAR  STORY. 


435 


stick  ho  worked  oft'  his  reata,  aiul  went  his  way  to 
(^)uic'n  Sahc. 

Arrived  at  the  ranoho  he  related  his  adventure, 
wiiicli  told  n«on;  like  a  Sindhud-the-sailor  story  than  a 
true  tale.  It  was  the  dutv  <»f  the  men  of  Quien  Sahe 
to  Ljo  that  same  day  to  the  rode(>;  hut  their  hlood  was  up 
t'lir  hears,  and  busiiu'ss  must  wait.  They  wont  oft'  in 
various  directions,  Larins  and  two  others  toward  the 
little  hill  where  he  had  left  hruin  tied.  Passinyf  alonj' 
a  slope  where  was  a  larj^e  rye-field,  suddenly  there 
Itnped  hofore  them  a  she-hear  with  three  euhs.  In- 
stantly all  were  in  hot  jiursuit.  They  lassoed  hor  two 
(»r  three  times,  and  as  often  she  threw  oft'  the  reatas. 
At  last  the  men  let  lu-r  <jfo  and  pursued  the  euhs,  each 
tnllowinu^  one.  One  of  the  cubs  escaped.  Another 
jiursuod  hy  Sol(')rzano  was  overtaken,  hut  the  cuh  was 
so  s  nail  it  was  imjwssihle  to  use  the  reata  on  it  in 
the  rye-field.  Leaping  from  his  horse  Solorzano 
seized  the  cuh,  which  ct)uld  scarcely  run  in  the  rye. 
Throwing  his  scrape  over  him,  he  tied  the  young 
heast  without  difficulty.  Larios  followed  the  third 
(111),  and  running  as  hard  as  the  ground  would  per- 
mit going  down  hill,  overtook  it,  k-t  himself  partly 
down  from  his  horse,  seized  one  of  the  cub's  legs,  and 
tlius  running  he  lassoed  it  by  the  neck,  and  then  let 
tlio  kg  go,  and  pulled  the  cub  along.  When  Sol()rzano 
and  Larios  reached  clear  ground,  they  tied  the  cub. 

The  big  bear  and  the  two  cubs  were  carried  to 
Santa  Ana.  Some^days  latiT  the  big  one  was  made 
to  fight  bulls.  It  killed  one  bull,  and  was  gored  to 
death  by  another.  Of  the  cubs,  one  hanged  itself 
accidenlidly,  and  the  other  became  a  pet  of  the  boys. 
Thus  ends  the  bear  story  of  Larios. 

The  tekersie  was  a  favorite  game  with  the  Indians. 
Til  is  was  to  send  rtJling  a  ring  of  three  thumbs  (pollici) 
in  diameter,  and  to  throw  upon  it  two  sticks,  four  feet 
l"ng.  so  as  to  stop  its  course.  If  one  or  both  traversed 
the  ring,  or  the  ring  fell  upon  one  or  two,  they  counted 
so  many  points.     When  one  couple  had  taken  its  turn 


436 


AMUSEMENTS. 


playing,  others  followed,  until  it  had  gone  the  rounds 
of  the  party. 

Another  favorite  game  of  the  Indians,  played  by 
both  men  and  women,  was  to  divide  into  two  bands, 
each  with  a  curved  stick  seeking  to  push  a  wooden 
ball  to  a  mark,  while  the  other  band  endeavored  t<> 
thrust  it  back.  It  was  deemed  fun  at  a  festival  to 
place  clothing  on  top  of  a  mast  smeared  with  tallow 
and  sprinkled  with  dust  and  ashes,  and  let  the  In- 
dians climb  for  it. 

One  of  the  few  amusements  of  the  padre  at  San 
Josd  was  to  throw  rolled-up  pancakes  into  the  gapiiiL^ 
mouths  of  the  boys,  which  would  be  i;aught  by  the 
teeth  and  swallowed  like  lightning,  amid  laughter  antl 
jokes. 

The  game  of  billiards  was  introduced  at  Monterev 
in  1828.  No  bets  were  allowed,  and  the  price  of  tliu 
game  was  one  real. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 

Strangers  to  ill,  they  nature 'a  I)an<|iiet8  proved. 

Rich  in  earth's  fruits,  and  of  the  lilust  helovod. 

They  "ank  in  doiith,  .^s  opiate  sluniljer  stole 

Soft  o'er  the  sense,  an  I  whelmed  the  willing  soul. 

Theirs  was  each  good,  Uio  grain-exuberant  soil 

Poured  its  full  harvoi.t  unconipelled  by  toil: 

The  virtuous  many  Iwelt  in  common  blest, 

And  all  unenvyini  shared  what  all  in  peace  possessed. 

— Jfesiod. 


Here,  as  clsewhoie  throughout  America,  it  was  as 
masters  and  not  as  laborers  that  men  of  the  Latin 
race  dehgbted  to  pose.  Clymer  says  lie  never  saw  a 
8i)anish  Californian  who  was  a  mechanic,  or  who  cul- 
tivated land.  The  aboriginal  was  the  laboring  man, 
and  though  not  so  bodly  treated  here  as  in  S(imo  other 
parts,  his  condition  was  practically  that  of  a  slave. 
Indeed,  notwithstanding  a  law  of  July  l.'J,  1824,  to 
tlie  contrary,  there  are  instances  approaching  traffic 
in  slaves. 

Antonio  Jose  Rocha  says  that  a  man  from  New 
?>![exico  offered  to  sell  him  a  boy  that  he  had 
lM)ught  from  one  of  the  gentile  tribes  on  the  way  to 
California,  and  to  save  the  child  from  slavery,  he 
determined  to  give  him  th«j  ^70  demanded,  with  the 
intfsnt  of  adopting  him  as  a  son,  and  teaching  him 
cliristianity,  thus  keeping  him  until  he  readied  his 
majority,  and  then  giving  him  his  liberty.  This  may 
lia\  e  V)een  benevolencr,  or  a  pretext,  or  both. 

Wages  were  sometimes  paid,  farm  laborers  from  $3 

(«7) 


i 


m 


'  I 


438 


OCCTJPATIOKS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 


to  $10  a  month,  the  mayordomo  or  overseer  $16,  a  clerk 
$15;  a  neopliyte  carpenter  at  San  Luis  Key  was  paitl 
88,  wlio  could  have  got  $12  at  Sutter's.  Nevertheless, 
the  niitive  laborers  could  not  move  about  from  one 
place  to  another  without  a  permit;  they  were  paid 
whatever  their  masters  chose,  which  were  the  chief 
conditions  of  slavery.  Sutter  says  it  was  common 
for  both  Indians  and  Hispano-Califi)rnian8  to  seize 
Indian  women  and  diildren  and  sell  them,  and  Jolin 
Chamberlain  asserts  that  while  he  was  livin<»'  at  the 
Sacramento  in  1844-(),  it  was  the  custom  of  Sutter 
himself  to  buy  and  sell  Indian  girls  and  boys. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  an  Indian  laborer  in  debt  to  his 
master  could  not  leave  his  service  until  the  debt  was 
paid.  On  quitting  service  the  laborer  must  get  from 
his  late  employer  a  pa|)er  showing  that  he  is  pro[)erIy 
discjjarged.  For  refusing  to  give  such  a  [)aper,  or  rc- 
eeiving  a  servant  without  it,  except  in  the  case  of  day 
laborers,  the  penalty  was  five  dollars.  In  1840  Ai- 
gliello,  the  prefect  of  Angeles,  directed  tlmt  owners  of 
ranchos  having  gentile  Indians  in  their  service  shoulil 
send  them  to  the  missicm  to  be  baptized  by  the  minis- 
ter. Says  Bandini :  "  The  neglect  of  the  supreme  gov- 
ernment, the  inditl'erence  of  local  governors,  and  the 
contempt  and  sinister  views  of  the  padres  have  pre- 
vented the  advance  of  tin;  Indians,  and  reduced  them 
to  vice  and  servility."  I  find  among  the  archives  ol' 
San  Diego,  in  18;*)(),  F.  M.  Alvarr.do  petitioning  tlu' 
authorities  in  reference  to  a  fine  of  $75  for  whippiiiLf 
an  Indian  servant,  asserting  that  although  forbidden 
by  law  it  was  the  eustom. 

Markoff,  speaking  of  affairs  in  1835,  says  that  the 
Indian  laoorers  wore  well  satisfied  with  a  fathom  of 
black,  red,  and  wliite  glass  beads  for  a  sc:tSon's  work. 
Beads  were  in  great  demand  among  them,  and  com- 
manded high  prices.  In  addition  to  the  payment  of 
beads,  the  Indians  must  bo  furnished  with  parclKcl 
corn  unground;  iiot  because  they  would  not  eat  any- 
thing 'Ise,  but  because  the  Spaniards  would  not  allow 


SHIP-BUILDINO.  ilt 

tlicin  to  rrct  used  to  better  food,  sayin<^  that  they  do 
not  even  earn  that.  Tlie  Indians,  liowover,  Mere  satis- 
fied with  this,  and  if  they  wanted  a  deheacy  they 
cau'dit  a  field-mouse  and  roasted  it  on  a  stiek. 

There  wore,  however,  many  amoni*'  these  Indians 
wlio  had  already  beeonie  accustomed  to  livinj^  in 
jiouses,  and  acquired  a  considerable  knowled_Lje  of 
domestic  labor.  To  these  the  Californians  either  paid 
a  salary,  or  clothed  and  fed  them  at  their  own  table. 
Whenever  an  Indian  became  tired  of  this  most  ])rinii- 
tive  civilization,  he  was  at  liberty  to  return  to  his 
native  hills. 


After  the  Russians  of  Ross  and  Bodega,  little  was 
aceoni[)lished  in  shi[>-buildini]f  until  the  coming  of  the 
Americans.  There  were  Prior,  Wolfskill,  Yount, 
Laughlin,  and  Prentice  at  San  Pedro,  at  work  on  a 
scliooner  for  hunting  sea-otter;  and  two  or  tliriM;  years 
later  the  famous  J\or  is  Xtnla  was  built  at  ^Tontercv 
liy  Joa(juin  Gomez.  Under  Alvarado's  rule,  some 
small  vessels  were  built  at  Santa  Cruz  for  the  coast 
trade  between  ^[onten>y  and  San  Luis  ()l)is[)o.  The 
ciHttdn  of  the  port  of  Santa  J^arbara  was  somewhat 
chagrined  when  on  the  18th  of  April,  ItS.')!),  the  ship 
Moiitiooii  arrived  from  Boston,  and  he  had  no  boat  in 
which  to  visit  her  t)lKeially;  whereui>on  he  petitioned 
the  government  and  a  boat  was  provided  t<»r  him, 

Comandante  ValKjo,  on  June  1,  1840,  at  Sonoma, 
grants  to  John  Davis  and  Mark  West  permission  to 
cut  timber  on  government  lands  in  the  vicinity  of 
Drake  and  Bodc-a  bavs,  for  liuildin'jf  boats  to  i>lv  in 
the  l»ay  of  San  Francisco.  They  wen-  to  rep(»rt  e\eiy 
iiKtiitli  the  state  of  their  work,  and  the  persons  em- 
ploved,  and  the  license  to  b(^  duly  ret-ordeil. 

In  1841  John  Davis  of  Yiiba  Jhiena  asked  the  co- 
iiiaiulante  general  fr  permission  to  use  the  Mexican 
Hag  on  a  schooner,  which  he  inten<led  to  build  at  the 
"■iiil>arcadt>ro  where  now  stands  Xapa  city ;  the  boat 
to  be  calKd  ^^naana,  to  bo  of  tiiirty  tons  burden,  and 


I<     -^ 


440 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 


eniplovotl  in  the  coasting  trade,  he  being  a  Mexican 
citizen.  She  took  a  cargo  of  potatoes  to  ^lazatlan  in 
18415,  where  ship  and  cargo  were  both  sold. 

If  Sir  (xeorgo  Simpson  tells  the  truth,  there  Avas 
not  in  1842,  on  the  inland  waters  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, or  anywhere  upon  the  coast  from  this  j)oint  to 
San  Diego,  any  boat,  barge,  canoe,  or  other  floating 
thing,  except  the  native  balsa  made  of  bulrushes,  in 
which  priests  and  publicans  used  to  cross  the  bay,  or 
even  sometimes  venture  out  to  sea.  But  Sir  Georire 
Simpson  did  not  tell  the  truth. 

^licheltorena  saw  the  great  advantage  a  steam  ves- 
sel would  give  for  transport,  and  formed  a  com})any  in 
1842  to  buy  one;  but  there  were  no  lucky  stock-gam- 
blers or  monev  kinufs  here  then.  The  Eniilisinuan 
Bocle  asked  pi'rmission  the  year  following  to  build  a 
35  tons  vessel  for  the  coast  trade,  which  request  the 
governor  readily  granted. 

(Jregson  says  he  worki'd  with  Henry  ^Farshall  at 
Sutt(>r's  fort  in  1845,  sawing  lumber  for  a  sehoont-r  to 
be  built  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Cosunmes,  til'ty 
miles  away.  They  received  for  the  lumber  ^-'O  a 
thousand  feet.  In  July  1840,  upon  the  testimony  df 
Boijf'^s,  there  were  at  Yount's  rancho  Chiles,  Bald- 
ridge,  Davis,  Rose,  Chino,  and  lieynokls,  the  t\n\v 
last  named  ship  carpenters.  They  were  building  tor 
the  Napa  Kiver  a  launch,  which  was  christeneil  at  the 
embarcailero,  with  the  imposing  ceremonies  used  on 
such  occasions. 

A  forest  law  obtained;  permission  was  requiivd 
to  fell  trees;  the  exportation  of  timber  was  forbiddin, 
and  the  transport  IVom  port  to  pt.rt  requiri'd  a  peiiuit 
from  the  aleald(\  who  slumld  keep  an  account  of  tir 
(juantity.  Penalty  t<o  be  eijuivalent  to  the  value  <>( 
tiiidier  estimated  by  two  expi'rts,  and  to  In'  paid  to  tl  r 
muiiicipal  fund  of  the  defrauded  place.  Captains  of 
vess(ds  were  the  responsible  {larties.  All  vessi  Is 
might  take  needful  supjdies  of  tind>er  for  repairs,  aft'  r 
consulting  the  ca[)taln  of  the  port  and  the  alealih'. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  FORESTS. 


^m 


On  the  13th  of  May,  18;U,  a  despatch  from  San 
Francisco  was  read  in  the  assembly  at  Monterey, 
stating  that  a  number  of  foreigners  were  ociupied 
witliin  that  iurisdiotion  destroviniX  the  forests.  Tlie 
jefe  recommended  measures  to  preserve  tlie  woods,  antl 
a  change  of  the  reglaUicnto  of  August  17,  18. JO,  im- 
posing a  tax  on  timber. 

Figueroa  in  his  report  in  IH.'U  to  the  secretary  of 
fomento  says  that  many  public  works  are  need«^d.  At 
tlie  capital  and  elsewhere  casiis  consistoriales  are  of 
absolute  necessity,  and  the  plans  and  estimates  he  has 
ordered  made  are  in  an  advanced  state.  On  account 
of  tlio  swampy  condition  of  the  road  to  tlie  lauding  at 
Monterey,  it  is  necessary  to  construct  a  paved  street. 
As  ^[onterey  is  the  principal  ]>ort  for  the  ihiily  in- 
crejtsing  foreign  commerce,  a  wharf  is  needed.  The 
cost  would  not  be  y^reat.  He  has  confided  to  his  sec- 
I't'tarv,  Caj)tain  Zaniorano,  the  making  of  a  topographi- 
cal plan  of  ^Monterey  which  approaches  coni[>letion. 
The  government  ordered  a  strong  fortitication  al)ove 
San  Francisco  Bay,  commanding  the  Russian  estab- 
lisliuu'nt  of  Koss. 

ICcheandia  foruKHl  a  plan,  but  went  no  further.  The 
Ljdvernor  was  now  resolved  to  carry  it  into  etl'ect,  and 
made  a  few  i)ri'liminary  })reparations.  The  ehronic; 
lack  of  funds,  however,  prevented  the  happy  <onsum- 
luation  of  this  projected  benefit. 

About  the  middle  of  1S45  a  pier  was  constructed 
at  ^[onterev,  contracted  for  bv  the  autlmrities  with 
Laikin.  l']stevande  la  Torre  furnished  I,.') 00  cart- loads 
of  stone  at  $1  a  load;  the  stone  was  (piarried  by  some 
military  deserters  and  Indians,  who  were  given  their 
tood  aiid^l  each  daily.  T'lie  piles  were  furnished  by 
<  iariicr  at  i^-i  each,  laid  dow  m  near  the  pier.  Tin;  cost 
I'f  the  pier  was  8S,000,  more  or  less,  and  was  made  a 
jirt  l'(  ivnce  charge  on  the  custouj-house. 

Markotr  tieelares  that  "the  Californiaiis  have  neither 
wimlmills  nor  water-nulls  with  large  stones.  Some  of 
tlitni,  but  oidy  a  few,  possess  hand-mills;  while  for 


442 


OCCUPATIONS  AKD  INDUSTRIES. 


tlie  most  part  they  obtain  flour  by  crushing  tho  grain 
betwoon  two  largo  stones.  You  can  imagine  iiow 
much  flour  one  man  can  make  in  this  manner  in  a  tlay. 
.  .  .  Tliis  is  the  reason  why  in  CaUfornia,  where  whout 
may  be  said  to  grow  wild,  flour  is  dear.  A  loaf  about 
half  the  size  of  our  French  'bulkas'  costs  one  real;  tliiit 
is,  the}'  soil  eight  for  a  piastre,  and  even  at  that  pricu 
they  are  not  always  to  be  had." 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1847,  the  Angeles  ayuntamiinito 
being  in  session,  the  connnittec  on  .streets  reported  on 
their  arrangement  of  the  thoroughfares:  the  propitsal 
of  15-varas-wide  streets  was  opposed  to  ccmifort  aiul  tn 
law.  Libro  4,  titulo  7,  ley  1,  says  that  streets  shall 
be  wide  in  cool  places  and  narrow  in  warm  places;  and 
where  horses  are  used,  they  shall  be  broad. 

In  February  1848,  the  agricultural  land-owners  of 
Angeles  were  called  upon  to  send  the  peones  with 
tools,  to  aid  in  repairing  the  irrigation-works,  undi  r 
penalty  <»f  four  reales  a  day  until  the  work  was  done. 

If  there  was  one  thingr  the  Californians  could  de 
better  tlian  another,  it  was  carrying  the  mails;  tlniu;:li 
when  it  came  to  carrying  them  or  not  carrying  tlu  ni. 
that  was  a  diiferent  mattiT. 

Tluy  began  to  ride  almost  as  soon  as  they  could 
walk,  and  such  ohildren  as  were  not  killed  in  tlio  ln'- 
ginning  became  expert  riders.  A  boy  as  soon  as  lie 
had  tlie  strength  would  go  out  upon  the  hills,  las-o  a 
wild  colt,  halter  and  mount  it,  and  then  let  it  i»()  ilvni'f 
over  tlie  open  country  until  exhausted.  If  tlie  colt 
fell  in  junjping  a  ditch,  or  rolled  over  in  order  to  ^et 
rid  of  its  burden,  the  boy  looked  out  to  keep  on  top. 
Corrals  were  formed  by  driving  poles  (estantes)  into  tho 
ground;  these  were  secured  by  ledges  (latas)  tied  with 
thongs.     The  corral  was  about  200  varas  in  dianu  tn'. 

Twice  a  week  a  courier  was  despatclK-d  in  litlu  r 
direction  between  the  missions,  startiuir  fiorn  ^au 
Diego  at  one  end  and  San  Francisco  at  the  olli'r: 
letters  and  messages  were    thus  conveyed  from  ouc 


CAnRYEsT,  THE  MATLS. 


44A 


p()int  to  another  along  the  entire  Une — each  mission 
cuiitrihuting  its  quota,  and  funiislilng  its  share  of 
liorscs  and  messengers.  The  courier  was  always  a 
Sjiiuiish  soldier,  never  an  Indian. 

liiferring  to  the  delays  of  couriers,  Gutierrez, 
writing  to  the  padres  and  officials  in  February  18o(i, 
ordtTS  that  mails  leave  ^Monterey  on  the  7tli  of  the 
iiuinth,  at  8  P.  M.  Tlie  soldier  carrying  it  is  to  he  re- 
litvcd  V)y  anothcrat  Santa  Barbara,  who  is  to  bo  relieved 
at  San  Gabriel  bv  the  soldier  who  takes  the  mail  to 
San  Diego.  jMails  to  leave  San  Diego  the  2 2d  of 
every  month,  at  5  a.  m.,  for  San  Gabriel,  Santa  Bar- 
bara, and  Monterey.  A  horse  and  vaquero,  to  attend 
the  soldier  in  case  of  accident,  was  to  be  kept  ready; 
and  the  courier  kept  to  time,  according  to  an  enclosed 
table  of  arrivals  and  departures  at  each  halting-place. 
Tliu  people  were  to  be  notified  twenty-four  liours  be- 
fore arrival,  so  as  to  have  letters  posted. 

Al)ove  ^lonterey  the  service  was  particularly  poor. 
Says  Vallejo,  writmg  to  the  minister  of  war  in  1841  : 
"The  administration  of  the  post-office  in  this  depart- 
luent  is  an  unknown  thing;  there  is  no  regularly 
I'stahlisiied  mail  service.  The  mails  are  exposed  to 
all  who  choose  to  timiper  with  them,  and  offenders  have 
iiu  ft  ar  (»f  punishment."  W.  A.  Bartlett  thus  writes 
to  The  Cidlfomiian  in  184G:  "There  is  a  regular  ex- 
jm  ss  mail  from  the  headquarters  of  the  northern 
military  district  at  Yerba  Buena  to  Sonoma  and  Xew 
Helvetia,  leaving  every  Wednt'sday  morning,  and  re- 
turning from  Sonoma  as  soon  as  the  river  mail  arrives. 
Also  i(»nstant  conmmnication  from  head((uarti  rs  at 
Wiba  JJuena  to  Sauzidito,  San  Bafael,  San  I'alilo, 
rinnlf,  Cerrito,  and  other  points  on  the  opposite 
coast." 

Haifa  year  afterward,  the  editor  of  Tlie  Cah'fortiian 
thus  laments:  "It  is  a  melancholy  sight  for  a  ]toor 
"ditorto  look  over  the  jiaekages  of  eight  weeks  of 
li;s  little  paper,  and  sec  no  possible  means  of  sending 
tiicni  to  his  subscribers,  and  little  encouragement  to 


i'  f 


444 


OCCUPATIONS   AND  INDUsTllIES. 


subscribors  to  l»o  two  months  at  a  time  without  tlulr 
|ni[Kr.s."  In  the  sprinjj  of  1847  a  new  mail  arran^t- 
niont  went  into  effect.  Tlie  first  arrival  bruuijrlit  nuuiy 
lottirs  and  j)a[ters.  Quartermasters  at  military  posts 
were  tlie  postmasters.  Where  tliere  was  no  military 
post,  thealealde  received,  d«'livered,  and  forwarded  tlio 
mails.  Tlie  arrangement  was  for  military  purposes; 
and  as  there  was  no  other  mail  in  the  country,  tla- 
jLJ^overnor  ordered  that  the  citizens  "be  accommodated 
by  havintf  their  letters  and  papers  sent  free  of  expense.' 

This  service  was  perfornu'd  on  horseback  by  a  party 
consistinj^  of  two  soldiers,  which  started  every  otlic  r 
^Tonday  from  San  Dii'y;o  and  San  Francisco,  the  par- 
ties meetinrj  at  Dana's  rancho  the  next  Sunday  to 
exchange  mails;  starting  back  on  their  respective 
routes  the  next  morniuLj,  and  arriving  at  San  J  )ieu;o 
and  San  Francisco  on  the  Sunday  folK)wing.  'Uw 
mail  was  thus  carried  once  a  fortnight  from  San  Dirgo 
to  San  Francisco,  and  from  San  Francisco  to  Situ 
Die<ro. 

1  loni  San  Dieyfo,  the  uiail  arrived  at  San  Luis  lU  v 
^[onday  evening;  at  the  pueblo  de  los  AiigiKs, 
Wednesday  noon;  at  Santa  Barbara,  Friday  evenii",;; 
at  Monterey,  Thursday  evening;  and  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, Sunday  evening.  From  San  Francisco,  the  mail 
arrived  at  iUonterey  Wednesday  evening;  at  ]):ina's 
rancho,  Sunday  evening;  at  Santa  liilrbara,  Tuisday 
evening;  at  the  pueblo  de  los  Angeles,  Friday  nudu; 
at  San  Luis  Rey,  Saturday  evening;  and  at  San 
])iego,  Sunday  evening.  This  was  exceedingly  (luli  k 
Work  as  conipan-d  with  that  in  some  other  loeahtics. 
For  exam[>]e,  Castaiiares  found  in  184.'3  at  Mazatlaii  u 
mail-bag  with  many  im[»ortant  communications,  wliidi 
luul  been  Ivinuf  thi-re  since  18.57! 

Lu'jTo  states  that  imblic  rodeos  were  ijjenerallv  h^  Id 
in  April,  to  allow  each  man  to  pick  out  his  own  tioiu 
the  mission  st»>ck.  When  the  time  came,  the  al*  aide 
U'at  the  drum,  and  announced  the  day  wlini  the 
rodeo   would    begin.      A    juez    de   camj>o   presided. 


SOWINT.   AND  RKAPIXr.. 


445 


Tlic  owners  singled  out  tlieir  stoek,  and  took  it  to 
one  of  tlie  four  apartaderos.  Tiieroupon  the  juez  de 
(■iiin|io  revised  the  various  lierds,  before  the  owner 
iitiild  take  them  away.  Xo  document  was  «jfivfn; 
iudtH'd,  few  could  write  one.  Arrived  at  his  rancho, 
tlif  ownt'r  branded  the  calves,  and  cut  the  ears  with 
!iis  peculiar  mark. 

Stock  was  let  into  the  fields  to  finisli  the  remnants 
nf  the  harvest.  The  stubble  was  pulled  out,  lua})ed 
up.  and  burned.  Maize,  frijoles,  lentils,  chick-pease, 
r;il;il»ash,  and  melons  were  sown  from  March  to  ^Tay 
atiil  .June,  and  harvested  in  August  and  Siptember. 
Wheat  and  barley  were  sown  generally  in  ])ecember 
ami  January,  sometimes  in  November,  l^arley  was 
reaped  in  ^lay  and  June,  and  wheat  in  July  and 
August.  S[»ecial  lands  were  generally  kept  for  each 
lit'  these  grains.     Pease  could  be  sown  at  anv  time. 

luaping  wheat  was  done  by  knives  and  sickles,  and 
stacks  formed  tt)  be  carted  to  the  thiashing-tloor, 
Heie  they  were  spn>ad,  and  mares  sent  in  to  trample 
out  the  grain,  while  the  straw  was  turned.  Such 
stiaw  as  was  not  thoroughly  thrashed  was  thrown  in 
a.jain,  or  beaten  with  sticks.  For  maize,  pease,  and 
tVijiiles,  heavy  sticks  were  used;  and  for  other  things, 
smaller  sticks.  The  grain  was  next  freed  from  chaff 
(pija)  by  blowing  (ventear),  first  with  the  aid  of  wooden 
lurks,  tlien  with  shovels. 

Those  wlu>  ha<l  no  granary  put  the  grain  in  leather 
ba.:>  h(»ldinijf  from  three  to  six  fancjas.  Horse- 
iiiili'S  were  uenerallv  used,  since  cattle-hides  were 
reserved  for  sale.  The  maize  was  ke[it  in  the  ear, 
aiiil  was  slielled  bv  hand  when  needed  for  food.  Such 
as  was  sold  had  to  be  slu'lled  by  thrashing  (;l  fuerza  de 
gairotazos).  FrijoK'S,  pease,  lentils,  and  cliick-[)ea.s(> 
W('i(!  kept  in  bags,  or  in  diy  places.  Their  enemy 
was  the  grui)  (gorgojo),  which  attacked  them  while 
>>t'ii<(l.  Grubs  were  not  so  numerous  as  now.  Hats 
aiiil  mice  also  did  damag(\  but  worst  of  all  were  sipiir- 
i'  1-,  moles,  crows,  and  mtiatCK  (a  bird).     Bird-catchers 


446 


(XCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 


i 


li 


IukI  to  !»('  k«'pt  Imsv  ajjfaiiist  tlu'Ui,  traps  set,  ami  small 
anows  used,  (irain  culture  was  a  small  iiahistiv 
brt'ore  lSjr>-  :50,  rauclieros  raisim^  sufHcieiit  only  t'l' 
tlieir  «»\vii  use,  ami  to  supjdy  the  presiilios  The  mis- 
sions had  to  produce  lariL,nly  to  teed  their  people. 

The  poor  people  who  had  no  stcu'k  of  tluir  own 
were  t^enerallv  emplov«'d  as  va(iui'ros  to  handle  the 
stock,  work  in  matan/as,  and  to  sonu*  small  extent  in 
cultivatinj^  tltt;  soil.  The  i^'cnte  di-  ra/.on  did  the  prin- 
cipal work,  that  is,  liandlinii;  stock,  niarkin*;,  l»ran(lill„^ 
and  killini^.  The  poore'st  labor  was  done  l»y  the  .some- 
what christianizetl  Indians. 

Coronel  says  that  the  men  occupied  tlieni.selves 
exclusively  in  caring;  tor  tlu'  cattle  and  horses,  hut  this 
oidy  tluriuLj  the  season  of  the  rodeos,  that  they  mi^ht 
pr(»tect  their  own  interests,  ami  when  the  slanghtt  i'  "t" 
cattle  took  place,  in  order  to  c(»llect  the  hides  and  tal- 
low wheri'witli  to  make  purchases  and  the  payment 
of  their  dehts — for  these  artit'les  served  in  Vwn  ef 
ujont'v.  TIh'V  Were  n<»t  devoted  to  a<jfriculture :  I'nr 
at  the  missions  tlmy  obtained  what  jufrain  they  waiit-d. 
Some,  however,  cultivated  land  for  their  own  use.  and 
later,  as  the  missi(»ns  decayed,  all  were  compelled  to 
i)av  some  attention  to  cultivatinsj;  their  land.  At  this 
time  the  men  of  a  certain  age  still  preserved  tlif 
character  of  their  Spanish  progenitors.  Formal  and 
upright,  im|)eriou8  yet  honorable,  in  their  businesjii 
transactions — liowever  great  the  value  involved  im 
aid  of  men  learned  in  the  law,  or  even  that  of  wit- 
nesses, was  sought  or  net-ded.  l^ut  these  charaeti  r- 
istics  ra])idly  «lisa[)peared  as  what  was  then  deemed 
k now  h'dge  incre-ased. 

Speaking  of  the  splendid  riding,  Sepi'dveda  says 
that  the  few  who  were  not  good  riders  were  lonkid 
upon  with  a  sort  of  contempt.  Their  attachment  to 
tlu>ir  steeds  was  as  gfreat  as  the  Arab's,  and  the  un  at- 
est  token  of  friendship  between  man  and  man  was  the 
present  of  their  best  horse. 

The  Califi>rnians  always  galloped,  says  Gomez,  nevi-r 


HORSH.MAXSHir. 


447 


Ft  iniiiij  in  to  smoke.  Wlieii  the  horse  tired,  tlio  trav- 
vWvv  would  latrli  the  first  other  one  hv.  saw,  and  so  con- 
tinue! cliany^inLC  his  steed,  alwavssiire  ofreeovi-riuLT  it  on 
t'ctuinini;.  Tlie  hat  was  small  in  the  opening  and  a 
stiiiiLC  was  put  on  to  secure  it.  The  rider  usually  had 
liis  mouth  ojK'n  as  if  to  keep  the  hat-string  tight,  and 
the  lull  secure;  often  as  he  rode  uloug  he  filled  the 
au'  with  jM)pular  ditties.  If  rain  (»vertook  tlu;  horse- 
man, he  would  ride  into  the  first  house  he  came  to,  if 
thfii'  Were  no  outhouses  or  sheds. 

The  story  goi'S  that  a  horseman  if  San  Jose  won  a 
wa^^cr  that  In;  could  start  at  full  gallop  with  a  salver 
ot' a  (loz(  II  wine-glasses  filled  to  the  l)rim,  and  after 
til'ty  rods  to  stop  su«ldenly  and  hand  down  the  salver 
without  having  spilled  a  drop. 

Ill  hoisemanship,  the  ( 'alifornians  compared  favor- 
ahly  w  ith  the  sturdy  Chilians  and  the  llimsily  attiied 
and  almost  elfeniinatc  IVruvian.  Jioth  tln^  Califor- 
iiian  man  and  horse  were  suj>erior  to  the  Mexican  in 
stimgt  li  and  weiglit,  and  hy  the  different  arrangement 
of  the  saddle-gear — the  girth  exactly  in  the  ciiitre, 
and  stirrup  forward,  alm(»st  an  a[)pi'ndage  from  the 
|MiiiiiiK'I — his  figure  erect  and  well  poised.  The  (Jau- 
cho  of  the  pani[»as  perhaps  might  excel  him  in  sonu-  of 
the  light  exercises;  but  for  hard  work,  strength  and 
ability,  the  Californian  stood  unrivalled.  Serran  •  re- 
inaiks  that  when  Californian  women  ride  on  horsehack 
tli(y  use  the  same  trappings  and  saddles  as  men, 
though  without  ornaments;  some  are  exciedingly 
skih'iil  in  mana<xin<r  a  h()rse,  mounting  alone  and  with 
a-ility.  As  the  saddles  on  which  they  ride  have  the 
saddle-how  and  stirrups  taken  otf,  they  use  as  a  stir- 
rup fur  one  foot  a  silk  band,  one  end  being  made  last 
at  the  pommel,  the  other  at  the  cantle.  When  the 
lady  is  not  a  skilful  rider  and  is  afraid,  the  cahalhro 
siats  her  on  the  saddle,  and  taking  otf  his  sjmrs  mounts 
on  tiie  ciu|»per,  and  taking  the  reins  guides  the  horsi'. 

J)r»akiii<^  horses  was  a  science.  A  wild  horse  was 
lassMtd;  a  headstall  and  saddle  put  on;  and  a  man 


448 


OCCLTATIONS  AND  INDl'sTRIFA 


,u 


'm 


iiioimti'tl  to  run  him  tame,  using  tlie  more  spurs  aiul 
whip  the  more  he  hut'kod. 

Acrorfhng  to  Anuulor,  thougli  the  Cahftiriiian^ 
liavi!  always  bct'ii  »j;»»o<l  horseimii  aiiJ  vacjut  ins,  ila  v 
\vric  ii(»t  ('(|ual  to  till'  M«'ximiis.  XoverthrKss,  tluy 
iiavi'  (iistin<4;uis]it'tl  thcmsrlvf.s  at  nxiros  and  in  lassd- 
iiiuf  cattle,  horses,  and  i-ven  hears.  Tlu-y  wi  re  invt  r 
notahle  torents,  or  hull-fighters.  Amador's  testinmiiy 
is  in  it  sustained. 

Calit'oiiiians  ohjerti'd  to  mounting  horses  whose 
mano  and  tail  had  been  out;  nor  would  they  ride  a 
male.  "We  were  at  Monteriv  tor  ahout  tinvc 
months,"  says  Maxwill,  writing  of  1.s4l';  "we  heiaiin- 
intimate  with  many  of  the  tanuli»s  m  town,  and  us.  d 
to  spend  our  time  j»leasantly.  But  the  ( 'alitbnii.uis 
were  very  hitter,  Castro  especially.  I  had  bought  a  tiiic 
mare  for  nine  dollars:  it  was  considered  vi'rv  ultra  \'ov 
a  man  to  ride  a  mare  in  those  davs,  and  the  j;irls  usul 
to  <'all  out  after  me,  Yegua!  yegual" 

Young  fellows  would  oft«'n  remove  the  reins  nt" 
their  horsis  and  i;uide  tiiem  menlv  with  blows  of  thtir 
hat  U|)on  the  head.  At  times  they  would  lasso  smnc 
arinial,  cast  away  the  lazo,  follow  it,  and  pick  it  n\>  at 
fuil  run.  Jionifacio  Lopez,  weighing  three  humhid 
]>ounds,  used  to  ride  his  horse  at  full  sj»eed  up  and 
down  a  perilous  trail  at  Soledad  near  San  Dii  uo,  to 
the  great  wonder  even  of  his  countiymen. 

At  San  Gabriel  were  woven  scrapes  and  hlaiilvt  ts. 
as  W(  11  as  a  coarse  woollen  stuH'  called  jerga.  IIkIi 
were  also  manufactured  sjiddles,  bits,  lK)tas,  an<l  slin.s. 
There  was  a  seap-boiling  establishment,  a  larger  car- 
penter's shop,  and  a  lesser  one — in  which  latter  I'^ys 
were  taught  the  use  of  tools.  Wine  and  olivr  nil 
were  made,  likewise  bricks  and  ailobts.  Chocolati 
Was  made  of  cacao  brou'dit  from  abroad.  Dulcis  and 
lin)onada  were  made,  and  sent  bv  I'adre  Sanihc/  tc 
Spain  In  each  department  was  a  maestro,  that  is, 
an  Indian   who  beiuir  ^^ell  instmcted,  had  becuiiH'  do 


DOMESTIC  M^VNUFACTL'UES. 


449 


razon.  Of  coursi'  thoro  was  at  first  a  wliit*^  iiiiui  at 
tin;  head  of  tlic  Wfaviii^  (li'iuirtniciit,  l»ut  wlitn  the 
Iinliaii!-  wt'iH'  sutticu'Mtlv  instructeci,  Ik;  witlHlivw. 

Salvador  ValK'jo  had  a  larjjjo  Boap  iactory  at  lils 
Xapa  raiicho,  which  hrouj^ht  liim  in  scvt  ral  thousand 
tli)llars '.I  year.  Ijarkiu  and  Fiti'li  also  nia«le  a  ;^ood 
pi'oHt  on  soap.  It  is  a  fact  that  savages  and  filthy 
nations  take  kindly  to  soap. 

"All  a!u;rec  in  pnuiouncinj^  the  country  <^ood  for 
fruit,"  says  liidwell.  ''I  saw  in  lioss,  toward  the 
nid  of  January,  a  small  but  thrifty  orchard  of  apple, 
jxarii,  })ear,  clierr}',  and  quince  trees,  most  of  thiin 
as  1,'reen  as  in  summer.  Flowei*s  were  ahujidant. 
The  wine  «»raixj  is  cultivated,  and  grows  to  great 
pi'rfeetion." 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  padns  discounigcd 
the  growth  of  oranges  and  lemons  outsidi;  of  the; 
luission  giounds,  being  apparently  as  jealous  of  innnop- 
•  •hziiig  these,  as  that  the  whole  king<lom  of  Christ 
should  bo  subject  to  their  sole  administration. 

From  the  earliest  yeai-s  the  governint-nt  provided 
inastrr  car])enters,  masons,  blacksmiths,  weavers,  etc., 
tor  instructing  the  Indians.  The  man  in  charge  of 
tilt'  soap  factory  was  liowever  an  liombre  de  razon, 
paid  l»y  the  missioji. 

All  the  woollen  goods  made  were  coarse  and  suited 
to  the  necessities  of  tlic  time,  for  in  the  earlv  davs 
of  the  country  the  irovernment  tolerated  no  displav 
of  hi\ury.  Father  Duran  well  understood  how  to 
niakr  wine  and  aguardiente;  eh'ar  brandy  of  San  .Jose, 
\\  liich  came  out  with  the  apiu'arance  of  clear  watrr, 
was  colored  with  a  sirup  made  with  burnt  sugar. 
The  color  was  tln'n  light  yellow.  The  brandy  was 
doul tic-distilled,  an<l  therefore  very  strong. 

At  San  Luis  Obispo  cotton  clotlu's  were  nuule  of 
g<»'><l  (juality,  as  well  as  rebozos,  (juilts,  and  other 
tilings  of  the  Siime  material.     So  says  Mrs  Ord. 

Acconlhii;  to  Jose  Maria  Amador  the  mission  San 
•luso  hud  5  looms  making  150  woollen  blankets  weekly, 

C'AL.  I'.VST.     29 


!   1 


I. 


III 


;!< 


m 


W 


450 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 


ami  one  which  made  9  scrapes  durin<:f  the  same  ih\u\ 

Jaiissens  assures  us  tliere  were  400  barrels  of  w'luv 
ami  135  of  bramlv  made  in  San  Gabriel  in  1840. 

Jose  de  J.  Pico  informs  us  that  durini*-  Father  Luis 
A.  ^fartinez'  management  of  missitm  San  Luis  ()1)1s|ki. 
down  to  1830,  its  Indians  were  better  clothed  tliaii 
the  soldii'rs  and  other  gtsnte  de  razon.  "At  the  mis- 
sion," he  says,  "good  blue  cloth  was  made  for  cloaks 
and  j)antaloons,  and  manta,  because  there  were  iilaiita- 
ticms  of  cotton  which  yielded  considerably." 

TIk^  theory  of  religious  colonizaticm  hatl  it  that  it  was 
right  and  proper  for  the  nilssionaries  to  get  as  much 
land,  lal>or,  or  other  benefits  out  of  savagism  as  jins- 
sihle,  the  inestimable  benefits  of  Christianity  bcinv' 
more  than  an  offset  for  anvthin<j  savairedom  c(»iil(l 
offer,  had  each  convert  a  world  to  give.  Hence  it 
wns  that  if  tlie  natives  could  be  made  to  work  fur 
nothing,  the  padres  did  not  scruple  to  let  them  do  sn. 
I^ut  after  a  time  It  was  demonstrated  that  to  pay 
them  four  or  six  dollars  a  month,  and  let  them  spend 
the  mon«'y  at  the  mission  store,  was  cheaper  tliaii  to 
give  them  nothing.  In  1H42  the  wages  of  a  wliitf 
man,  not  a  mechanic,  w<'re  about  .$-5  a  nu)ntli,  skill' d 
laluir  n-eeivhig  three  dollars  a  day — not  far  tVoni 
piices  to-<lay. 

The  relations  between  the  missionaries  and  the  mili- 
tary oftici'rs  were  not  always  fi'iendly.  Tliere  was  ii 
corpulent  minister  at  La  S<»l*Hlad,  Florencio  Ii>ainz, 
who  was  sent  to  California  for  having  knocked  an 
otticer  iloNvn  with  his  fist  in  Pitic,  S»»noni.  He  m m  r 
extended  privileges  to  the  ofticers,  and  whvu  any  eiir 
of  th(Mn  came  to  the  mission,  he  made  him  eat  of  tin 
same  foo<l  out  of  the  pozcdt'ra  that  the  neophytes  >ii't, 
wiving  that  it  was  what  he  himself  had.  Once  Cap 
tain  de  la  (Juerra  visited  the  missiotj  and  atteiiiptil 
to  embrace  the  padre,  but  th(>  latter  only  j)erniitt'  <1 
him  to  touch  his  habit.  However,  this  priest  wa<  an 
intimate  friend  of  Covernor  Arrillnga,  and  re|)'^atrdly 
made  presents  to  the  common  soldiers,  all  of  Nvli'Ui 


PADRE  IBANEZ. 


451 


loved  him  for  his  charicy.  He  would  say  that  the 
(itHcors  had  their  pay,  and  must  live  on  it,  and  that 
tlio  neophytes  needed  for  themselves  all  that  the  mis- 
sion produced.  He  at  all  times  manifested  a  jj^reat 
interest  for  his  flock,  treating  them  kindly,  and  t(  ach- 
i[\\X  them  not  only  the  best  way  of  doing  their  work, 
I  lilt  also  vocal  and  instrumental  nmsic.  At  their 
di'iith,  he  paid  their  remains  the  same  honors  as  to 
those  of  the  wealthy.  Most  of  the  Fernandino  friars 
were  exemplary  men,  and  Padre  Ibanez  was  one  of 
till'  best  beloved  by  the  I.'dians. 

Two  missionaries  of  coi»siderable  prominence — Jose 
Altimirr,,  who  planted  the  symbol  of  Christianity  in 
tlio  valley  of  Sonon)a,  and  Antonio  Kipoll,  a  very  en- 
tliusiastic  priest,  who  served  in  La  l?urisima  and 
Santa  Barbara — eftected  their  escape.  In  1828,  on  an 
American  vessel,  from  the  port  of  Santa  Biiritnra. 
Tin  y  went  on  board  with  the  pretext  of  purcliasing 
^oods.  and  never  returned.  A  letter  left  on  the 
Im  juli.  and  addressed  to  Captain  de  la  (;iut'rra,  informed 
him  of  their  intention  to  save  themselves  from  tin- 
hacsh  treatment  which  the  authoritii's  ()f  Mexico  were 
iiitlieting  on  Spai.ianls.  They  m-ted  on  the  idea  that 
Mexican  priests  wouhl  soon  come  out  to  relit'v*'  them, 
1111(1  then  they,  the  old  S[)anish  missionaries,  would  be 
e\|KHed  without  mercy.  Previous  to  jumjiing  into 
the  hoiit  that  i'onveved  them  to  the  ship,  thev  ten<l.'rlv 
ii'ul  the  I.Mlians  good-bve,  but  did  not  si«'nir\  their 
intention  net  to  come  baek.  Father  K'poll  was  w«(  p- 
iiiL'  and  Altimira  uttered  not  a  word.  The  fatlu  rs 
(liti  iiot  carry  any  money  with  them.  All  the  m<»ney 
thr  mission  Santa  Barbara  had  was  left  bejiind. 

.Mtimira  had  been  for  several  months  at  Santa 
Bilihara  in  ill  health.  BipoU's  colleague,  Fraiuisi  n 
Suiier,  was  blind.  These  fatlurs,  like  all  the  other 
Spanish  missionaries,  had  refuse<l  to  swear  allegijtiK  e 
ti>  the  constitution  of  Mexico.  It  was  for  this  reason 
tliat  the  father-prefect,  Vicente  Francisco  de  Sarri'a, 
wu->  imprisoned. 


1^     I 


Hi 


432 


OCCUPATION  AND  INDUSTRIES. 


The  Californians  had  a  grcit  lack  (if  entorpriso. 
As  an  example :  Chiles  and  Baldridj^^e  found  an  ad- 
mirable site  for  a  mill  on  the  Napa  rivt>r,  on  Salva- 
dor Valleio's  rancho.  Thev  offered  to  l)uv  it.  hut 
nothinjiif  would  induce  Salvador  to  sell.  Then  tin  y 
otfered  to  erectafine  tlour-mill  there,  and  give  him  an 
interest  in  it  for  the  .site,  but  he  refu.sed,  sayin<^'  tliat 
i\\v.  mill  would  frighten  his  cattle.  Sage  Salvador! 
He  had  all  he  wanted ;  how  could  the  mill  add  to  his 
hai)piness  i 

Sir  George  Simpson  expresses  the  opinion  that  in 
industry  the  Cahfornians  wore  perha[Ks  the  loa.st  prom- 
ising coloni.sts  in  the  world,  being  inferior  to  what 
tlu'  savages  had  become  under  the  training  of  tin 
priests,  so  that  tht'  sj>oliatlon  «)f  the  nussions  tend*  <1 
dirci'tly  to  stop  civiliwition.  There  were  once  larj^c 
flocks  of  shi'i'p,  but  now  in  IS42  there  were  s<urc(  ly 
any  left.  Wool  used  to  be  maimfactured  int<>  r,  .u'se 
cl(>th;  and  because  the  Californians  were  too  1 »  \  lo 
wiave  or  spin,  or  even  to  clip  and  wash  the  raw  ma- 
terial, sheep  were  destroyed,  to  make  room  for  honn  d 
cattle.  Soap  and  leather  used  to  be  made  in  the  iiii> 
sioiis,  and  also  dairy  products,  but  now,  he  says,  nei- 
ther butt.-r,  cheese,  nor  other  preparation  of  milk  is 
to  be  found  in  the  province.  The  missions  |>rodue<  d 
amiuallv  SO. 000  bushels  of  wln-at  and  maize,  wliii  Ii 
they  cohverti'd  into  Hour:  at  }»resent  the  govi'rniin  iit 
paid  .i^JS  a  barrel  for  flour.  Bi>ef  was  occasioiiMlly 
cured  for  exportation,  yet  now,  though  (juantities  ef 
meat  ari>  destroved  aimuallv,  the  authorities  had  to 
jtundiase  salted  salmon  as  .si'ii  stores  for  a  small  vessel, 
and  so  on.  l^ut  the  Hudson's  Hay  magnate.  like 
iiianv  another,  thniwlng  a  ij;lunciMit  tlie  counti-v  as  lie 
pa>ses  by  or  through  it,  tiiough  he  might  sei'  mU(  1:, 
lie  could  not  see  all. 

Tjcather  was  made  to  some  oxtetit,  but  in  no  pi.t- 
portion  to  th«'  demands  or  possibilitiea  t)f  tlu>  count  iv. 
At  most  of  the  missions  some  leather  was  tanned,  ilio 


LEATHER-WORKS. 


■jr>3 


Santa  IVubara  iiive'iitory  oC  IH45  sliowini;  a  taiUKTy 
liiiiiso,  five  good  vats,  and  otliir  articKs  iti  |noj»oition. 


Hall 


savs 


tl 


u'    nativt's    "iiiai 


lo    si 


UK'S 


tVoiii    !«'atln'r 


taiitu'd  l>y  tlitinsilvcs,  in  a  luiriied  pro<«'ss;  that  is.  a 


sham   uroccss. 


Tl 


ley  us» 


'd   to  takt'  a  Ian 


If 


o\ 


-l.id. 


<^atlnr  up  its  corni  rs,  hang  it  on  a  tvir  or  htaui  raist-d 
with  posts,  then  till  tht;  liidr  with  wati  r  and  oak  haik. 
ami  place  therein  the  skins  to  he  tanned.  In  this 
niannur  they  pnjiared  sole-lcatlur.  The  upjurs  for 
shoes  Were  made  from  sin<tke<l  dierskin,  colored.  Not 
a  hail-looking  shoo  was  the  linal  result  of  their  labor 
nil  skins." 

Sduie  W(»rk  in  w'ool  was  earrie<l  on  l»v  the  Indians, 
who,  says  Clynier,  "heat  the  wool  with  tw«»  sticks  in 
jilai'c  of  cards,  and  when  it  is  beaten  enough,  tiny 
s|iin  it  with  a  stick,  an<l  lay  the  warp  by  dri\  ing  a 
iiunilier  of  small  sticks  in  the  groun<l.  It  is  raised 
1>\  letting  a  stick  run  through  sutticiently  to  pass  a 
small   ball    through,  aiul   brought   up  with   the   same 


■;tick.     Of  course  their  faiti'ic  is  ( 


oarse 


hut  tl 


lev  niaki 


it    \ei'v   durabli 


In     IS4.")    San    .\ntonio   had    t 


Wo 


uiis,  Santa  Ines  two,  Santa  Ixirbaia  four  laige  looin? 


.1 


dl 


Hid  one  small   one.  and   s(>  o 


>n.  In  I'etaluma.  San 
.lose.  Santa  Clara,  and  in  the  more  st)Uthern  missions 
w.  le  Weaving  factories,  where  striped  scrapes  with 
lila(  k  and  white  borders  were  made. 

(hi  the  7th  of  tlune,  IS.'!!.  \'ietoria  writes  the  min- 
ister .if  I'elations  that  manufactiu'ing  exists  onl\  at  the 


iiii>siiins,  and  is  |ieit'ornie» 


1  b 


liei 


i|ihyt( 


who   make 


"nliiiaiy  woollen  ti-xtuies  tor  which  part  of  the  wool 
Imm  their  sheep  is  used.  Some  missiitns  have  woNfii 
Maitkets.  scrapes,  siickekith  (sayal  I.  and  pahet»'s.  'I'here 
arc  also  at  the  missions  smit  hs.  catpenters,  slmemakcrs. 
t.iiiiii  rs,  etc.,  though  capable  of  greater  perfection. 
Iliere  is  a  lamentable  carelessness,  due  in  ^^reat  part 
'"  want  (»f  men.  and  the  abundance  of  the  actual  neces- 
saries of  lif(.. 

N"tliing  was  m  i\o  of  stone,  clay,  gold,  silver,  iron, 
copper,  iir  leail;  nor  of  hair,  silk,  feathers,  uv  bones. 


iM 


orrrpAiioNs  and  ixdustries. 


LratlitT  and  sdli-leather  wore  uiaile  from  liiJes,  for 
sluM's  uikI  (ttlicr  uses.  Of  wool  were  made  blankets 
and  seia[)eH — very  coarse  work. 

The  inventory  of  San  (Jahriel  in  1834  includes  one 
wct»»l\veavin<^  establishment  with  four  looms;  a  brandy 
distillery  with  eiufht  stills;  a  wine  manufactory  with 
three  jiresses;  a  smithy,  carpenter-shop,  soap  factory, 
and  two  grist-mills. 

The  inventory  of  San  Mijufuel  in  1S;57  values  the 
slituinaking  shoj)  with  its  implements  in  round  figures 
at  !?-<!;  hat-making,  $00;  weaving — i!.')  good  wheels — - 
$.")t'>4 ;  carpenter-shop  with  imj>lenients  ^114;  tallow- 
melting,  $40;  soap-making,  $170;  mill,  f(»r  mule  laimr 
and  hen-house,  $!>!>;  tannery  house,  witii  implements, 
8300.  At  San  Antonit>  tlie  weaving  establishment 
was  valued  at  $1,21 2. 

Wheat  was  ground  on  metates  at  first,  and  for  a 
considerable  time.  In  183;5  th^re  was  an  adobe  grist- 
mill run  by  water  at  CajMstrano  mission,  wliicli  wus 
destroved  by  an  ovt'Hiow,  a  wooden  one  being  aft*  r- 
ward  erected  in  its^  place. 

A  water-mill  at  IV't.'dunia,  belonging  to  Bell,  in 
1838  ground  100  pounds  daily,  Then  there  Mas  the 
arrastra,  .some  of  which  liad  t\V(»  or  tlinn)  stones. 
smootli  on  one  hide,  the  one  above  it  being  sccui'  il 
with  a  ]>iecc  t)f  inni.  In*!!  pa.sa<lores  wiTe  obtaincil 
from  the  vessels,  and  a  p<»le  fastcn-'d  to  the  j»asjul"r. 
To  tliis  poh  horses  Were  attached,  and  made  to  nn>\c 
in  a  cirrh>  round  the  stones. 

The  year  1  M42  saw  grist-mills  in  Santa  Cruz  county, 
otie  built  by  Dodero,  an  Italian,  and  anotlier  on  tiie 
Potrero  l)y  oiie  Weeks.  T)ie  st<tjies  were  of  graniti , 
found  in  that  vieinitv.  The  women  wasluil  the  whs  ;i'. 
and  separati'd  the  flour  with  a  sieve;  they  had  n  • 
bolt.  JSell  iuid  a  g«»od  null  in  Napa  Valley  by  this 
time,  and  Yount  had  one  near  the  Sonouia  Valh  v. 
Prt<>r  Sains('\ain  in  1S44  erected  a  flour-mill  on  the 
(inndalupe  Ki\er.  in  the  San  Jose  valley.  He  n- 'I 
Frer^ch  iiuhr-^^tones,  andasilk  boliin*j-cl(»th,aikilgr('UM.l 


sroAR-MAKixa. 


4r.5 


7')  fanopfas  of  wheat  a  day.  Soino  Fit  ndiiatMj  liiul  a 
suw-uiill  near  Santa  Cruz  in  1S44;  tlun-  was  oiu' 
t  rt'«'tt'(l  at  San  (iahriol  in  184G;  and  tlic  tollowing 
vt  ar  Monterey  had  one. 

The  Iu(Hans  made  surrar.  and  wliy  sliould  not  thi' 
CihtoniiuMs  ?  A  ncd  whicli  onw  in  the;  Tuhirrswas 
«iit  hy  the  natives  when  rijte.  |»l;H\'d  «»n  nictates,  and 
(ru-<]i('d.  \Vhen  the  reliise  was  r«  ino\ril,  thcic  w- 
111,1  iiH.'d  crystals  <»t"  tine  Huvor.  sonicthin'j:  like  a/iicar 
(audi,  or  rock  candy,  and  of  wliieii  ta!uaU>s  were 
ina<l.c.  roUed  in  reed  U'aves. 


ilijar  speaks  of  a  coffeo-colorcd  hulh,  (ulied  torni^iii, 
soiiicwliat  iar*;('r  tiiaji  tht^  Mexican  caconiitc  of  which 
sui^ar  was  made.  The  hulhs  wcrc  j.lae»'<l  in  a  liolo 
ii!  tlie  'ground,  on  a  bed  of  hot  stones  and  cndKis, 


am 


I  hakid,  in  wliicli  f.-rm  lliev  were 


use* 


1   t. 


»    sWeett'll 


afnlc.  Then  there  were  the  |ian<t.-h.'i  Italis  made  tVom 
tlie  r'rvstalhv:e<l  saceliarine  matter  shaken  iVoni  thedrieil 
h  a\is  of  Ii  wild  reed  of  light  sttau  found  near  the 
missions. 

Ill  the  year  18."18  there  came  to  Mmitcn^y  one  Octa- 
vii.  ( 'ustot,  surnafucil  HI  A/uearcro,  th«  suj/ar- maker, 
Si)  ealli'd  because  he  did  not  know  how  to  make  sugar. 


w 


Ih 


that  anion 


as  a  sharp  t'ellow,  this  Octavi*-;  and  thiukiiit 


g  til 


le   smtiilc-muK 


(led 


pcoi 


le  of 


our 


lot 


OS- 


land  it  Were  easy  enough  to  live  1)V  (»nc's  wits,  he  di- 
melted  from  his:  ship.  With  th«»  ^Swiss  of  New  ijel- 
\etia.  lie  thouglit  what  a  liiu;  thing  it  would  he  to  lay 
liie  ( 'alitbrmas  at  the  feet  of  France, 

Hut  Kl  Axucarero— it  was  at  Sonoma  that  h-  ae- 
i|uiri  t!  this  title,  and  it  was  in  this  wi.se:  Closeted 
one  day  with  the  autocrat  of  the  tVontlt  !•,  he  re\e;i|cd 
tlie  stai'tliiig  iiitelligeiiet^  that  he  could  make  sug;i.r;  he 
(eiiM  fahrieute  the  g(;nuine  saccharine  substiince  fri>m 

lleetS. 

\  allejo  was  a  man  of  progrcs.s.  All  his  life  he  had 
spent  in  this  far-awav  wildernes-s,  and  there  weic  now 


4riO 


(XCUPATIOX.S  AND  IXDUsTUIKS, 


iMnninix  to  tlioHo  alioros  so  inaiiv  stmn;j;t'rs  with  so 
many  strain;*'  taUs,  idias  now  to  Iilm,  and  tliinji^s  lU'Vcr 
l)c'torc  luaid  (»t'.  that  lie  was  ready  to  bi'liove  ahiiost 
aiiythiuL;.  ludred,  thcic  was  no  n'{i>'()n  wliy  siiun! 
should  not  hi'  tnaih'  tVoni  hi-t-ts,  and  jx'rhaps  toa  tVnm 
oak  l(a\(S,  and  cortbr  inmi  luanainita  iK-irifs. 

"  1  )oul>tl»'ss  all  is  as  you  say,"  leniarked  ValKjo. 
"but  wlu'if  are  tlic  luH'ts:"' 

"(flow  thoni,"  r(>|>li('d  ('ustot, 

"  I  haAi'  no  seed,"  said  Vallt  jo. 

"Send  tor  sonii>."  answered  ('ustot. 

Indeed,  the  eunniny;  (Ktavio  had  all  alonsf  rookont'd 
on  this  <tn  the  absence  of  facilities,  anil  the  restful 
days  in  stoiv  for  him  while  awaitinjj;  them;  for  thi>. 
to  M  deserted  s;iil(»r,  was  a  fat  country,  with  balmy  ;iir 
and  bea,utiful  wo'ui'U. 

To  his  mayordonx!  at  j'et.'dumn,  \'allejo  finally  m  nt 
the   f(  * 


low.    W  I 


th  orders  to  j»laci'  at  his  dis|)osal  \'><\\v 
yokt'  of  oxen,  eij^ht  Indians,  jind  a  dwellin;^  and  |ii di- 
visions. "C'iN  ili/ation  is  indeed  a  bot»n,"'  thought  Oc- 
tavio.  as  ho  lay  muh-r  a  madrono  smokiuLj  his  pipe, 
while  the  slow-steppiuLi'  oxen  furrowed  Ibrty  acres. 

Seed  was  found  at  Mazatlan.  and  when  it  came  it 
was  pi(»nounce<|  of  mnnl  (Mialitv  —  verv  u<>od  tiualitv. 
"ihit,"  said  Octavio,  "nothinLj  can  b»>  done  now;  it  is 
too  late  to  plant  this  season."  So  thei'e  was  notliiiiL; 
to  bi'  d(»?ie  but  to  extend  to  101  Azucarero  liis  iVee  and 
easy  livino'  at  j'ctaluma  through  the  sunmiei'. 

.\t  li'Uiith  the  rains  came,  tin-  seed  was  put  into  the 
oround.  the  beets  <j,rew,  sun  and  \  ii-^in  soil  eond»iniiin 
to  niaki' the  bi^ocst  and  I'cddest  roots  on  recoid.     The 


master    came    trenuen 


tlv    f 


roin 


S 


onoma    to    sei'    tl 


beets  u;row.  and  in  his  mind  to  t'ompute  the  (juantity 
of  su^ar  each  contained,  and  iiow  much  would  thitt  I'l' 
an  acre,  and  what  was  fojty  tinxs  that,  and  it  uis 
about  time  to  think  of  ircttiuL!  i»arrels  readv. 

Finally  came   to  Soiioina   tfuiy  IS.'U),  and  with  it  ;i 
fine  box  «>f  su;j:ar  from  ( 'ustot  to  the  sen«tra.  \\h<>  pi<' 
nounced    it   fine    -very   fine;    c'lUiil    to   lit  r  h»af-siijar 


A  HOUSE  SHINfiLED.  Hf 

lirouglit  from  Peru.  "Here  is  an  industry  wortli 
liaviiij;."  mused  the  inaster--''<)xen,  Indian  liil)»>r,  un- 
limited lauds;  wliv,  I  will  have  in  luets  millions  of 
at  I'es,  ami  presently  ships  eairvini^  hem-e  the  yreat 
staph'  to  t'Veiy  (jtuirter  of  the  tarth." 

l>ut  what  is  this  the  senora  says,  as  she  r<turns 
with  the  servant  from  [)utting  in  the  storehousr  with 
the  other  the  new  produetioii  ?  Her  sULftir  is  <ioii(I 
A  do/.t'ii  loaves  of  her  hest  Peruvian  stoleni  Ali!  all 
iscltar;  she  always  knew  that  ( )etavio  to  he  a  thief. 
\';illi  jo  hurrii'd  to  Petaluma,  demanded  to  see  tlu' 
jiiitctss,  ami  was  told  it  wotdd  not  hear  too  much  linlit. 
••'riuc;  nor  y«misrlf."  rrplicd  A'allrjo  as  he  oidrrrd 
Solano  to  take  the  inij)ostor  to  Yeiha  Hn»iia.  Solano 
mIm  y«d,  lanilin;^'  El  Azuearero  wjaist-deep  in  water. 


ddssini^  the  plains,  (Jcorofe  Y<iunt  dropped  himself 
(liiwn  in  Sonoma,  and  stoo<l  hefort-  the  mast«'r. 

"Wliat  can  you  do.^"  demanded  \'allejo. 

"Many  things,"  said  Yount. 

"1  do  not  want  yon  to  do  many  things;  what  one 
tliili'4'  eaii  vou  di»  lliat  no  one  else  «|oes  hel'e  T' 


1  1 


lave  s»'en  no  s 


hinLrl 


es  m 


(^alif 


ornia ;  vour  new 


linij.se  yonthr  is  altout  ready   for  them;    I  can    m:d< 
sliiny,les." 


What  ;ire  tzin — tzin — ,  h< 


)W 


irais 


y 


ou  call  them — tzin- 


Y(»unt  explained,  uoin^;"  through  with  all  the  opera- 


tldllS. 


hark 


in<J    the    felled    tree,   el'(»ss-euttili!4'    ill 


l.L.ek 


eiuiiteen   iiiehes  lon^,',  splittiii;;-  and  shaving,  and  all 
with  the  simplest  tools.  ";    ' 

Very  wi'll,"  re|)lied  \^dlejo.  who  had  followed  him 

11 


attititively,    thoU'^h    half   iiiereilulously ;    "you    sIki 
iiialve  me  .some  tziiiii;ds  and  lout'  my  liouse," 

1  he  Work   was  done,  jiiid  the  autocrat  was  hii,dily 
I'!  asid;  he  had  a  ' tzin^ahd'  house,  the  liist   in  all 

1   he  was  very  proud   of  it. 


t  wo 


Calif 


oi-mas,  an( 


.i>  I'-oked  indeed  like  civilization. 

A'..,'a:n  the  mechanic  stood  htfori'  the  mastei-, 


I) 


:  t 

;1 


I 


488 


OfCLTATIOXS  AND  INPUSTKIES. 


"What  shall  I  i^^ive  you?"  asked  Vallojo. 

"I  woiiltl  like  some  land  in  Napa  Valley,  if  you 
would  h'lid  me  a  few  heifers  so  that  I  mijjht  start  a 
herd,"  said  Yount. 

•'  |[ow  much  land?" 

"Haifa  lea<rue." 

"  V(»u  can't  have  half  a  leai^ue;  wo  don't  ^ive  half 
huij^ues  here,  with  five  hundred  miles  on  our  north, 
and  a  thousand  on  our  east,  unoeoupied.  You  cjih 
have  four  Icaj^ues." 

"I  will  tjike  a  leaj^ue,"  said  Yount,  who  was  think- 
in*;  of  the  care  and  cost  attendinj^  the  ownership  of  so 
lary^e  a  tract. 

"^'ou  can  have  two  leaoues,  and  nothing  less," 
re[)lied  N'allcjo;  and  so  the  matter  ended. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TOAFFIC. 

With  nhiiw  tliu  nua,  Vfun  Niiriiikletl  fnr  an<l  nigh, 
Liku  Htiirti  in  huavun  ami  juyouMly  it  Mhow'd, 
tSoiiiu  lyinu  fust  iit  iiiu'lior  in  tlie  rnatl, 
8uuio  vuuring  up  aud  duwu,  uiiu  kuuw  not  why. 

—  ]\'or<l''imrth. 


Un'DKR  tliG  cxcluftivo  policy  purauod  by  Spain  to- 
waid  licr  Atnericaii  colonics,  Califoriua  could  have, 
(luniii^  the  sevt'iitccnth  and  oiijlitccnth  ccnturiia,  no 
external  trade.  Indeed,  asi<le  from  a  few  prodiicts 
fiiiiiislied  to  the  Pliillipiunes  j^alleon,  and  to  the  tran.s- 
pnrts  which  hroujjjht  supplies  for  the  presidios  and 
iiiissittiis,  and  some  salt  sent  from  time  to  time  to  San 
Bias,  on  jj^overnment  account,  she  exported  nothini; 
tlnwn  t<i  1786.  A  royal  order  of  this  year  allowed  a 
free  trade  for  eijjfht  years  with  San  l^las,  which  priv- 
iltn-c  was  later  t'xtended  for  five  y«'ars  more  with  duties 
rnjuccd  one-half;  hut  California  derived  little  if  any 
udvaiitajie  from  the  concession. 

Th(!  mother  country  undertook  in  1785  to  open  a 
trade  hetween  the  Californius  and  China,  hartrrin'^ 
|H  Itrit'S  for  quicksilver;  and  a  conniiissioner  was  ap- 
I'l'iiited  to  study  the  (piestion  and  make  the  necessary 
aiiaii!^ements  for  carry injjf  out  the  scheme.  Skins  of 
various  kinds  were  to  h*'  proeuied  hy  the  Indians, 
•It'livered  to  the  missionaries,  and  then  he  turned  over 
to  the  <_M)vernment  agent  at  from  S-T)!)  tt>  .$10  each, 
acconhng  to  size  and  col<»r.  Private  persons  wire; 
f  •rl.iildcn  to  hecoine  purchasers  of  furs.  The  friars 
ta\ovtd  this  project,  which  would  attord  an  additional 
ininiiie  to  the  nTissioas.     The  agent  ohtained  al)o\it 

(  V.U  ) 


:'!• 


!' 


n 


IXL.VXI)  TRADE  AXT)  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


l,r»00  otter  skins,  returning'  with  tlii'in  to  Ari'xlm, 
wIhiu'c  at  ti»e  eiul  of  I7H7  ho  took  tlicin  to  Manilii 
for  lUTount  of  tiu' roval  tnasurv.  lirforo  I7l)0  tlif 
iiuiiiIht  of  skins  shi{>iM<l  t(»  tiiat  Asiatic  port  fmin 
hoth  Californias  was  *.>,7-0,  at  a  total  cost,  inchi<liii'4 
the  aj^ciit's  salary  and  expenses,  of  .^.s7,r»r»!).  But  in 
the  lattir  year  it  was  thouj^iit  best  to  leave  the  tin 
tra«le  in  private  hands.  However,  It  appears  that 
some  otter  skins  were  procun-d  for  «;ovi'rnnient  ae- 
eount  after  that  time.  The  Kn|L,d*ish  were  intri».^uiii.; 
to  secun^  th(>  business,  which  was  checked  hv  tin 
treaty  entered  into  in  October  17D0,  between  (ireat 
liritain  and  Spain,  inhibitin<^  the  subjects  of  tlif 
former  power  from  killini;  otter  witliin  thirty  mili  s 
of  any  part  of  the  coast  occupiet!  by  the  latter, — tliat 
is,  all  of  California  below  San  Francisco, — and  finm 
eiiu;a^ing  in  any  trade  with  the  Spanisli  cstablisli 
nients. 

There  wer»'  several  reasons  why  the  trade  in  pel 
tries  met  with  ill  succes.s.  First,  the  furs  obtained  in 
California  were  fewer  in  nundter  than  lia<l  be»n  ex- 
pected, because  the  natives  lacktd  skill  an<l  the  ne<ts- 
sary  im[)lements.  Secotidly,  the  quality  of  the  ottt  r 
skins  was  inf»'rior  to  that  of  the  skins  taki>n  to  China 
from  the  Northwest  Coast.  Thinl,  the  tariff  of  prices 
fixed  by  the  *;overnment  a«ijent  at  first  was  cnii- 
sidi-red  excessive.  The  roval  fur  tradtra  were  \\<>t, 
satisfied  with  a  fair  ])rofit.  Then,  too,  the  Spaniauls 
did  not  know  how  either  to  prepare  the  skins  orcon- 
<luct  the  busint'tss.  Nor  were  private  hidividuals  <lis- 
po.sed  to  en;4a«4e  hi  a  busiiie.ss  which  had  been  aban- 
doned bv  the  liovernment.  Nevertlu'less,  tht^  nati\'S 
continuetl  }^athenn<^  furs  for  the  mission.s,  and  in 
later  years  American  snm|^«.di'rs  carried  off  consid»i- 
able  (juantities  in  exchaiiife  for  j^ootls. 

There  was  no  development  whatever  in  any  otli*  r 
commercial  branch.  Ka<'h  year  two  tran.sports  <'ani«' 
to  California,  one  usually  visitin*;  San  l)ie|;;o  an<l 
Suuta   Barbara,  and   the   other   Monterey  and  S.ni 


THE  FUU  TRADE. 


461 


Framwo,  with  supplii's  fortlio  inissioiiH  and  prosidios. 

Tlio  Manila  galK-on  toucliiil  at  Montiny  in  17h4  uikI 

I7s5.     Every  pncaution  was  taken  to  |>n'\«'nt  eoni- 

iiiunications   of    torii^Mi    veHsels    with    tl»o    n>untiv. 

tlioujili    in  casiH  of  distress  sueli   vessels  were   fui- 

nisl led  stores  and  water.     The  laws  prohiltitid  trade 

ii't  only  with  forei«;n  vessels,  and  for  for*'i}.'n  t>;«Hnls. 

l)Ut  with  Sjumish  vessels  and  for  llispano-Anuriean 

uoods,  if  brought  hv  other  than  the  re«'ular  trans- 

|M.it.s.     At  first  even  the  transports  were  not  all<twed 

tu  l)i'in|4  any  other  i<;(N)dH  than  those  whieh  had  In-en 

<;illi'd  for   hy  the  haiulitaiios  of  the  presidios.     It  is 

kiioNVM,  however,  that  this  rule  was  not  elosily  ke])t : 

the  ottiet|-s  and  others  on  the  ships  hrinj^injj;  on  private 

s|»reulation  from  San  lilas  aitieles  for  barter  with  tin- 

suldii  IS,  for  liquors,   hrlglit   (•ol«)red  cloths,  trinkets, 

ttc.     A.  triHin;jf  4|uantity  of  produce,  brandy,  fi«»s,  and 

liiisjiis,  was    imported    overland    for   the  friars  from 

Jiuwer  Califoinitt.      Sevend    projects   were   conteni- 

jil.ittil  to  fostiT  trade,  but  they  never  took  etfeet.      In 

I7^H  tlie  ^ovrrnor  issued  a  new  .schedule  of  prii-es  of 

livr-stoek,  u^ricultural  products,  And  articles  he  was 

iik*  ly  t«>  r«'<|uire :  horses,  ^.'{  to  ^1);  asses,  ^(I  to  i^7  : 

rahes,  :?1.50;  bulls,  ^4  ;  sheep,  75  cents  to  ^'J ;  swhie 

$1  to  ^4;  nmles,  ^1(1  to  ^20;  mares,  ^IJ;  c«»\vs,  5?4; 

cxrii,  js^J;  j^'oats.  7i)  cents  to  61  ;  jerked  bi-if.  75  cents 

I"  r  -5  IIks.  ;  fnsh   beef,  1*5   cents   per  25    lbs. ;  hides, 

uiitainie«l,  37  cents;  tiinned,  ^li.25;  wool  81.-5  to  .$- 

]•' r   :]5    lbs;  wluat,   ^'J   ]Mr  fanega;  barley,   ^l    pt-r 

tiiiitnja;    maize    .31.50    per    faiiejLCa;  beans,   i^'l.bO   per 

t'ain;^fa;  tiour,  $1.25  to  .^'J  per  25  lbs.;  suj^ar.  25  cents 

|M  r   Ihs.;  brandy,   75  cents  per  pint.     The  list   was 

iiHidiHed  some  years   later,  with   an   increase   in   the 

juice  of  some  articles;  the   nundier  of  article.^   was 

also   tvrcatly  au»jmented,    including  those  of  luxury, 

which  in  the  earlier  years  hiul  lu'ensevenly  exchnh-d. 

I'larly  iii  the  lUth  cinturv  American  vessels  beoan 

I"  apprar  at  California  |K)rts,  under  th»?  pretext  of 

iiitdiug  supplies,   their  real  object   being   to  secure 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


»"  IIM    1 2.2 
It   i^    mil  2.0 


1.8 


1.25      u      1^ 

—     —    — 

^ (,"  

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


S: 


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%^ 


^^ 


^«,' 


^.-^^ 


"<b^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STRCEf 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  145i!0 

(716)  872-4503 


•1 


o 


l^ 


"^ 


^ 


> 


A 


462 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


m 


otter  skins,  for  which  they  had  goods  to  give  in  ex- 
change, in  which  iUicit  traffic  they  were  somethncs 
successful.  The  Americans  were  not  the  only  for- 
eigners poaching  in  the  Spanish  preserves  of  the  Cali- 
fornias;  the  Russians  also  endeavored  to  establish 
commercial  relations  in  some  form.  Joseph  O'Cain, 
connnander  of  the  ship  O'Cain,  persuaded  Bardnof, 
chief  of  the  Russo- American  colonies,  to  let  him  have 
a  number  of  Aleuts,  with  their  bidarkas,  to  take 
otters   on   shares.     O'Cain  left   Kadiak   in  October 

1803,  and  did  some  trading  on  the  coast  of  Alta 
California.     He  touched  at  San  Diego  in  January 

1804,  for  provisions,  which  were  denied  him.  After 
hovering  some  time  on  the  coast  of  Lower  California, 
he  returned  to  Kadiak  in  June  with  1,100  otter  slvins 
to  be  shared  with  the  Russians.  The  same  ship,  and 
another  American  vessel  under  Russian  auspices, 
visited  the  coast  of  Lower  California  in  1805  and 
1806.  These  voyages  yielded  about  6,250  otter  skins. 
The  Russians  allege  that  Bariinof  forbade  their  hunt- 
ing on  the  California  coast  without  special  jxirmission 
from  the  Spanish  authorities,  but  no  such  permission 
was  either  asked  for  or  obtained.  From  this  time  on, 
for  ten  years  or  upwards,  the  Yankees  with  the  aid 
of  the  skilful  Aleuts,  under  contracts  with  the  Rus- 
sians, had  things  their  own  way  in  California.  Tiny 
disposed  of  their  goods  by  barter  with  the  friars,  and 
even  occasionally  with  the  officials.  The  hunters,  be- 
came more  and  more  emboldened,  until  they  actually 
came  to  take  otter  in  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  under 
the  very  eyes  of  the  Spanish  authorities,  who  nmic 
powerless  to  prevent  it.  It  is  known  tliat  the  Russo- 
Alaskan  company  thus  obtained  nearly  10,000  ottor 
skins  as  their  share  of  the  number  taken  by  the  con- 
tractors. It  is  believed  that  the  latter  were  honest 
in  rendering  an  account  of  the  animals  killed ;  but  in 
other  respects  they  caused  trouble  and  loss  to  the 
company  by  occasional  sharp  practice.  The  contract 
system  was  disconthmed  about  1815. 


rezXnof's  adventure. 


463 


In  1806  famine  stalked  in  Alaska,  owing  to  the 
wreck  of  a  vessel  with  supplies,  and  the  failure  of  an- 
other to  arrive.  Scurvy  also  made  its  appearance, 
Hunger,  misery,  despair,  and  death  were  fast  reduc- 
ing the  number  of  the  colonists.  The  chamberlain, 
liczilnof,  who  had  come  to  Sitka  the  previous  year 
on  a  visit  of  inspection,  loaded  the  ship  Juno  with 
such  articles  as  were  thought  to  be  acceptable  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  proceeded  to  the  port  of  San  Francisco, 
wliich  he  reached  early  in  March,  after  a  stormy  pas- 
sage, in  which  the  lives  of  all  on  board  were  repeat- 
edly in  peril.  Rezdnof  well  knew  that  trading  with 
foreigners  was  forbidden  in  California,  but  he  hoped 
to  soften  the  hearts  of  the  Spanish  authorities  to 
rdiove  the  pressing  need  of  food.  Possibly  there 
might  be  a  little  business  transacted  in  furs,  if  not 
with  the  permission  of  the  officials,  then  through  the 
connivance  of  the  missionaries.  But  he  had  for  a 
time  to  contend  with  Governor  Arrillaga's  regard  for 
duty.  While  admitting  that  commerce  would  be 
beneficial  to  the  people  of  California,  the  governor 
felt  bound  to  comply  with  the  strict  orders  he  had 
from  the  crown  and  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain.  The 
most  he  would  permit  was  the  purchase  of  cereals  for 
casli ;  no  sales  of  goods  from  the  ships,  nor  purchase 
of  peltries  should  be  allowed.  But  where  di[)l()niacy 
faiK'd,  love,  all-conquering  love,  succeeded.  Rezdnof 
won  the  heart  of  Concepcion  Argilello,  the  coman- 
(Innte's  daughter,  and  offered  his  hand  to  her  in  mar- 
riiio;o.  Through  this  intermediary  the  comandante's 
inHuence  was  brouo-ht  to  favor  the  chamberlain's 
wislies.  Arrillaga  found  himself  at  last  unable  to 
resist  the  pressure  of  the  friars,  the  people,  his  own 
inclinations  to  favor  the  country,  and  the  arguments 
of  his  friend  of  thirty  years'  standing.  Captain  Josd 
Diiri'o  Argiiello.  He  yielded,  and  a  complicated  plan 
was  devised,  by  which  specie  was  made  to  appear  as 
tli(!  medium  of  purchase  on  both  sides,  Rez;lnofs  name 
Hot  appearing  in  the  transactions.     Pursuant  to  this 


!9 


m'i 


!! 


464 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


arrangement  the  ship  was  soon  loaded  with  w^hcat  and 
flour,  maize,  barky,  beans,  oats,  and  pease;  salt,  soap, 
tallow,  etc.  The  ship  delivered  goods,  which  had 
originally  cost  about  $5,000.  Rezdnof  now  delavid 
his  departure  as  little  as  possible,  and  arrived  safely 
at  Sitka  on  the  lOtli  of  June. 

The  Russians  after  this  determined  to  establish  a 
settlement  on  the  coast  of  California,  the  port  of 
Bodega  and  the  country  back  of  it  being  the  chosen 
spot.  The  Russian  emperor  gave  his  assent,  witiioiit 
saying  anything  of  Spanish  opposition.  The  Russo- 
American  company  was  simply  authorized,  as  re- 
garded connnerce,  to  arrange  the  matter  in  their  own 
way.  The  first  attempt  at  Bodega  in  1810  was  un- 
successful. Meanwhile  Captain  Jonathan  Winsliip, 
in  the  (/Cai)!,  visited  the  California  coast  in  1810-11, 
under  contract  with  the  company,  and  returned  to 
Alaska  with  5,400  otter  skins.  His  brother,  Natlian 
Winship,  in  the  Albatross,  under  a  similar  contract, 
took  1,120  skins.  Several  other  ships  were  at  tliis 
time  engaged  in  the  same  traffic,  namely,  the  Isahclla, 
Mcrcim/,  Catherine,  Amethyst,  and  Charon.  The  Rus- 
sians tinallv  effected  the  desired  settlement,  com- 
meiiced  agricultural  operations,  and  made  efforts  to 
o})en  a  trade  with  California,  but  their  overtures  wtie 
unfavorably  received,  and  they  were  ordered  to  quit 
the  territory.  While  the  revolutionary  war  raged  iu 
^Mexico,  California  was  left  without  supplies.  Fortu- 
nately a  small  trade  with  Peru  began,  two  s]ii}».s 
coming  from  Callao  with  cloth  and  miscellaneous 
goods,  to  barter  for  tallow,  hides,  and  other  produn-. 
The  American  ^\n^  Mercury  was  captured  on  the  coast 
with  a  cargo  worth  $16,000,  which  afforded  consiil- 
erable  relief.  The  Russians  at  Ross  were  after  ;i 
time  allowed  to  send  to  San  Francisco,  in  bidarkas 
goods  to  the  amount  of  $14,000.  From  this  time 
commercial  relations  were  rarely  interrupted.  In 
1814  another  Spanish  vessel  sold  $16,000  wortli  of 
goods  for  treasury  drafts.     A  small  amount  of  money 


BUSINESS  WITH  ALASKA  AND  LIMA. 


465 


was  also  obtained  from  two  English  vessels  that 
visited  Monterej'-  and  San  Francisco.  Lieutenant 
Moraga  was  sent  a  third  time  to  Ross  to  t)rtler  tlie 
Russians  to  depart ;  but  the  officer  in  charge,  Kuskof, 
found  it  convenient  not  to  understand  a  messaj^e  con- 
veyed to  liim  in  Spanish,  and  despatched  his  clerk  to 
San  Francisco  with  the  usual  caro;o,  which  by  the  in- 
(luli^^ence  of  Captain  Luis  Arcfiiello,  the  coniandante, 
found  a  ready  sale,  and  the  Kussians  met  ever  after 
with  the  same  success,  to  the  benefit  of  the  troops 
and  people  of  California,  for  they  not  only  furnished 
iu'o<led  articles,  but  purchased  large  quaiitities  of 
<4niin.  And  thus  it  was  that  from  the  year  1815  to 
the  end  of  the  Spanish  domination,  hi  1822,  the  period 
of  most  C(^m})lcte  interruptions  of  trade  with  Mexico, 
and  consequently  of  greatest  want,  with  what  the 
Russians  furnished  and  vessels  from  Lima  brouglit, 
tlie  situatic^n  was  rendered  less  insufferable.  In 
fact,  during  tlie  last  half  of  the  decade  1811-20,  there 
was  no  need  on  the  part  of  foreign  vessels  to 
resort  to  snmggling,  for  the  Spanish  authorities  were 
«j,lad  to  purchase  every  cargo,  Spanish  or  foreign, 
though  tluties  were  exacted  on  all  exports  and  im- 
ports, according  to  a  tariff  devised  to  meet,  as  alleged, 
the  needs  of  California  ;  but  practically,  there  was  no 
ol)staclo  to  free  commercial  relations.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  nothing  to  show  that  anv  trade  was  carried 
on  witli  foreign  vessels,  even  contraband,  exce[>t  by 
the  *j;ovcrnment.  Of  course  there  was  smugijfling 
even  tlien  to  some  extent. 

Tiio  missionaries  claimed  exemption  from  export 
ami  import  dues,  but  Governor  Sola  heeded  them  not, 
and  tinallv  they  had  to  be  content  with  the  cold  comfort 
of  paying  by  a  pro  rata  contrilmtion,  a  sum  of  money 
helieved  to  exceed  the  amount  of  duties  demaiuled. 
The  governor  accused  the  friars  of  behig  unserupuh>us, 
inasnmch  as  they  bought  goods  on  speculation,  ]>re- 
tiiidiiig  that  they  were  for  the  missions,  and  shiitped 
liquor  and  other  merchandise  under  the  title  of  gifts, 


C.vi..  Past.    30 


I   :'3 


4G6 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


:it; 


Is 

■IF 


w 


etc.     He  thought  it  needful  to  watch  their  proceed- 
ings, on  behalf  of  the  country's  interests. 

In  April,  1821,  was  published  in  California,  a  royal 
order  of  the  preceding  year,  exempting  from  duties 
national  products  exported  on  Spanish  bottoms  to 
San  Bias  and  the  CaUfornias.  But  this  order,  con- 
nectod  as  it  was  with  some  commercial  schemes  wliicli 
had  no  eifect,  brought  no  benefit  to  California.  The 
rates  of  duties  exacted  in  the  last  decade  were  now 
continued.  Nine  vessels  entered  California  pons 
during  this  year,  and  in  1822  there  were  twenty  on 
the  coast,  one  being  a  government  transport,  and  six 
wlialers  which  entered  San  Francisco  for  supplies. 
The  rest  traded  goods  for  California  produce.  In 
1823  there  were  seventeen  vessels,  three  of  them 
Russian  men-of-war,  five  whalers,  and  the  rest 
traders,  purchasing  tallow,  hides  and  produce.  The 
duties  on  imports  and  exports  collected  at  Monterey, 
amounted  to  upwards  of  17,500,  which  may  or  may 
not  include  $6,500  received  at  San  Francisco  and 
San  Diego. 

The  British  subjects,  Hugh  McCuUoch  and  Wil- 
liam Edward  Petty  Hartnell,  the  latter  becomini,'  a 
permanent  resident  as  well  as  a  citizen,  brought  a 
cargo  of  goods  in  1822,  and  proposed,  both  to  the 
government  and  to  the  prefect  of  the  missions,  to 
enter  for  Begg  and  Company  of  Glasgow  and  Lima, 
into  a  contract  to  keep  the  province  regularly  supplied. 
Such  a  contract  was  actually  concluded  for  three 
years,  to  begin  from  January  1,  1823.  A  scale  of 
prices  was  arranged.  Prefect  Payeras  saying  that  the 
times  when  hides  and  tallow  where  to  be  had  for  the 
askhig  had  passed.  The  following  was  the  schedule 
fixed  in  the  contract:  hides,  $1  each,  large  and  small; 
wheat,  $3  per  fanega  ;  tallow,  $2  per  arroba  of  2  J  Ihs; 
suet,  $3;  lard,  $i;  soap,  $16  per  100  lbs;  beef  in 
pickle,  including  bone,  $4  per  100  lbs,  without  casks. 
Other  articles  were  included  without  mentioning  their 
prices ;  such  as  horns,  hair  of  horses  and  cattle,  h'.uip. 


EXPORTS  AND  IMPORTS. 


4G7 


wine,  brandy,  saffron  for  dyeing,  skins  of  bears,  foxes, 
etc.  The  only  article  to  be  received  in  unlimited 
quantities  was  hides.  Wheat  m  large  quantities  was 
to  be  taken  only  in  the  event  of  the  wheat  crop  being 
sliort  in  Chili.  The  contractors  were  bound  to 
Jes})atch  at  least  one  vessel  every  year,  which  was  to 
touch  at  each  harbor  or  roadstead,  take  all  the  hides 
ottVred,  and  at  least  25,000  arrobas  of  tallow,  and  to 
pay  for  the  same  in  money,  or  such  goods  as  might 
be  desired.  There  were  a  few  other  conditions  which 
it  is  unnecessary  to  enumerate. 

In  September  1824,  a  tax  of  ten  per  cent,  on  pro- 
ducts was  decreed.  The  comandantes  of  presidios 
wt'ie  instructed  to  facilitate  the  sale  of  products  as 
much  as  possible;  taxes  on  exports  were  repealed 
fmui  January  1,  1825,  but  a  duty  of  25  per  cent  was 
imposed  on  all  coin  taken  from  the  province. 

From  this  time  it  is  unnecessary  to  detail  the 
development  of  trade  from  year  to  year,  under  the 
}iilvll(ge  of  free  intercourse,  subject  only  to  duties  as 
i't(|uired  elsewhere.  The  ever  loan  treasury  could 
ill-afford  to  lose  the  amount  the  parties  in  interest 
Would  contribute  toward  its  relief  Everv  such  con- 
triltution  was  a  godsend.  A.  'I'olony  of  foreign 
traders  controlled  the  conmierce,  and  the  system  of 
exchanijinof  hides  and  tallow  for  goods  brouo-ht  fn>m 
ahroad  did  not  vary  nmch  between  1823  and   1840, 

Complete  records  of  revenue  exist  for  on  r  three 
vi  ars,  making  the  average  $70,000  annually ;  the 
receipts  for  about  1837  did  not  exceed  $60,000 
vrarly.  Exports  could  not  vary  much  in  Nalue  at 
Calit'ornia  prices  from  imports.  For  three  years  the 
avirugc  of  exports  from  San  Francisco  was  $83,000  ; 
the  annual  exports  from  California  to  Honolulu  for 
tive  years  was  $45,000.  Sir  James  Douglas,  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  1841  estimated  the  total 
exp<irts  of  California  at  $241,000,  the  largest  item 
Ixing  $70,000  for  hides. 

During  General  Micheltorena's  rule,  a  decree  was 


4G8 


Vm 


nil  i 


U'i 


n 


71 


•il 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  THAFFIC. 


issued,  in  1844,  forbidilina;  tlio  importation  of  natioii- 
alizi'd  foreign  goods  from  Alcxican  ports.  This  dccii  c 
was  repealed  hy  his  sueeessor  in  1845,  as  was  anotln  r 
pliW'injj;  restrictions  on  tratlo  by  wlialers.  These  ves- 
sels oould  now  sell  i^oods  to  anv  amount  In  exehnii'c 
for  produce  by  payiiu^  the  re<ifular  tluties,  and  wt  it- 
exempt  from  the  ]»ayment  of  the  tax  of  ^.'50  forme  rlv 
exaeted  from  tlu'm.  Every  vesst'l  >vas  requind  to 
pay  .$50  |H>r  month  fora  license  to  enjj^a^e  in  the  retail 
tradts  This  wjisconstituU^d  a  special  fund  to  [)ay  the 
guards  placed  on  tlie  vessels,  and  for  the  construction 
of  a  pier  at  Monteny.  The  traders  objected  to  the 
presence  of  these  watchmen,  but  not  to  the  tax. 

The  total  revemie  collected  by  the  custom-house  in 
1845  was  about  $140,000.  The  records  and  otli.r 
sources  apeak  of  sixty  vessels  havinjjj  been  in  Califm-- 
uia  in  that  year.  A  dozen  names  mentioned  arc 
rather  doubtful,  many  of  them  rcstiiisf  on  unreliahK- 
statements,  and  elj^lit  were  men-of-war,  which,  if  not 
reorular  traders,  nuist  have  brou<]jht  large  supplies. 
The  }fnf(t<lor  paid  into  the  trt>asurv  $<>7,000,  which 
far  exceeded  the  amount  ever  i>aid  l)efore  bv  anv  one 
ship.  Betw^een  1841  and  1845,  134  vess(>ls  arrivid. 
Among  tlnMU  were  45  of  American  nationality,  II 
British,  8  French,  7  German  and  Swedish,  5  ]lussiaii. 
3  South  American.  In  the  case  of  2!), — many  of  which 
W(>re  smugglers  and  reticent, — no  nationality  appears 
in  the  records.  Of  the  1,'U,  43  were  whalers  and  'I'l 
ships  of  war  or  of  scientific  exploration. 

It  mav  be  of  interest  to  the  o-cneml  reader  to  l<now 
what  were,  in  the  late  years  of  the  Mexican  doiniiiii- 
tion,  the  ruling  prices  for  the  chief  articles.  Bramly 
of  the  country  was  $50  a  barrel ;  a  fat  beef,  $5 ;  sluc|>, 
$'2, ;  wheat,  83  |x^r  fanega;  maize  and  pease,  $1.75  a  fa- 
ni>ga;  beans,  $2.50,  oats,  $1.50,  a  fanega;  butter.  S2 
for  5  lbs;  milch  cows,  $8  each;  and  hogs,  $6;  horse- 
skins,  $1  in  merchandise,  and  $.75  in  money;  ox-hides, 
$2  in  merchandise,  $1.50  In  silver;  deerskins,  $.5i)  to 
$1,  according  to  size;  beaver  skhis,  $3  per  lb,     ^loro 


PRICES  fUKllKNT. 


400 


lliiin  3,000  skins  were  obtained  each  year.  Otter 
skins  became  vt-rv  scarce.  Scarcely  100  wen;  taktn 
ill  I,S4'J;  tl)('y  wi-re  worth  in  CaHfornia  from  $'.ij  to 
s  to,  at  Maaitian  from  ^r)0  to  $;")."),  and  in  Afcxico 
from  .$00  to  $70.  Tliey  were  not  rej^ularly  exported 
to  China  after  1H40.  The  skins  of  fresh-water  otters 
weie  wortli  only  $2  to  $'.].  Wild  goat  skins  were 
Nvortli  25  ce'nts;  skins  of  the  hair  seal,  75  cents;  of 
tilt;  fur  seal,  §3  to  $4.  Californians  would  pay  for 
slioi's  i^-\,  b<M)ts  $15,  vermicelli  $10  a  Ik)X,  woollen 
socks  $10  a  dozen,  silk  stockin'^s  $2.50  to  $5  a  pah', 
linen  tliread  $4  a  lb.,  silk  handkiTchiefs  $2  each,  su- 
Uiir  $20  per  100  lbs,  nails  37  cents  j)er  lb.,  calico  50 
cents  a  yard,  bn)wn  cotton  37  cents  a  yard,  not  to 
mention  a  rebozo  at  $150,  a  serape  of  Saltillo  at  $200 
to  $300,  a  saddle  at  $300,  etc. 

In  l83'.)-40,  while  the  country  was  at  peace,  some 
native  Californians  united  to  ex[)ort  their  products 
iii<lej)endently  of  foreign  tra<lers.  This  relieved  the 
want  of  money  somewhat,  since  they  sent  letters  of 
exchange  on  their  agents  in  Mexico  and  l-ia  Paz  and 
received  money  in  return.  But  the  arrival  of  Michel- 
tiirena  unsettled  things  again,  and  each  one  looked  out 
for  himself,  and  not  for  the  country.  Freight  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  or  Msizatlau  was  $20  per  ton ;  pas- 
sage, $60  and  $30,  or  $80  and  $40;  tune,  14  to  20 
days.  To  Boston,  freight  was  $40  per  ton,  hides  7j 
cents  each,  and  tallow  ."JO  cents  per  arroba;  passage, 
.SI 50  to  $50.  To  Callao,  $25  per  ton,  huhn  37  and  50 
cents,  talli>w  $3  per  arroba;  passage,  $200  to  $120, 
according  to  agreement  with  the  captain;  time,  50  to 
()0  (lavs. 

The  fat  from  the  weekly  slaughter  of  cattle  at  the 
missions  was  dragged  in  on  the  hide,  made  into  soap, 
or  melted  and  put  up  in  leather  botas.  The  melting 
coppers  were  of  iron,  of  200  or  more  gallons  capacity. 
Tlie  hides  were  stretched  on  the  ground,  and  held  by 
sticks  driven  into  the  ends.  When  dry,  they  were 
stored  for  shipment. 


470 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


Sutter  says  tliat  wlion  lie  first  came  to  Califonun. 
"articies  on  tratliiiiij  vessels  were  so  high  tluit  ho  wliu 
went  on  board  with  $100  hi  money  or  hitles,  couM 
cairy  away  his  purchases  in  a  pcx'ket  handkerchiot." 

The  trading  ships,  after  entering  their  cargoes,  and 
sui)plying  the  wants  of  Monterey,  usually  proceedt  d 
to  San  Francisco,  where,  mooring  off  Yerba  Butiia 
cove,  they  despatched  boats  to  various  points  of  tlie 
bay  to  bring  the  rancheros  and  tlieir  families  to  tlie 
ship.  Stearns  was  the  first  to  export  cattle  horns  on  a 
large  scale. 

There  was  usuallv,  savs  Davis,  a  considerable  float- 
ing  population,  mostly  made  up  of  runaway  sailors. 
disposed  at  all  times  to  purchase  goods  on  credit ;  hut 
as  they  were  men  who  spent  as  fast  as  they  earned, 
the  greater  part  of  their  earnings  going  for  tobacot 
and  drink,  their  credit  was  naturally  below  par.  Tht  sc 
remarks  do  not  apply  to  permanently  settled  foreigners. 
nor  to  the  hunters  and  trappers  who  came  across  tlie 
mountains  and  remained  in  California.  Tluy  were 
men  of  a  different  type,  true,  sober,  and  industrious. 
Most  of  them  continued  as  hunters  and  trajipers  lure, 
and  were  confidentlv  trusted  bv  merchants  and  traders. 

Davis'  father  owned  and  commanded  the  ship  Jennie, 
of  Boston,  and  visited  California  with  goods  early  iii 
this  century.  On  one  of  his  trips  to  California  he 
went  into  Refugio,  a  rancho  situated  a  few  miles  west 
of  Santa  Bdrbara.  Many  of  the  well-to-do  Calit'er- 
nians,  as  well  as  the  missionaries,  visited  the  ship  to 
make  purchases,  and  as  the  captain  had  no  use  for 
hides  or  tallow,  the  rancheros  and  priests  produced 
their  Spanish  doubloons  to  make  payments,  or  tentlerod 
otter  skins,  which  were  then  plentiful  and  acceptalilo. 

About  1823  was  organized  a  company  of  otter- 
hunters.  They  were  Kadiaks  from  Alaska.  Tluir 
way  was  to  pursue  in  their  boats  the  otter  in  the  hay 
of  Monterev,  and  when  the  latter  became  tired  out, 
kill  them  with  arrows.  The  otter  used  to  sleep  on  a 
bed  of  sea-weed,  ojiposite  the  sand-banks  of  the  hay. 


TPJCKS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


471 


The  Kailiak  skin  boats  woukl  take  positions  in  line ; 
tlun  from  a  largo  boat  several  shots  were  fired;  the 
tVi;j;htene(l  otter  would  start  on  a  run,  and  the  boats 
pursued  them  with  the  utmost  speed.  Their  boats 
wvro  made  of  scal-skhis,  the  hair  having  been  removed  ; 
tlnv  had  a  wooden  frame  inside,  and  they  sounded 
like  a  drum;  generally  eat^h  boat  carried  two  or  three 
Kiuliaks.  In  this  manner  were  destroyed  all  the  otter 
oil  that  part  of  the  coast,  and  further  down. 

The  padres  were  the  chief  customers  in  those  days, 
and  spent  freely  from  their  well-filled  coin-bags,  or 
fiuiu  their  stores  of  otter-skins,  which  they  aocunm- 
latod  largely  from  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  and  along 
the  coast.  They  were  extremely  jealous  of  the  Rus- 
sians, who  were  making  fortunes  out  of  the  business. 
The  padres  had  become  regular  traders.  The  China 
troods  thcv  bought  were  not  for  their  own  use  and 
enjoyment,  but  were  resold  to  the  rancheros  at  a  profit. 
Tluy  were  shrewd  traders,  making  their  purchases 
with  good  judgment,  and  at  lower  prices  than  the 
rancheros.  They  frequently  supplied  the  latter  with 
goods  from  their  stores,  taking  in  payment  hides  and 
tallow,  furs  and  cattle.  Captahi  Davis'  vovages  to 
tJiis  coast  on  the  Ear/Ic  proved  successful,  realizing 
ahout  $i!5,000  profit  on  each,  in  Spanish  doubloons 
and  otter  skins,  from  his  sales  in  California  and  the 
Ihissian  settlements.  He  was  among  the  first  traders 
from  Boston,  and  had  everything  pretty  nmch  his  own 
way.  John  Meek,  who  in  after  years  traded  on  this 
coast  as  master  of  the  Don  Quixote,  was  Davis'  mate. 
On  one  of  his  first  vovaijjes  here  on  the  Don  (Quixote, 
ho  received  a  present  from  Coniandante  Ignacio  ]\Iar- 
thu^z  of  three  heifers  and  a  young  bull,  which  were 
carried  to  Honolulu.  In  1871  Meek  was  livin^j;  there, 
and  owned  a  rancho  about  '25  or  30  miles  froi.i  tlie 
town.  He  then  had  between  four  and  five  thousand 
luad  of  cattle,  and  had  been  for  years  supplying  for- 
eiL^Mi  men-of-war  and  other  vessels  with  beef  cattle,  all 
the  offspring  of  the  little  band  presented  by  Martinez. 


m 


1    Mi 


t;; 


j!l 


472 


INL.VM)  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


There  was  considerable  coinpctition  in  later  years 
anioiiijj  the  traders  on  the  coast,  and  tlicre  were  iiut 
wantinjjj  instances  of  sharp  practice  in  the  collection  of 
hides  and  tallow,  e8i)ecially  during  tlie  slauj^htoriuu; 
season.  Merchants  trusted  the  rancheros  largily  for 
the  ijoods  thev  sold  them,  and  the  indebtedness  was 
paid  when  the  hides  and  tallow  were  prei)ared.  Mi^st 
of  the  rancheros  were  in  debt  at  the  time.  One  of 
them,  for  instance,  would  promise  the  trader  to  supply 
hhu  at  a  specified  time  with  hides  and  tallow,  but 
shoi-tly  before  the  time  so  fixed  another  trader,  to 
whom  lie  was  also  indebted,  would  come,  and  by  imi-. 
sistent  eftbrts  and  blandishments,  so  work  upon  liim 
as  to  secure  for  himself  a  good  portion  of  the  csqiiilnKis 
which  had  been  promised  to  the  first  trtader.  Wlnii 
the  latter  in  due  time  presented  himself,  and  demandc  d 
the  fulfilment  of  the  ranchero's  promise,  such  deniiiiul 
the  poor  man  could  not  disregard.  Then  the  seri>ii(l 
trader's  claim  had  also  to  be  attended  to  in  some  wa\', 
at  least  in  a  measure,  and  so,  between  debt  and  duty, 
the  ranchero  was  pretty  well  pulled  to  pieces.  Tlie 
hides  were  often  received  in  a  green  state,  and  luul  to 
be  staked  out  and  dried  at  Yerba  Buena  or  San  Dit^u. 
Davis  often  had  them  staked  out  in  a  meadow  bv  tlio 
waterside  in  Yerba  Buena,  between  what  are  now 
Washington  and  California  streets.  It  was  con  side  it  il 
legitimate  among  traders  for  th  best  to  outstrip  tlu! 
others  in  ''the  race  for  precedence.  Business  was 
transacted  in  a  straightforward  manner  between  tlit^ 
merchants  and  the  Califomians.  The  purchaser  nc^ver 
had  occasion  to  ask  the  price,  the  seller  quietly  nam- 
ing it  at  once,  which  was  accepted  or  decUned  with- 
out more  ado.  No  advantage  was  taken.  There 
were,  of  course,  exceptions,  but  this  was  the  rule. 

The  merchant,  Don  Jose  Antonio  Aguiire,  owner 
of  the  ship,  Joven  Guipuzcoana,  once  had  a  new  sujxr- 
cargo,  a  young  man,  who  was  a  stranger  to  and  igno- 
rant of  affairs  in  California.  While  the  ship  lay  at 
San  Pedro,  Aguirre  being  absent  on  the  shore,  Agus- 


MACHADO'S  BOND. 


479 


till  ^Fachaclo,  a  well-to-do  raiiclioro,  antl  a  man  of 
sti'rlin«r  oliaracttr,  but  who  could  noitlu'r  road  nor 
Miitt',  wont  on  boanl  to  niako  purchases,  his  caits  he- 
i;iLj  at  tiie  landinjjf.  After  his  !;;o()ds  had  hccn  selected, 
us  he  was  about  havin*^  them  placed  in  a  launch  to  be 
carrie<l  on  shore,  the  supercarj^o  asked  him  for  J>ay- 
iiuiit,  <»r  some  guaranty  or  note  of  hand.  Machado 
!-tiired  at  him  in  great  astonishment;  at  first  he  could 
iiitt  comprehend  what  the  man  meant.  Such  a  de- 
iiian<l  had  never  been  made  from  him  before,  nor,  in 
fact,  from  any  other  ranchero.  After  a  while,  the 
idea  struck  him  that  he  was  distrusted.  Pluckin*; 
(Hie  hair  from  his  beard,  he  seriously  hamU'd  it  to  the 
.suj)ercargo,  siiying,  "Here,  deliver  this  t(»  Senoi 
Aguhre,  and  tell  him  it  is  a  hair  from  the  beard  of 
Agustin  ISIachado.  It  will  cover  your  responsibility ; 
it  is  sufficient  guaranty."  The  young  man  felt  i  .v,A\ 
aliashed,  took  the  hair  and  placed  it  inside  of  his  book. 
]\I;u-hado  carri'^  ^  ^.vay  the  goods.  Aguirre  was  elm 
griued  on  hearing  that  the  supercargo  had  demanded 
a  docunitiiu  from  Machado,  a  man  whose  word  was  as 
good  as  the  best  bond,  even  for  the  entire  ship's  cai-go. 
Jose  M.  Estudillo,  who  was  a  brother-in-law  of 
Aguirre,  and  in  his  emi)loy  from  boyhood,  relates  the 
al»(»ve,  and  also  the  following  occurrences  in  which 
the  same  A<;ustin  Machado  was  concerned.  In  1850 
Aguirre  despatched  him,  Estudillo,  to  Los  Angeles 
ti»  collect  old  bills,  many  of  which  were  outlawed; 
hut  the  greater  part  of  them  were  finally  paid.  He 
visited  Machado's  rancho,  La  Bayona,  to  collect  a  bal- 
ance of  about  $4,000,  and  happened  to  arrive  when 
the  house  was  full  of  company.  He  was  cordially 
received  as  a  guest,  and  a  little  later  on  being  ap|)rised 
of  the  object  ot  his  visit,  Machado  said  that  he  had 
been  for  some  time  past  thinkhig  that  he  was  indebted 
to  Aguirre.  As  Estudillo  could  not  remain  long, 
^lachado  made  him  take  a  fresh  horse,  and  prom- 
ised to  see  him  in  Los  Angeles  in  two  davs.  On  the 
tnne  appointed  Machado  was  there,  and  dei'vcred  him 


474 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


n     ■ 


the  whole  sum  at  the  door  of  Manuel  Requena's 
house,  and  refused  to  take  a  receipt,  saying  tliat 
Aguirre  was  not  in  the  habit  of  collecting  the  same 
bill  twice. 

Before  1826  nine  or  ten  trading  craft,  and  later 
twice  as  many,  came  to  the  coast  each  year  ladcu 
with  goods  to  be  exchanged  for  hides  and  tallow. 
Restrictions  imposed  by  the  laws  were  regularly  dis- 
regarded by  the  authorities  of  California  under  Mexi- 
can rule.  Gradually,  as  the  excess  of  duties  developed 
smuggling,  wayports  ani  emharcaderos  were  closed, 
and  even  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Francisco.  In  tlie 
last  years  other  restrictive  measures  were  attempted, 
but  tliey  generally  came  to  naught;  subordinate  offi- 
cials were  mostly  influenced  by  the  traders,  and  even 
the  governor  often  had  to  submit  to  the  inevitable 
when  a  su]iercargo  or  owner  threatened  to  take  his 
valuable  cargo. 

The  people  seldom  resorted  to  the  stores  to  sell 
their  produce,  preferring  to  await  the  arrival  of  vessels 
which  paid  more.  There  was  no  rivalry  between  the 
mission  padres  and  private  persons,  although  they  had 
the  same  object  in  view.  The  padres  often  gave  good 
advice  to  the  latter  in  trade. 

Laplace  went  aboard  one  of  the  ships  which  was 
moored  near  the  land  for  trading.  The  goods  were 
spread  out  on  deck.  The  greater  part  of  those  offered 
were  of  little  value,  except  the  articles  relating  to  the 
feminine  toilette,  which  were  more  costly  and  in  great 
demand.  There  were  household  and  atjricultur;d 
implements,  side-arms  and  fire-arms,  powder  and  lead, 
marine  stores,  hardware,  woolen  and  cotton  stuffs. 
and  a  hundred  other  things  easy  to  sell  in  a  mw 
country. 

Phelps,  who  was  in  the  California  and  Boston  trade 
in  1840,  says  that  all  ships  intending  to  trade  on  tlio 
coast  came  there  to  make  the  best  bargain  they  could 
with  the  authorities  respect* ng  duties,  gave  security 
for  payment,  and  received  permission  to  trade  at  all 


DUTIES  AND  DEBTS. 


475 


the  ports  until  the  voyage  was  completed.  The  duties 
oil  an  invoice  of  cargo  averaged  about  100  per  cent, 
payable  half  in  cash,  and  half  in  esquilmos,  hides  and 
tallow,  or  goods  from  the  ship.  As  I  have  before 
stated,  tliere  was  but  a  limited  quantity  of  specie  in 
the  country.  Trading  vessels  brought  only  moderate 
sums,  barely  enough  to  meet  the  duties.  Many  of 
tlicm  borrowed  what  money  they  needed  for  that 
purpose.  Most  of  the  trade  was  an  exchange  of 
ooods  for  domestic  produce.  Bryant,  Sturgis,  &  Co., 
the  Boston  firm,  not  oidy  furnished  most  of  the  goods 
used  in  California,  but  also  most  of  the  coin  for  the 
j)ayment  of  the  salaries  of  the  revenue  and  military 
officers,  which  payments  were  contingent  on  the 
arrival  of  the  next  ship — the  duties  on  a  cargo  being 
always  anticipated  by  custom-house  orders  on  such 
shi[)  for  their  pay,  in  goods  and  cash  in  equal  propor- 
tion. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  labors  of  the  trading  voy- 
ages made  by  the  Boston  traders  on  the  California 
coast,  Phelps  states  that  on  his  1840-43  voyage,  his 
ship  was  seven  times  at  San  Francisco,  thirteen  times 
at  Monterey,  three  times  at  Santa  Cruz,  four  times 
at  San  Luis  Rey,  seventeen  times  at  Santa  Barljara, 
si'vonteen  times  at  San  Pedro,  five  times  at  Refugio, 
and  returned  to  the  depot  ten  times,  frequently  an- 
choring at  other  places  along  shore.  The  bow  anchor 
was  hove  up  131  times,  and  the  crew  killed  and  con- 
sumed while  on  tlie  coast  203  bullocks.  In  collecting: 
and  curing  a  hide  cargo,  and  finally  stowing  it  on 
hoard  ship,  each  hide  had  to  be  handled  twenty -two 
times. 

Tlie  want  of  enterprise  was  apparent  on  the  part 
of  tlie  people  by  their  paying  higli  prices,  with  nmcli 
gruniblhig,  for  salt  and  dealboanls,  which  could  easily 
have  been  procured  at  San  Francisco  and  elsewlieic. 
Sea-otter  skins  were  purchased  at  $20  a  piece,  while 
the  animals  swam  about  in  the  ba^-. 

The  Californians  could  have  done  well  in  furs  had 


i;i 


m 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


they  not  been  so  shiftless.  Amador,  mayordomo  of 
the  mission  of  San  Jose,  states  that  with  three  In- 
dians he  rode  to  Point  Quintin  in  1880,  and  caught, 
by  lassoing,  30  sea-otter  out  of  about  100  which  were 
on  the  shore.  Previous  to  1846,  there  was  a  small 
community  of  these  animals  about  the  entrance  of 
Sonoma  Creek,  which  were  under  the  special  care  tif 
Vallejo,  who  would  not  allow  them  to  be  disturbed. 
But  in  1847  some  hunters  from  Santa  Bdrbara  were 
in  tlie  bay,  and  not  having  the  fear  of  the  northern 
autocrat  before  their  eyes,  they  shot  every  one  of 
them,  obtaining  42  skins  worth  $60  each,  after  which 
slaughter  of  the  innocents,  few  others  were  ever  seen 
in  San  Francisco  Bav. 

"As  respects  trade,"  says  Wilkes  in  1841,  "it  may 
be  said  that  there  is  scarcely  any,  for  it  is  so  inter- 
rupted, and  so  much  under  the  influence  of  the  gov- 
ernor and  the  officers  of  the  customs,  that  those 
attempting  to  carry  on  any  under  the  forms  usual  else- 
where, would  probably  find  it  a  losing  business.  For- 
eigners, however,  contrive  to  evade  this  by  keeping 
their  vessels  at  anchor,  and  selling  a  large  portion  of 
their  cargoes  from  on  board.  Great  partiality  is  show  n 
to  those  of  them  who  havr>  a  full  understanding  with 
the  governor;  and  from  what  I  was  given  to  under- 
stand, if  this  be  not  secured,  the  traders  are  liable  to 
exactions  and  vexations  without  number.  The  enor- 
mous duties,  often  amounting  to  80  per  cent,  ad  valorem, 
cause  much  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  consum- 
ers; the  whole  amount  raised  is  about  $200,000  per 
annum,  which  is  found  barely  sufficient  to  pay  tlie 
salaries  of  the  officers  and  defray  the  expense  of  tlie 
government  feasts,  which  are  frequent  and  usually 
cost  $1,000  each." 

The  operation  of  curing  hides  is  as  follows:  To 
soften  the  hides,  thev  are  soaked  for  some  davs  in 
sea  water.  They  are  then  stretched  on  the  ground, 
and  fastened  with  small  stakes.  All  particles  of  flesli, 
which  might  decompose,  are  then  carefully  removed 


PEDLING  VESSELS. 


477 


with  a  knife.  Thoy  are  next  placed  on  racks  to 
dry.  The  inside  part  having  been  powdered  with 
salt,  tliey  arc  folded  in  their  length,  and  loft  with  the 
luiir  outward.  Thoy  are  then  pressed  to  flatten  them, 
itnd  packed  in  the  ship  with  the  aid  of  jack-screws. 
It  was  not  unconnnon  to  see  a  brig  of  100  tons  l.)aded 
witli  14,000  hides,  and  a  three-masted  American  sliip 
of  3r.O  tons,  with  30,000  hides. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Simpson  writes  in 
1842:  " Few  vessels  visit  San  Francisco  except  such 
as  are  engaged  in  collecting  hides  or  tallow,  the  tallow 
Uding  to  Peru,  the  hides  to  England  or  the  United 
t^tatcs.  Each  ship  has  a  supercargo  or  clerk,  who  in 
a  decked  launch  carries  an  assortment  of  goods  from 
farm  to  farm,  collecting  hides,  and  securing  by  his 
advances  as  many  as  possible  against  the  next  ma- 
tanza,  which  is  generally  in  July  and  August.  The 
current  rate  for  a  hide  is  i^'2  m  fjoeds,  or  81.50  in 
ppeeie,  the  difference  arising  from  the  circumstance 
that  goods  are  held  at  a  price  sufficient  to  cover  bad 
di-bts.  The  exports  of  hides  do  not  exceed  00,000, 
Vet  at  present  there  are  fully  sixteen  ships  on  the 
ceast  scramlding  for  hides  or  tallow.  Supposing  half 
ti)  he  enijfa'jjed  in  the  latter  business,  there  remain 
ei ;;lit  for  such  a  number  of  hides  as  would  take  at 
l.ast  three  years  to  fill  them.  The  Jkrt,  belonging 
to  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the  trade,  has  spent 
Some  18  months  on  the  coast,  but  is  still  al)out  a  third 
sliort  of  her  full  tale  of  40,000.  A  vessel  has  to  keep 
p'  illing  from  one  place  to  another,  taking  her  chances 
ef  l»ad  weather  and  anchorage  in  all  the  ports  from  San 
I'ranelsco  to  San  Dicjo.  As  the  hides  are  all  green, 
or  nearly  so,  each  vessel  has  to  cure  them  for  herself; 
and  as  the  upper  half  of  the  coast,  owing  to  the  rains 
and  fogs  of  the  north-westers,  is  unsuitable,  the  hides 
have  to  be  carried  to  the  drier  climate  of  the  southern 
jwirts,  particularly  San  Diego;  and  then  the  curing  is 
a  great  loss  of  time."  Evidently  Sir  George  was  not 
in  love  with  Californians  or  their  traffic. 


. 


i 


478 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


I 


Herewith  I  give  a  specimen  of  commercial  corre- 
spondence of  the  period : 

Sax  Francisco,  Oct.  8,  1845. 
^Ir  James  Watson:  Dear  Sir — I  wish  you  would 
purchase  for  mc,  payable  next  season  or  in  the  spriiiir, 
tliree  bales  of  sugar,  of  Malarin,  if  he  will  kt  y<>u 
have  it,  at  six  dollars  the  arroba.  And  if  not,  see  if 
Don  Manuel  Diaz  will  let  you  have  it  at  that  price  or 
less.  Get  two  bales  at  any  price  you  can,  if  you  can- 
not get  it  at  the  price  named,  and  deliver  one  to  tln! 
Advance  when  she  arrives  in  Monterev,  and  send  thu 
other  one  or  two,  as  may  be,  to  San  Francisco,  m 
California.  I  want  it  for  immediate  ship's  use,  as  I  am 
borrowing  sugar  here  for  daily  use. 

Yours  truly,  H.  Mellus. 

In  1842  common  calico  paid  a  duty  of  ono  eighth  v.{ 
a  dollar  a  vara.  The  ^Mexican  tariff  imposes  a  tax  of  \ .") 
per  cent  on  'artfculos  pcrmitidos;'  but  in  Callfornir., 
where  no  prohibition  exists,  articles  in  this  category 
are  admitted  at  40  per  cent  ad  valorem.  Foreign 
ships  pay  $1.50  per  ton  for  right  of  anchorage. 
Whalers  pay  a  simple  duty  of  $10  when  it  \a  suppos((l 
they  come  ii  merely  to  provision.  If,  however,  tlu y 
sell  any  merchandise,  they  have  to  pay  the  regular 
duties.  Ships  that  put  in  for  safety  p:.y  no  duties, 
but  on  condition  that  they  sell  nothing.  ^Mexican 
ships  bringing  cargoes  from  ^lexican  ports  pay  no 
duty.  Monterey  is  the  only  port  open  to  forei;^n  ci>in- 
merce,  and  any  ship  which  *il  moins  de  relache  pour 
avarie'  runs  a  risk  of  being  seized  as  a  sumgirler. 
When  once  the  ships  have  discharged  their  cargoes  at 
the  custom-house  at  Monterey,  and  have  paid  tlu  ir 
duties,  they  are  at  liberty  to  take  their  merchaiulise 
on  board  again,  and  trade  along  the  coast  until  tliey 
have  disposed  of  their  entire  cargo. 

It  may  be  imagined  how  easy  was  smuggling  und>  r 
such  circumstances.  The  American  and  English  ships 
sometimes  landed  merchandise  at  isolated  points  on 
the  coast ;  but  they  preferred  to  wait  out  at  sea,  or 


i 


GOVERNMENT  REGULATIONS. 


479 


at  an  uninhabited  island,  for  ships  which  had  ah-eady 
])aid  their  duties,  to  which  they  transferred  their 
cargo.  Some  ships  in  this  manner  sold  two  or  three 
times  the  value  of  their  original  cargo.  Coin  being 
scarce  in  California,  captains,  supercargoes,  and  mer- 
I  hants  paid  part  of  the  duties  in  merchandise  at  current 
prices.  Thus  we  observe  at  difterent  times  diilerent 
regulations,  though  statements  vary  somewhat,  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

Governor  !Michcltorena  promulgated  his  dtcree  on 
lii.les  the  31st  of  December,  1843.  At  every  jujrt  an 
ngcnto  do  policia  was  to  be  appointed  by  the  local 
authorities,  who  should  inspect  all  hides  exported  in 
national  vessels.  Xo  hide  should  be  shipped  without 
lieintj  examined  and  marked  bv  this  acfente.  Hides 
ni)t  bearing  the  owner's  brand  and  sale-mark  should 
lie  confiscated  by  the  alcaldes,  and  the  buyer,  or  per- 
son in  whose  hanils  thev  are  found,  should  be  fined  $5 
t')r  each  hide.  Every  four  months  the  agente  should 
report  to  the  local  authorities  for  publication  the  num- 
h,T  of  hides  exported,  with  a  statement  of  tlieir  marks 
of  ownership.  To  the  agente  of  San  Francisco  all 
vessels  mu 't  present  themselves  on  entering  or  leav- 
ino-  the  bav.  The  aofentes  to  collect  from  those  in- 
terested  one  real  for  each  hide  marked.  Failing  to 
attcMid  to  his  duties,  the  agente  should  pay  a  fine 
of  84  each  up  to  10  hides  exported  without  the 
proper  marks;  35  each  from  10  to  50  hides,  and  so  on, 
increasing  61  per  hide  for  each  additional  50.  For  a 
second  oficnce  he  should  lose  his  position.  Fines  to 
be  in  three  parts:  the  first  to  go  to  the  informer,  the 
second  to  the  owner  of  the  brand,  and  the  third  to 
the  nmnicipal  fund.  Confisca^-xl  hides  to  go  to  the 
owner  if  he  prove  he  has  not  sold  them.  If  he 
cannot  prove  this,  the  hides  to  be  divided  like  the 
tines,  between  the  informer  and  the  municipal  fund. 

From  Monterey,  on  the  22d  of  March,  1845,  Lar- 
kin  writes:  "The  laws  of  Mexico  are  but  Httle  heeded 
here,  only  as  they  may  suit  the  country.     No  atten- 


I 

I 


\l 


480 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


tion  is  paid  to  tiie  Mexican  tariff;  every  single  article 
that  can  be  brought  to  this  country  can  be  entered 
by  paying  about  30  per  cent  duties  on  its  value  in 
Monterey;  there  are  no  prohibitions  whatever  from 
foreign  ports;  there  is  even  a  law  here  prohibiting 
foreign  goods  being  introduced  from  San  Bias  and 
Mazatlan,  with  guias,  pases,  unless  the  owners  will 
pay  the  duties  the  same  as  if  introduced  from  a  foreign 
port.  Any  foreign  vessel  entering  cargo,  and  paying 
duties  at  this  custom-house,  can  carrv  on  tlie  coastincr 
and  retailing  trade  on  board  for  two  or  three  years, 
from  San  Francisco  to  San  Dieii;o,  having  a  store  on 
board,  with  glasses  and  shelves;  or  on  shore,  selling  a 
vara  or  bale  of  calico,  and  carrying  freight  up  and 
down  tlie  coast  as  they  please.  Whalers  are  allowed 
to  trade,  paj'ing  no  tonnage,  but  duties  on  wliat  they 
say  they  have  sold,  and  $30  port  charges." 

Again,  January  4,  184(3,  he  says:  "Monterey  is  the 
only  port  in  this  department  where  foreign  vessels  can 
enter  to  pay  tlieir  duties.  A'esscls  under  the  ^rexican 
Hag,  direct  from  any  other  port  of  Mexico,  can  tourli 
at  anv  of  the  ports  of  California  before  arrivin'j;  at 
Monterey;  yet  they  must  pay  their  duties  here,  which 
by  tlie  tariff  of  Mexico  is  about  15  per  cent  on  the 
import  duties,  every  time  they  are  transported  by 
land  or  water  from  one  Mexican  state  to  another; 
shipping  dollars  pay  the  enormous  duty  of  10  pere(  iit 
from  one  state  or  department  to  another.  The  avrr- 
age  duties  of  California  for  the  last  seven  voars 
amount  to  $85,985  per  year,  of  which  15  to  18  }>i'r 
cent  is  paid  to  the  collector  of  the  custom-house  and 
his  suboi'dinates;  of  the  remainder,  tlie  treasurer  pays 
about  one  third  to  the  civil  autlioritles,  and  the  bal- 
ance to  the  military.  The  officers  of  the  custom-house 
receive  tlieir  salaries  in  full;  the  civil  and  militarv  r.^- 
ceive  bv  an  avera'jje  rate  according  to  the  amount  I'f 
each  entry,  which  is  divided  at  the  time  it  is  received; 
tliev  must  then  wait  till  the  arrival  of  a  new  vess.  1, 
which  may  be  one  month  or  six.     The  rule  of  this 


CUSTOM-HOUSE  METHODS. 


481 


custoin-liouse  is  to  demand  the  duties  in  cash  and 
liidos  in  80,  130,  and  IGO  davs.  As  the  officers  can- 
not  wait  so  long  a  period,  they  in  general  take  orders 
from  the  treasurer  in  sums  of  $j  to  $1,000  on  the 
sni)ercargoes,  who  pay  them  at  sight  in  goods,  or  the 
owner  must  wait  the  stipulated  time  for  i>ayment." 

From  the  Larkin  arcliives  of  1845, 1  extract  as  fol- 
lows: The  regular  Boston  traders  generally  have  two 
vessels  on  the  coast  at  the  same  time.  After  collect- 
ing in  company  for  periods  varying  from  12  to  IS 
months,  one  of  them  returns  home,  leaving  the  otliers 
until  a  fresh  ship  relieves  her,  tiius  continually  keep- 
iiiij  the  work  of  collectinj;  iroing  on. 

The  hide-houses  are  in  San  Diego,  to  which  place 
eaeh  vessel  proceeds  two  or  three  times  during  the 
year,  to  land  such  hides  and  tallow  as  may  have  been 
collected  from  nine  or  ten  jjoi-ts  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  San  Dieg<\  the  customer  being  expected  to 
}iay  a  part  of  his  debt  in  produce  every  time  the  ves- 
sel ancliors  in  port. 

There  are  no  Mexican  vessels  in  California  owufd 
I'V  ^[exicans  or  Californians;  they  belon*;  to  natural- 
ized  foreiijners.  The  laws  t)f  ^Mexico  are  observed 
oulv  M'hen  they  are  for  the  interest  of  Californians. 
Little  regard  is  paid  to  the  tariff.  The  collector  of 
^Monterey  imposes  such  duties  on  many  articles  as  he 
considers  requisite  at  the  time. 

Althouti'h  against  the  laws  of  Mexico,  the  governors 
and  generals  of  California,  since  the  independence, 
have  idlowed  the  ct)asting  trade  from  San  Diego  to 
San  Francisco  to  all  foreign  vessels  wliieh  have  pai<l 
tlieir  duties  in  !Monterev.  In  1S44-5  !Mielieltoi'ena 
li\  led  a  tax  of  $50  per  month  on  foreign  vessels  for 
tliis  license  of  coasting  ;  65,000  was  collected  ^lareli 
2S.  IS4G.     Governor  Fieo  annulled  this  law. 

The  payments  of  duties  are  made  in  about  90,  130, 
and  IbO  days.  The  supercargoes  in  general  agree 
v.poii  the  second  payment,  making  it  in  cash,  and 
bullock-hides  at    62   apiece;    cash,   should  the  Vessel 

Cal.  Past.    81 


4S2 


IXI.ANI)  TRADE  AND  COA.ST  TRAFFIC. 


hi 


if 


■';  I 


pay  less  tliiiii  80,000;  from  30,000  to  812,000,  two 
thirds  cash  and  ouo  third  hides;  from  812,000  to 
818,000,  half  cash;  over  818,000,  one  third  cash  and 
two  thirds  hides. 

On  the  collector's  arran;j,ing  the  amount,  mode  nf 
paynKMit,  and  takinj?  two  securities,  he  retains  siitli- 
cient  f(»r  the  salaries  of  his  otticcrs,  and  passes  the 
remainder  to  the  treasurer.  Thev  both  then  draw  in 
sums  of  from  $4,000  to  85,000  on  the  supercar^t)  or 
aL;ont,  payable  at  the  specified  time;  some  orders  t'nr 
cash,  some  for  hides;  the  creditors  and  officers  rectiv- 
in«jf  a  draft  on  the  pro  rata  system  as  far  as  the  duties 
of  the  vessel  then  entering  may  suffice. 

The  supercargo  or  agent  has  a  store  fitted  up  eii 
board  ship,  with  shelves,  show-cases,  drawers,  and 
scales,  selling  from  one  pound  of  tea,  shot,  etc.,  U>  a 
box  or  bag,  and  agaii  from  a  yard  of  silk  or  calico  to 
a  bale. 

From  Boston,  cargoes  consist  of  groceries,  furni- 
ture, dry  goods,  crockery,  hardware,  etc.,  from  wliich 
cargo  the  holder  of  the  draft  can  choose  the  amount 
drawn  from  in  his  favor,  or  a  part  of  it,  taking-  the 
supercargo's  due-bill  for  the  remainder,  both  (hafts 
and  due-bills  being  negotiable;  they  aiv  sometimes 
cashed  at  a  discount  of  two  per  cent  a  montli.  In 
many  cases  the  supercargo  has  debts  against  the 
holiler  of  the  draft,  which  is  always  accepted  as  })ay- 
ment  for  his  or  any  other  demand. 

The  duties  of  the  principal  vessels  amount  to  froin 
85,000  to  825,000;  they  also  pay  one  real  per  eadi 
large  bale  for  storasjfc  in  the  custom-house;  half  of  that 
sum  for  wharfage;  and  have  the  use  of  tlie  custom- 
house and  warehouses  for  storage  and  sales  until  the 
arrival  of  the  next  vessel  that  may  require  the  buikl- 
ings.  Tonnage  duties  are  81.50  per  ton  to  all  foii  iu'ii 
vessels,  and  all  ^lexican  vessels  from  foreign  ports. 
There  are  no  other  port  charges;  no  wharfage,  julot- 
age,  or  light-house  fees,  nor  any  health  or  quarantine 
regulations.     There  is  no  article  prohibited  by  the 


.'M 


FOREIGN   IMPORTATIOX.'^. 


4S3 


fiistom-housc,  no  prohibition  or  restriction  of  any 
liind;  no  bounties  or  navigation  acts;  no  drawbaclvs 
on  shij)[)ing  or  their  cargoes;  no  board  of  trade  or 
other  estaidishnient  reUiting  to  commerce  in  Califor- 
nia. Coins,  currency,  weiglits,  and  measures  of  Eng- 
land and  the  United  States  are  in  common  use  in 
California.  By  long  custom,  whale-ships  are  allowed 
to  enter  ^fonterey  and  San  Francisco  on  paynig  from 
$slO  to  $"J0  port  ciiarges,  and  a  certain  percentage  on 
siirh  matters  as  they  may  barter  for  supplies. 

The  imports  from  San  Bias,  A[azatlan,  and  Aca- 
pulco  consist  of  rice,  sugar,  panocha,  nux  vomica,  sad- 
(IKay,  silk  and  cotton  rebozos,  cotton  and  woollen 
Scrapes,  sIhu'S,  and  some  EngTish,  American,  and 
(nrman  o-ornls. 

Imports  from  the  I'nited  States  and  elsewhere 
are  domestics  in  very  largo  <|uantities;  shoes,  hats, 
furniture,  and  farming  utensils,  chietlv  of  >«ow 
lOugland  manufacture;  groceries,  china  goods,  iron, 
liardware,  and  crockery,  which  are  sold  to  the  mer- 
cliants  and  farmers  on  the  coast,  on  a  credit  of  from 
one  to  two  years,  payable  in  hides,  tallow,  dried  beef, 
IuuiIkt,  soap,  etc. 

The  vessel  obtains  a  coa.sting  license  to  trade,  and 
fdllcft  produce  until  she  is  filled,  which  occupies  from 
IJ  to  24  months,  the  vessel's  consort  the  next  year 
takintj;  the  balance  of  the  carryo  and  debt  for  collec- 
tion.  The  J^oston  vessels  return  to  that  port  with 
from  20,000  to  40,000  bullock-hides,  the  owner 
expecting  about  one  hide  for  each  dollar  invested  in 
<aigo  and  expenses  of  all  kinds.  The  tallow  is 
exclianged  for  hides  with  vessels  bound  to  Callao. 

Ill  former  J'ears,  considerable  fur  was  exported — 
lii'ime  sea-otter  skins  for  the  Canton  market  being 
wuitli  iii  ^r(^)nterey  as  high  as  .$40  each;  there  is  still 
snine  fur  and  gold  shipped.  Shingles,  lumber,  spars, 
and  horses  are  shipped  to  the  Sandwich  Islands;  beef 
fat,  wheat,  and  beans  to  the  liussian  settlements  on 
tlie  north-we.-?t  coast,  in  cxchanjjfc  for  drafts  on  St 
JV'tersburii. 


4S4 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


M^ 


Oil  the  8tli  of  October,  184j,  tlio  assembly  deorord 
that  traders  who  boujfht  hides  shoukl  re<nster  in  tlx- 
books  kept  for  that  purpose  tlie  name  of  sellers. 
marks,  and  value.  A  commission  appointed  by  tlu' 
alcaldes  should  meet  at  the  nuirket  (coniereio)  every 
Saturday,  and  collect  the  hides  brouj^ht  during  tin- 
week.  The  commission  should  take  a  list  of  seikis 
and  marks,  and  quality  them,  whether  legal  or  not,  in 
accordance  with  the  books  of  the  juzgado.  Hides  willi 
false  sale-marks  should  be  applied  to  the  iiiunicipal 
fund,  and  the  sellers  held  as  thieves,  to  l>e  judged  by 
the  alcaldes,  the  price  to  be  returned  t»>  the  purchase  i, 
and  the  value  of  the  animal  to  its  owner.  No  one 
should  sell  stock  (bienes  de  campo)  without  putting 
on  the  sale-mark.  Tliose  who  deal  in  hides  should 
obtain  a  pass  from  the  neares'  authorities,  when  send 
ing  them  to  any  place,  and  present  the  pass  to  those 
in  charge  at  the  fort  for  inspection.  Prefects,  sub- 
prefects,  and  alcaldes  were  authorized  to  inspect  liitli  s 
and  receive  passes.  This  service  should  be  regardc  d 
as  a  public  benefit.  Hides  inspect" 'd  weekly  as  jk  !• 
article  2  were  marked  with  the  national  brand,  and 
needed  no  pass. 

Hartnell,  in  the  draught  of  a  letter  to  H.  C.  WvHic 
in  1844,  says  that  articles  of  English  "manufacture  best 
adapted  to  this  market  are  brown  and  white  cotton-. 
coarse  and  fine,  for  shirting,  sheeting,  etc.;  prints  ot' 
good  quality  and  fast  handsome  colors;  cotton  and  silk 
handkerchiefs  of  all  descriptions;  good  stout  vt  1- 
veteens,  blue  and  black;  fustian,  principally  brown; 
nmslin;  cambric  muslin;  bishop's  lawn ;  cotton  laoe  of 
all  descriptions;  cloth  of  all  kinds,  prmcipally  blue  and 
black;  cassimere;  cassinet;  flannel,  principally  red  and 
white ;  bayeta ;  a  very  small  assortment  of  linen  goods, 
anions:  which  some  of  the  finest  Irish  linen  and  cam- 
brie;  cotton,  woollen,  and  silk  stockings;  handsoiuo 
gown  patterns;  cashmere  shawls;  all  kinds  of  hard- 
ware; tinware;  earthenware;  glassware;  needles, most- 
ly very  fine;  cotton  and  linen   thread;    sewing-bdk; 


SHIP  CAUOOES  AND  STOKE  STOCKS. 


485 


Wvlli.' 

:"C  best 
?ott(ins. 
nuts  (if 
.11(1  silk 
Lit  V(l- 
.)ro\vii ; 
laoc  cf 
lie  and 
cvd  ill  id 
o-()<uls. 

(1  oaiiw 
dsoiue 
■  luud- 
llidst- 

isx-bilk ; 


1( 


liat^,  boots,  and  shoes;  ready-inatlc  clothes  of  all 
(Icscriptions,  includiniif  plenty  of  white  and  cheeked 
shirts;  Scotch  (griddles;  hutchers'  knives;  knives  and 
t'niks;  silver  and  brass  thimbles;  all  kinds  of  knick- 
knacks  for  women's  work-boxes;  stout  hoes,  spa»U'S, 
shovels;  window-ylass,  principally  8  by  10  inches; 
nails  of  all  kinds,  ])articularly  cut  nails;  furniture  of 
all  kinds — a  small  assortment  vcrv  ele'jfant,  the  rest  »»f 
middling  f(uality;  tea-trays  of  all  sizes;  cari)etini;, 
a  small  quantity;  oil-doth;  artificial  flowers;  false 
]i.>arls;  the  finest  and  smallest  bi-ads  that  can  be  pio- 
(  uii'd,  of  all  colors,  and  needles  to  work  them  with; 
ireld  and  silver  lace  from  \  to  2  inches  wide;  perfuni- 
try;  iron  pots  and  kettles;  candlesticks;  sickles;  a 
fi'W  (rood  common  silver  huntinir-watches.  A  carijo 
of  <j;oods  direct  would  leave  an  immense  profit  on  the 
invoice,  but  two  years'  time  would  be  necessary  to 
icalize  it.  Pavnient  would  be  almost  entirely  in  hides 
at  82  each,  which  woukl  have  to  l)e  salted;  and  tallow, 
at  12  reales  the  arroba,  broutj^ht  to  pay  half  the 
amount. 

In  1840  coin  was  scarce  in  the  countrv,  owin^'  to 
rumors  of  civil  war,  the  moneyed  men  cither  hoardii)<4; 
it  or  shii)pin2f  it  away.  Hard  "lip  in  consequence  fell 
on  the  rancheros,  who  were  oblii^ed  to  slaughter  great 
numbers  of  cattle  for  the  hides  and  tallow  wherewith 
tn  pay  their  debts.  Alany  were  thus  injured  to  their 
ruin. 

In  1841-2,  says  J.  J.  Vallejo,  few  vessels  arrived 
with  merchandist^ — so  that  the  Californians,  of  whom 
a  maioritv  owed  the  foreign  incrcliants  large  amounts, 
wrvo  obliged,  in  order  to  meet  their  obligations, 
to  kill  great  quantities  of  cattle  for  their  hides  and 
tallow,  which  were  the  only  articles  admitted  in  j)ay- 
niont  by  the  supercargoes  of  vessels.  In  this  way 
disappeared  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  country's 
Wealth;  and  many  Indians,  and  some  white  men,  who 
wore  accustomed  to  sfain  a  livimjf  bv  driving  cattle, 
wore  loft  without  the  means  of  sui)sistence  for  them- 
selves and  their  laroe  families. 


480 


IXl,A\I)  TRADK  AN'I)  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


lu'tail  stoivs  ItouLrlit  (linrtlv  iVoiii  vcs.si'ls,  on  crodil. 
as  did  ranolieros,  st'lliiiijj  also  on  nvdit,  tlii'  fustonu  r 
Id'iiij^iiiiL^  tlie  hide  and  tallow  to  tlK!wtt>rt!  wlunrvrr  he 
.slani;htL'n'd.  If  tlio  slaii^u^litor  did  not  sutlico  tt»  |i;i\ 
a  debt,  the  live-stock  was  j^iven,  anil  all  store-kecju  is 
hail  herds,  except  Sjuar  tSc  Hinckley  of  San  Francixo. 

A  part  of  the  small  interior  tradi'  was  that  frnm 
tlu'  Salinas  lagoons,  or  salt  ])t»nds.  situated  betw**  ii 
the  ocean  sand-dunes  and  the  Monterev  Kivei;.  Salt 
was  here  ohtaineil  for  the  mission  and  the  troo|i>. 
some  Iteing  sent  to  San  l^las  (Mi  the  king's  ships  its 
eailv  as  1770.  Salt  being  a  roval  monopolv.  iio 
.sooner  did  men  begin  to  make  and  move  it  than  a 
guard  was  placed  over  it  by  order  of  the  governnuiit. 
The  conunander  of  the  guard  would  bring  Indians 
from  Soledad  and  Carmelo,  and  gathering  all  the  sih 
from  the  three  lagoons  into  one  pile,  covered  it  with 
sticks  and  bnniches,  to  which  they  set  tire,  so  as  {>> 
melt  the  surface  and  foi'm  a  crust  over  the  mass,  wlii(  h 
would  protect  it  from  the  dampness  of  the  contiguous 
ocean.  When  all  was  ready  for  its  shipment,  it  wa^ 
brought  to  the  warehouse  at  Montei-ey,  and  placed  in 
d  large  of  the  habilitado,  and  sent  away  in  tain  ml 
leather  bags  br(»ught  by  the  ship  for  that  j)urpose. 

When  Fremont  wanted  horses  in  I84r»,  he  sent  to 
the  natives  of  the  Tulare  plains,  and  purchased  I  ^7 
horses  and  nmles,  paying  for  each  animal  one  small 
butcher-knife  and  a  string  of  beads. 

There  was  some  traile  with  New  ^[exico.  Partit  > 
were  wont  to  come  across  the  countiy  with  packs  nt' 
blankets  which  they  exchangt^d  for  mares,  horses,  ami 
nudes.  Each  party  woidd  take  away  from  l.Oun  to 
2,000  animals.  On  several  occasions  those  Xew  Mi  \i- 
cans  weie  really  tin  'ves,  and  stole  many  head  of  sterk. 
The  last  considera!;  -)  robbery  of  this  kind  took  plan' 
in  1844-0,  when  a  \anadian,  or  Frenchman,  naiiitl 
Charley  Fou,  got  a  ,iy  with  some  2,000  horses  ami 
mules.  An  armed  \  rty  went  fiom  Angeles  in  I'ur- 
suit  of  the  thieves,  I  it  finding  them  superior  in  pi'int 


THE  FIRST  ATmiVAL 


487 


of  numltors  and  wi'll  ariiiod,  retuiiii'd  \vitlu)ut  liuviiij^ 
U('t(»iii|tlislu'(l  anythiii*^. 

Tlie  Ainajavos,  Cocluuios,  and  Yumas  used  ovory 
year  at  fcrtain  times  to  biinsj;  to  Anj^eles  antelope- 
•skiiis  and  tirutas — blankets  wliieli  tliey  wove  hy  liand 
with  i^ri'at  peileetion,  and  which  were  very  durahU  , 
ill  color  white  and  Mack — made  with  the  wool  of  the 
wild  shet'p  once  tamo  (l)orrei>'os  cimarroni's),  which 
they  chased  in  Sonora.  These  tirutas  were  much 
.sought  after  l)y  the  rancheros,  who  used  them  an 
siiddle-cloths.  In  exchange  for  them,  the  Indians 
tnok  mares  and  horses.  These  Indians  wi're  led  l>y 
tht'ir  capitanes,  who  were  presented  by  the  authorities 
with  horses  and  cast-oti' cloth  in*;. 

We  may  be  sure  that  the  arrival  of  the  first  foreii^ti 
vessel  at  .Nfonterev  was  an  event.  It  was  in  1^17. 
]jieutenant  Don  Jose  Maria  Estudillo  was  comandanti? 
of  the  military  post,  and  Don  Vicente  I'ablo  tie  Sola 
was  ifovernor.  On  a  soft  sprin*;  morninij^,  while  a 
'gentle  brci'ze  was  blowin*!^  in  from  the  north-west,  the 
look-out  stationed  at  Punta  de  I*inos  came  rushiiii;'  in 
on  horsi'back  through  the  presidio  j.jate,  and  made 
straiii^ht  for  the  comandante's  house. 

■'What  is  the  matter .'"'  asked  Don  Jose,  eominj.,'  to 
the  door. 

"A  sail!  A  stranue  sail,  far  out  at  sea;  it  is  verv 
far  out,  but  it  seems  to  have  the  intention  of  comiii;^' 
iu'ie,"  replied  the  look-out. 

"Ho,  there!  My  jj^lass  and  trumpet,"  shouted  tin- 
Commander;  "and  brin<4'  my  coat,  the  best  one  with 
the  »4dld  braid;  and  don't  tbru'et  my  boots  and  liat. 
Where  is  mv  sword  .'  and  hunt  me  up  that  chart  of  the 
tla'_;s  of  all  nations." 

Arrayed  in  his  most  iniposin*;  hal)ilimcnts,  the  com- 
mander was  ready  to  meet,  the  enemy. 

••Xow  sound  the  drum!"  ho  cried,  "and  let  the 
infantry  and  artillery  ap[)ear  ;  let  all  wlu)  love  their 
(luuitrv  join  witii  me  in  her  defence,  prepared  to 
sited  our  last  drop  of  blood  for  God  and  the  King!" 


488 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


Tlio  drummers  rcshoO  forth,  beatinof  for  dear  life 
round  the  plaza,  while  the  troops  uiouuted  their 
hors()s,  and  the  artillerymen  and  militia  repaired  to 
the  fort.  The  women  made  everything  ready  for 
flii^ht,  and  the  old  men  and  boys  got  out  their  old 
swoids  and  fire-locks,  and  scoured  from  thein  tlie  rust. 
At  the  fort  the  men  heated  some  balls  red  hot,  so  as 
to  dt)  the  fullest  execution  upon  the  ship. 

"Is  it  a  pirate,"  they  wondered,  "or  a  Frenchman, 
or  Yankee r'  It  did  not  matter:  it  was  all  one;  it 
should  see,  whatever  it  was,  that  the  country  was  not 
to  be  so  easily  wrested  from  its  noble  and  brave  de- 
fenders. 

Slowly  and  surely  as  an  impending  fate,  the  vessel 
approached,  until  distinctness  marked  its  every  out 
line,  and  the  ever-broadening  sails  were  loosened  and 
allowed  to  Hap  in  the  wind. 

The  commandui  planted  himself  at  the  foot  of  the 
fort.  He  clutched  his  big  trumpet  nervously;  he 
gazed  at  frequent  intervals  through  his  glass,  and 
studied  attentively  his  flag  pictures.  Life  was  swiet, 
but  his  mind  was  made  up.  Life  without  honor  was 
valueless;  and  better  eyes  dim  in  death  than  awake  to 
see  California  sons  slain,  her  daughters  ravished,  and 
the  little  children  with  their  brains  dashed  out  upon 
the  rocks! 

By  and  by,  after  faithful  study,  applying  to  the  mat- 
ter to  the  fullest  extent  the  exercise  of  his  astute 
intellect,  the  conunander  pronounced  the  strange  sail 
a  schooner  of  80  or  100  tons  burden,  but  of  wluit 
nation  it  was  impossible  to  determine.  The  streaked 
and  starred  bunting  flying  at  the  mast-head  was  imt 
on  his  chart  of  the  flags  of  all  nations,  which  was  fully 
fifty  years  old.  It  was  evidently  a  private  signal,  and 
there  was  not  a  rea.sonable  doubt  of  its  being  that  of  a 
corsair,  the  red  streaks  signifying  rivers  of  blood,  and 
the  stars  the  number  of  cities  taken.  He  thought  he 
could  discern  warlike  preparations  on  board;  never- 
theless, he  would  play  on  her  at  once  his  old  success- 


BRAVE  DEFEXCE. 


489 


ful  tactics,  and  raise  a  white  flag.  If  lie  could  thus 
hire  the  enemy  into  his  power,  he  might  yet  save  the 
commonwealth.  Presently  the  gallant  comandante 
placed  his  trumpet  to  his  lips  and  bellowed : 

''Qudbuque?" 

"No  sabe  Espanol,"  was  the  re])ly  which  came  back 
across  the  water  as  from  another  world. 

"Ship  ahoy  I  Quebandera?"  bravely  persisted  Don 
Jose,  determined  to  know  the  truth,  however  unpalat- 
al  )le. 

"Americana!"  came  from  the  schooner. 

If  there  were  now  only  a  boat  at  hand;  if  Spain,  in 
tlie  days  of  her  grandeur,  had  only  supj)lied  the  niet- 
ro])olitan  seaport  of  Alta  California  with  a  boat  wjiere- 
with  to  board  shijis,  he  would  show  the  world  what 
ii  brave  man  will  do  in  the  service  of  his  country.  But 
alas  I  there  was  none.  And  not  without  show  of  reason 
Ferdinand,  Charles,  Philip,  might  ask,  why  burden 
Spain  with  the  expense  of  a  small  boat  at  the  port  of 
^lonterey,  which  has  no  commerce? 

^leanwhile  the  governor,  who  had  tarried  to  mend 
some  rips  in  his  full-dress  unifonn,  ap])earetl  upon  the 
scone,  attended  by  his  officers,  all  with  shoes  blacked 
ami  hair  oiled. 

All  on  shore  felt  the  dreaded  moment  approaching, 
as  a  l)oat  was  seen  lowered  from  the  vessel  and  making 
toward  them.  Fearlessly  it  approached  the  land,  and 
as  tlie  bow  touched  the  beach  a  man  stepped  forth, 
smirking,  and  nodded  to  the  august  assemblage.  In- 
stantly he  was  surrounded  by  soldiers,  and  the  meas- 
ure taken  of  his  man-kiiiing  capabilities.  He  was 
arrayed  all  in  black,  hi!'}i  hat  and  swallow-tail  coat — 
a  jirivate  disguised  as  a  i)riest,  it  was  whis[)ered. 
Fortunately  for  the  peace  of  Cahfornia,  the  creature 
carried  no  weapon.  He  was  wliolly  in  their  |)ower. 
If,  as  they  supposed  him  to  be,  he  was  the  cajttaln  of 
that  great  and  villanous-looking  craft,  they  had  him 
in  tlicir  power. 

Leaving  the  army  to  guard  the  boat,  lest  some 


480 


INLAND  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


dariiij^  sailor  should  rush  to  the  rescue  of  his  captain, 
the  Yankee  skipper,  for  such  was  the  quality  of  the 
invader,  in  the  centre  of  a  platoon  of  cavalry  was  con- 
ducted into  tiie  presence  of  the  governor.  Signifyinuf 
that  he  spoke  only  English,  an  interpreter  was  pro- 
cured in  the  person  of  a  seaman  from  the  boat. 

The  Californians  were  now  in  a  position  to  take  the 
matter  coolly,  as  did  old  Nestor,  who,  after  feastin;j; 
and  sacrificing  with  Telcmachus  and  his  crew,  turned 
and  bluntly  asked  them  if  they  were  thieves  or  mur- 
derers, or  what. 

The  coniandante  thought  it  safe  enough  at  this 
juncture  to  charge  the  prisoner  with  being  the  spy  of 
some  enemy,  and  so  he  boldly  said,  though  of  wliat 
enemy,  and  why  a  spy,  was  not  set  forth  in  the  com- 
plaint. 

The  prisoner  declared  he  was  no  spy,  and  was  not 
an  enemy. 

"Then  tell  me,  sir,"  the  governor  demanded,  "who 
you  are,  whence  and  why  you  came,  whitlier  bound, 
and  what  flag  you  sail  under?" 

"I  am  an  American,"  the  captain  replied;  "I  sail 
under  the  United  States  Haij;  I  am  last  from  the  Rus- 
sian  possessions,  and  am  bound  for  the  Hawaiian 
Islands;  I  have  stopi>ed  to  otler  for  sale  some  Chinese 
goods,  of  which  I  have  a  sui)ply  on  board." 

The  governor  thereupon  retired  to  his  house  to 
hold  a  council  with  his  otKcers,  while  the  prisoners 
were  conducted  to  the  plaza,  and  placed  in  the  centre, 
still  closely  guarded. 

While  the  council  were  discussing  the  matter,  the 
sailor  being  minutely  questioned  apart  i'nnn  the  cap- 
tiiin,  the  ])eople  of  the  town,  men,  women,  and  childri  n. 
congregated  about  the  captain,  and  discussed  his 
character  and  <|uality. 

"He  is  a  Jew,"  said  one.  "  You  can  tell  by  the  tails 
of  his  coat." 

"He  is  a  cannibal,"  remarked  another;  "for  lie 
clu'ws  tobacco,  which  is  more  filthy  than  eating  hu- 
man flesh." 


MIXED  RELIGION. 


401 


In  any  event,  they  all  agreed  that  he  was  a  sea- 
heathen,  as  they  could  see  in  every  feature  that  he 
had  never  been  baptized ;  and  this  opinion  was  presently 
mure  fully  confirmed  in  their  minds  when  the  noon 
lull  sounded  for  the  Ave  ^Earia,  and  the  prisoner 
iK'itlier  kneeled  nor  removed  his  hat  like  the  others. 

•Down!  down  on  your  knees,  barbarian  I"  the 
ouard  exclaimed,  as  best  thev  were  able  to  make 
themselves  understood.  The  ski[)per  turned  pale, 
thinking  his  hour  had  come,  and  that  he  was  thus  to 
he  sliot. 

"Hell!"  said  he,  "vou  wouldn't  murder  a  man  like 
wild  Indians,  would  youf"  But  when  he  understood 
that  they  oidy  wished  him  to  pray  a  little,  he  put 
on  the  outward  appearance  of  i)iety  with  thankful 
alaeritv. 

It  was  a  picture  for  the  tin-type  man,  truly,  the 
soldii-r  of  mixed  Spanish  and  Indian  blood,  clad  in  his 
Client,  or  yellow  leather  jacket,  armed  with  long 
sword,  lance,  and  bloody-looking  knife,  kneeling  be- 
side a  ship-master  of  Anglo-Saxon  origin,  in  iHplo- 
iiiatic  attire,  the  guard  with  bended  heail,  having  one 
(ve  on  the  beinsx  ht;  was  pravint;  to,  and  the  other  on 
the  juisoner,  while  all  around  over  the  plaxa  were  the 
scattered  populace  down  on  their  knees  where  the 
stroke  of  the  noon  bell  had  met  them. 

'"Ask  your  master  if  he  would  not  like  to  become  a 
Christian,"  said  the  st)ldier  to  the  sailor,  as  they 
iircsentlv  wended  their  wav  to  the  ijovernor's  council- 
room,  whither  they  had  been  sunnnoned. 

"He  says  he  is  a  Christian,''  M'as  the  reply  of  tlie 
iiitei'preter.  The  ^lexican  man  of  prayer  could  not 
1"  lieve  such  a  thing  possible  of  one  so  ignorant  of  the 
fouimonest  intercourse  with  heaven,  and  charged 
tlu!  sailor  with  lying. 

With  the  dust  marks  still  upon  his  knees  and  on  the 
tails  of  his  diplomatic  coat,  tlu;  ca))tain  was  nsliered 
into  the  august  presence  of  the  governor. 

"  \Vii  cannot  find  vou  cruiltv  of  bein<if  a  i>irate  or  a 


492 


rST.AXD  TRADE  AND  COAST  TRAFFIC. 


spy,  for  lack  of  evidence,  thougli  doubtless  you  are 
both.  A  storm  might  have  blown  you  hither;  and 
wanting  water  3'ou  may  have  said  you  liad  Chini'so 
goods  to  sell.  Neither  can  we  prove  your  Hag  pirati- 
cal, though  it  looks  so,  as  indeed  do  you.  You  may 
have  water;  but  you  must  be  off  within  five  hours  or 
be  hanged." 

We  may  be  sure  that  the  captain  did  not  unneces- 
sarily delay  his  departure.  Five  months  afterward 
an  English  man-of-war  in  like  manner  disturbed  tlio 
serenity  of  the  sleepy  capital.  From  the  boat  sert 
ashore,  in  polite  terms  and  good  Spanish,  the  ofiicials 
were  informed  that  the  ship  was  on  a  voyage  of 
observation  round  the  world,  and  had  called  that  the 
officers  might  pay  their  respects  to  the  govenujr  of 
California.  As  there  were  powder  and  shot  hero 
wherewith  to  blow  the  town  to  atoms,  and  as  the  hioli 
responding  parties  were  smoothed  the  right  wa}'",  the 
reply  was  as  courteous  as  had  been  the  announcement. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


A  FUTILE   FKIHT  WITH  ICNORANCE. 

Fur  ignorance  of  ,iU  things  is  an  evil  neither  terrible  nor  excessive,  nor 
yrt  thi'  greatest  of  all;  hut  great  cleverness  and  mucli  learning,  if  they  ho 
accuiiijuiuiuil  hy  a  had  training,  i:i  a  much  greater  niisfurtunu. — Plato. 

()\viX(i  to  the  very  exci'ptioiial  nature  of  etlucatioii 
iuiioiit;"  tlio  Calitorniaiis,  it  will  l)u  necessary,  iu  treat- 
ing of  what  little  did  exist,  to  enter  somewhat  into 
detail,  and  adhere  strictly  to  the  chronological  order 
of  a  few  meagre  facts;  for  from  the  earliest  settlement 
of  the  country  until  it  became  an  integral  part  of  the 
American  republic,  California  had  no  well-established 
system  of  schools.  All  of  the  instruction  imparted  to 
her  sons  and  daughters  was  due  to  the  spasmodic  and 
short-lived  eflbrts  of  rulers,  who,  on  coming  into  office, 
deemed  it  their  duty  to  initiate  reform,  and  yet  lack(>d 
the  a!»ility  and  power  to  overcome  the  obstacles  which 
at  e\ery  step  confronted  them.  These  obstacles,  we 
shall  find,  were  ever  alike  in  kind,  although  varying 
ill  degree,  and  consisted  in  the  chronic  depletion  of 
the  public  treasurv,  and  an  inveterate  unwilliiiLrness 
oil  the  part  of  the  people,  which  was  theirs  bv  iight 
I  if  inheritance  from  illiterati;  ancestors,  to  give  to  their 
eliiklren  an  educati(m  better  than  that  which  had 
fallen  to  their  own  lot. 

In  all  that  pertains  to  the  proper  discipline  and  en- 
lightenment of  the  intellect,  the  Californians,  com- 
[tared  even  with  their  brethren  in  many  of  the  ^lexican 
states,  were  deficient.  Almost  without  exception,  the 
earlv  settlers,  men  and  women  of  mixed  blood,  drawn 

(  493 ) 


494 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


from  the  humbler  ranks  of  Spanish  colonial  society, 
were  unable  either  to  read  or  to  write.  The  alcalde 
of  San  Francisco  in  1781  could  not  sii^n  his  name  tt> 
a  document  conveying;  the  possession  of  land.  Equally 
ignorant  were  the  non-connnissionrd  officers  and  pri- 
vates of  the  ])rcsidial  companies;  for  these  men  wore 
chiefly  jVfexican  half-breeds,  while  the  handful  of 
Spaniards  in  tlieir  ranks  were  of  the  unenlightened 
peasantry  of  the  mother  country;  and  not  infrequently 
it  was  found  necessary  for  the  commanding  officer  at 
one  garrison  to  request  that  there  might  be  sent  to 
him  from  some  other  presidio  a  man  qualified  to  act 
as  amanuensis.  Out  of  fifty  men  cfmiprising  the 
Monterey  com[)any  in  1785,  but  fourteen  could  write. 
Among  the  thirty  men  of  the  San  Francisco  com- 
pany, only  seven  could  write.  Thirteen  years  later 
but  two  out  of  twenty-eight  men  in  this  same  coin- 
l)any  could  write.  Again,  in  1794,  not  a  soldier  of 
the  company  was  able  to  read  or  write,  and  the  com- 
manding officer  asked  that  one  so  qualified  should  ' 
sent  to  him  from  Santa  Barbara. 

The  ct.mmissioned  officers  themselves  possessed  only 
that  rudimentary  education  at  the  time  consicKrcd 
sufficient  for  the  Spaniard  who,  while  yet  scarcely 
more  than  a  child  in  years,  embraced  the  profession 
of  arms;  and  few  of  them  had  the  opportunity,  even 
had  they  possessed  the  inclination,  to  inqmne  their 
niinds  during  the  years  of  hardship  passed  at  a  froii- 
tii>r  post. 

Nor  at  a  time  when  growing  weakness  at  homo 
presaged  the  downfall  of  Spanish  dominion  in  Aiuii- 
ica,  did  the  education  of  the  masses  in  a  new  and 
remote  colony  form  any  part  of  the  policy  of  a  gov- 
ernment whose  aim  it  was  in  all  its  cisatlantic  posses- 
sions to  maintain  its  subjects  in  ignorance,  in  order 
that  they  might  less  murmuringly  bear  the  increasing 
exactions  of  the  crown. 

Not  until  children  born  in  California  had  in  their 
turn  become  parents  was  the  least  attempt  made  to 


POSITION  OP  WOMAN. 


m 


r4al)lish  public  schools  in  the  country,  and  that  child 
was  fortu  late  indeed  whose  parents  were  able  or  will- 
iiiiT  to  instruct  him  to  the  extent  of  readinijf  with 
hesitation,  and  writing  the  few  misspelled  worils  that 
at  rare  intervals  should  serve  to  convey  to  others  in 
u-raceless  language  the  very  primitive  ideas  of  the 
writer.  Occasionally  some  woman,  fortunate  among 
her  sisters,  with  a  mother's  love  imparted  to  her  little 
OIK'S  her  own  scant  store  of  knowledge,  while  at  times 
tlio  amicja,  as  slie  was  significantly  called,  jierformed 
the  same  duty  toward  a  neighl)or's  child,  or  taught 
to  the  ambitious  soldier  the  simple  accomplishments 
necessaiy  to  his  promotion.  Jose  Maria  Amador  says 
tluit  in  his  childhood — and  he  was  born  in  1794 — there 
were  no  schools;  and  what  little  instruction  he,  as 
well  as  his  brothers,  acquired,  he  owed  to  his  mother, 
Alalia  liamona  Noriega,  who  also  instructed  the  chil- 
clreu  of  some  of  tlieir  neighbors.  She  moreover 
taught  to  read  and  write  a  few  soldiers  desirous  of 
heeoming  corporals. 

To  the  count  of  Revilla  Gigedo,  second  viceroy  of 
tliat  illustrious  house,  and  by  far  the  most  liberal  of 
all  the  viceregal  rulers  of  New  Spain,  is  due  the 
suggestion  which  in  1793  caused  a  royal  order  to  issue 
foiKorning  education  in  California,  by  which  schools 
weie  to  be  established,  not  only  for  the  children  of 
mute  de  razon,  but  for  the  neophytes,  w'ho  were  to  be 
taught  to  read,  write,  and  speak  Spanish,  the  use  of 
their  own  language  to  be  in  every  way  discouraged. 
The  later  portion  of  the  royal  order  was  communicated 
by  (lovernor  Borica  to  Father  President  Lasuen,  and 
that  most  politic  of  Californian  prelates  hastened  to 
Itroijiise  his  cooperation  in  a  scheme  of  which  neither 
he  nor  his  subordinate  friars  at  heart  approved;  for 
jireseiitly  a  want  of  funds  was  the  extraordinary  ex- 
( use  for  non-coinj)liance,  pleaded  by  men  who  avow- 
edly had  dedicated  their  lives  to  the  rescue  of  their 
iellow-creatures  from  the  multiform  degradation  of 
savagism. 


496 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


Borica  did  succeed,  however,  in  establishing  a  sys- 
tem of  pubUc  schools,  if  system  be  the  proi)er  tenii 
for  a  })lan  alike  crude  in  conception  and  practically 
inefficient.  In  December  171)4,  he  inquired  of  the 
connuandants  of  the  presidios  and  the  comisionados  of 
the  pueblos,  whether,  in  their  respective  jurisdictions, 
there  were  any  persons  who  knew  how  to  read  and 
write,  and  were  otherwise  fitted  to  become  instructors 
of  children.^     He  also  desired  information  as  to  what 

'  In  tho  accompanying  I  give  a  list  of  the  teachers  of  public  scliools,  placua 
at  wiiich  tliey  taught,  terma  of  service,  ami  salaries,  from  1794  to  1846. 


Name. 


Maniii'l  do  Viirgas  

huiiKiii  l.a.ssi)         

JIaiiui'l  do  Vi'irnas  

JiLso  Miiiiiud  Idea 

Manuel  llnronda    

Jiisi?  Ivodrinuez  

Josi''  Medina    

Jiso  Alvarez       

Manuel  cle  Viirvras  

Kafaul  Villavicencic. . . 

MiKnel  Archuleta 

Antdiiio  Jtiielna 

Kafaeldel  Vnlle 

JoBciuin  Jiuelna 

LabaMtida 

J()s6  Jierreye.sa    

.lose  Antonio  Romero... 

Luciano  Vahlcs 

Antonio  Menendez 

Josii5  1  iburcio  Castro. .. 

Joaiitiin  liotiller  

Vicente  Morai;a     

Pablo  do  la  o.-.sa.   

Cri.^toval  Ai,'uilar 

Frnncisco  I'antoja  

I'otronilo  Uio.-;     

Jo.sC'  Miiria  .\(;nila     . .  . . 

Juan  Ifiueia 

Johc  do  ln>  Santos  Avila. 

Victor  I'nidon     

Isnaclo  Coronel 

Mi(,Miel  Avila  

iJoniingo  Amador 

JliVrcos  Jionilla  

JosC  Maria  Silva 

Jost^  Fernandez  .  .  . 
Jos»''  Mariano  Komero. . . 
Jo.se  Zenon  Keniaudez  . 

Juan  I'adilla     

Fliirencio  Serrano 

Ii^naeio  (Coronel 
A.  A.  de  Miera  y  Norefla. 
Enriijue  Canibur-ton  . . 
JosiJ  Maria  C'anijiina  . 

Asustin  Hilvila.   

Jose  I'eiia         

W.  K.  1'.  Hartnell  

Guadalujie  .Medina. 

Franeisca  (ioniez 

Luisa  .\r!,'liello     

Unadalupe  Mediua 

lioea      

Joru'u  Allen     

Manuel  (Jit'crrez 

Floreiicio  Serrano     . .   . 


Plac«. 


San  Jos^* 

San  Jos»? 

San  l)iepo 
Santa  liarbara. 
San  Francisco 
Monterey 
Santa  l.i'irbara. 
San  Franeise  >. 
Santa  liArbara. 

San  Jos(5. 

j  Monterey  ... 

San  Jos6 

San  Jos6. 

San  Jos6 

:San  Jos^. 

San  Francisco. 

San  Jos4. 

Los  Angeles. . 

San  iJlego 

Monterey .      . 
Los  Angeles     . 
Los  Angeles.  . 
Sta  Gertriidis. . 
Los  Angeles.    . 
Los  Angeles'. 

Monterey 

Monterey 

Monterey 

Uraneiforte. . . 
San  Gabriel. . 

Sonoma 

Monterey 
S.  Luis  Obispo 
Santa  lilirbara 
Santa  (.'ruz  . 
Santa  (,'ruz  . . . 

Monterey 

San  Josi^ 

San  Antonio. . 
Monterey 
Los  Angeles. . 

San  Jos(? 

Monterey  ... 

I  Monterey 

Santa  ("ruz  . 
jSanta  Clara.. . 
Monterey .  . 
Los  Angeles, . 

^Monterey 

Los  Angeles  . 
Los  Angeles. . 

So'Muia 

Monterey  . 
San  Jo.vi^.     ... 
Monterey 


Salary. 


Term  of  St-rvic 


2'4  reales  per  child. . 
.fJIAO  per  annum 
.fl2.")  per  annum, 
raught  gratuitously. 


f2  extra  pay  monthly 


Extra  pay 

Extra  pay.  . 
*10  per  month. 
iflS  per  month. 


if  15  per  month.  

Taught  gratuitously 

$10  per  month.  


B'20  per  month. 
r20  per  month. 


ijjtlO  per  month.  . 
$1000  per  annum 
$1000  per  annum. 


$1.')  per  month 

$1000  per  aunum. 


|$1000  per  annum 


$1200  per  annum 

.$1000  per  annum 

Kach  child  $2..')0  per  m, 
■'.0  per  month. 

1200  per  annum 

WO  per  annum  

10  per  month 

M')  per  month. 

<.")00  per  annum 

>I0  per  month 

$1000  per  annum 

.$.")00per  annum 


Dee.  17'.M-June  1795. 

July  17U5-Mav  17jt). 

July  17ur>-l)ee.  179«. 

Oct.  17^.>-June  17.'7. 

May  1790-June  1797. 

May  179fi. 

June  1797-Dec.  179.'. 

July  1797. 

Jan.  1799. 

Oct.  1811. 

Jan.  181K-1S22 

I  -.Mar.  IS'JO. 

lAprill820-l)ec.  \>:'.0. 

Jan.  lS21-June  1>-.J. 

IJuly  1822. 

Mar.  iS2;{-oct.  isi!. 

I  April  182;i. 

IJan.  18-S-Xov.  is:f0. 

(Aug.  182.H-l)ec.  IWJ. 

Jan.  182.'. 

Dec.  1830-Dee.  iNil. 

Jan.  1832. 

Jan.  18;i3. 

Jan.  18,'W. 

Feb.  18H8-Feb.  Iftil. 

Feb.  18H:!. 

March  1884. 

June  1834. 

July  1834. 
jNov.  1834. 

Nov.  1834. 
iJan.  183.  >. 
,iJau.  lS3->-Atig.  l.«3.\ 
1  April  183">. 

-Oct.  i.^;«. 
jNov.isav 

iNov.  183.">-Nov.  I.''*). 
JFeb.  1^3ti. 

April  183<). 
I  Deo.  1830. 

July  1838-Sept.  "MO. 

April  1840-l)ec.  Ml. 

Aug.  1840-Jan.  l>l'i. 

July  lS41-May  Im:!. 
I  Dec.  1841. 

May  l«V.'. 
iJune  1813-Feb.  i^M. 

Aug.  184;5-,Iuly  1-11. 
IJune  1844-Apr.  iMo. 
iJunel844. 
Ijan.  184.'i. 
'Jan.  184.5. 

March  ls4.5. 

Nov.  ISI.VJulv  l"^. 

Jan.  184(i-July  !•""'• 


ACTION  OF  GOVERNORS. 


4m 


I'.  1>-2J. 


compensation  they  would  require,  and  from  \vliat 
source  this  was  to  come.  Masters  supposed  to  l>e 
competent  were  found,  and  Borico  repeatedly  expressed 
liis  satisfaction  with  the  speedy  success  that  had 
crowned  his  efforts.  Not  later  than  tlie  I'lth  of 
December,  17D4 — I  am  unable  to  establish  the  date 
more  satisfactorily — Manuel  de  Vdrgas,  a  retired  ser- 
ocaiit,  t)pened  in  the  public  granary  at  San  Josd  the 
first  primary  school  in  California.  Vjlrgas  shortly 
afterward  went  to  San  Diego  to  open  a  school  there, 
and  Ram<m  Lasso  took  his  place  at  San  Jose.  Early 
ill  October  171)5,  Jose  Manuel  Toca  became  the  mas- 
ter of  a  school  at  Santa  Bdrbara. 

I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the 
masters  at  Monterey  and  San  Francisco,  the  last  of 
the  ]iresidios  to  have  a  school,  but  the  five  schools 
nanuKl  were  in  operation  early  in  1790. 

Xot  without  difficulty,  however,  did  the  energetic 
fjovcrnor  accomplish  what  he  did,  for  at  the  very  out- 
set he  found  himself  confronted  with  the  necessity  of 
creating  funds  for  these  establishments,  and  the  want 
of  j)ro[)erly  qualified  teachers.  The  men  wliom  he 
had  appointed  teachers  were  retired  veterans,  whose 
knowledge  of  what  they  were  called  uj)on  to  teach 
was  l)ut  slight,  and  who  from  their  age  as  well  as 
their  ex])erience  of  life  were  ill  fitted  to  become 
instructors  of  youth.  It  is  })ossible  tha,t  these  appoint- 
nuiiits  were  regarded  by  the  governor  as  temporary, 
and  to  last  only  until  the  arrival  of  teachers  from 
Mexico.  The  other  difficulty  he  hoped  to  evade  by 
decreeing  that  when  the  people  would  not  voluntarily 
sup|iort  the  school-master  a  contribution  should  be 
levied,  payable  in  grain  when  money  was  not  forth- 
coming. This  order  was  dated  October  19,  1795,  and 
bachelors  were  to  bo  taxed  as  well  as  married  men. 

By  this  decree  the  attendance  of  all  children  over 
seven  and  under  ten  years  of  age,  both  of  civilians  and 
^soldiers,  was  made  obligatory;  and  such  of  the  non- 
conuuissioned  officers  of  the  presidial  companies  who 

Cal.  Past.    32 


498 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


I 


were  unable  to  read  and  write  were  ordered  to  attend. 
The  liours  of  scliool  were  early  in  the  morning'  and 
a<2fain  in  tlie  afternoon,  in  order  that  in  the  interval 
the  children  might  aid  their  parents  in  the  necessary 
labor  of  the  household  or  the  field.  The  only  text- 
books were  primers  furnished  by  the  parents  of  the 
children ;  but  paper  for  writing  was  supplied  by  tlio 
habilitado,  to  whom  it  was  afterward  returned,  tliat  it 
miijht  be  made  use  of  in  the  manufacture  of  cartridges. 
The  prime  object  of  instruction  was  to  learn  the  doc- 
trina  cristiana,  or  Christian  doctrine;  and  this  tlie 
children  acquired  by  rote,  repeating  it  line  by  line  and 
sentence  by  sentence  after  the  master.  Reading  and 
writing  were  matters  of  secondary  importance,  and 
were  taught  to  no  child  until  he  had  treasured  up  in 
his  memory  the  contents  of  tlie  catechism. 

Upon  the  schools  thus  established,  the  governor 
looked  with  excusable  pride,  for  he  hoped  tliat  tluy 
were  but  the  forerunners,  necessarily  imperfect,  ot 
fiourishinir  academies.  He  took  great  interest  in  the 
progress  of  the  scholars,  and  naturally  supposed  that 
the  parents  would  appreciate  his  endeavors.  He  re- 
quired that,  at  stated  periods,  reports  of  the  nuinhi  r 
of  scholars  in  attendance  at  the  different  schools  should 
be  made  to  him,  and  for  several  months  this  was  dom-. 

He  also  required  that  their  copy-books  should  be 
submitted  to  his  inspection. 

But  presently  there  was  a  notable  falling  off"  in  the 
attendance;  nor  could  the  threats  to  which  he  now 
had  recourse  accomplish  wliat  persuasion  had  failed  to 
do.  Parents,  seeing  that  under  the  instruction  of 
masters  but  little  less  ignorant  than  themselves  tluir 
children  did  not  make  much  progress,  suddenly  dis- 
covered that  in  order  to  lead  the  same  monotonous 
life  of  sluiTsxish  toil  that  had  fallen  to  their  own  lot, 
not  even  the  most  rudimentary  knowledge  was  nnpti- 
ative.  Books  they  possessed  not,  letters  they  neitlier 
received  nor  were  called  upon  to  write,  while  the  few 
formal  documents  that  were  needed  could  be  drawn  by 


SCHOOL  MASTERS. 


•Wf 


that 

C  YV- 

iuuiIht 
liouM 
doiH'. 

ukl  l>o 

in  the 

now 

ilod  to 

tion  of 

tht-'ir 

V  (lis- 

;onous 

:n  lot, 

iclthcr 
ho  I'cw 
wn  by 


tho  few  amonrr  them  capable  of  tlic  task,  and  who  made 
suih  |)r(»fitless  drudgery  their  business.  Why,  indot-d, 
should  their  children  know  more  than  they  or  thoir 
fathers  knew?  Reasoning  thus,  and  with  the  jilausiblo 
inoteneo  that  tho  services  of  their  children  were  ntct'S 
saiv  to  the  support  of  tho  family,  they  gradually  with- 
diow  thenifrt)m  tho  schools.  On  their  part  the  mastcis, 
conscious  perhaps  of  their  lack  of  qualifications  for  an 
othcc^  which  had  been  in  a  measure  forced  upon  them, 
as  well  as  discontented  because  of  their  scant  sahiiy 
and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  even  that  pittance,  took 
hut  slight  pains  to  enforce  the  attendance  of  unwilling 
scholars. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  some  time  before  the  ex- 
))iiati()nof  Bijrica's  term  t)f  office,  teachers  were  almost 
ciitiroly  wanting,  those  who  still  pretended  to  tearh 
asstnihling  their  scholars  but  once  a  week;  and  the 
vouth  of  the  country,  instead  of  learning  to  read  and 
wiite,  and  to  stand  before  the  king  as  that  zeahjus 
ruler  had  hoped,  were  growing  up  to  manhood  as  their 
fathers  had  done,  without  education  save  in  horseman- 
ship, and  the  primitive  agriculture  then  practised;  tit 
for  nothing  but  the  unintellectual  life  of  a  ranchero,  or 
enlistment  in  one  of  the  presidial  companies.  A  blight 
ft  11  upon  education  in  California,  similar  to  that  which 
aftir  t!ie  death  of  Charlemagne  paralyzed  the  schools 
of  his  empire. 

Another  generation  needed  instruction  before  the 
•suhject  of  education  was  again  taken  up  in  earnest; 
tor  during  the  long  second  term  of  Arrillaira  the 
apathetic,  nothing  was  done  for  the  more  permanent 
establishment  of  better  schools.  But  his  successor  was 
a  man  of  different  mould.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  at 
^lonterey,  Sola  summoned  to  his  presence  the  school- 
master and  his  pupils,  the  latter  bringing  with  them 
tlioir  cartridge  paper  and  their  books.  After  exam- 
ining these,  the  governor  announced  his  intention  of 
attending   to   thoir  education  more  closely  than  his 


m  A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  KiNOUAXCE. 

predecessor  had  done.  Thereupon,  tlu.'  wortliy  poda- 
^oLfiie,  apparently  considering  this  remark  as  a  retlec- 
tion  upon  himself,  and  anxious  moreover  to  basi<  in 
tluf  ravs  of  the  rising  sun,  with  much  earnestness  ami 
at  ij^reat  length,  explained  tiiat  his  pupils  were  uril 
read,  though  few  of  them  eould  read  a  word,  for  the 
lives  of  various  saints  and  like  yhostlv  lore  was  at 
their  tongue's  end.     Many  of  them  were  also  especially 

lept  in  the  singing  of  masses,  for  their  voices  liad 
heen  carefuUv  trained  bv  the  neoidivtc  Jose,  choir- 
master  at  the  nei';hhorin<!:  mission,  and  a  master  of  his 
art;  and  they  took  part  in  the  weekly  processions  of 
the  rosary.  Xorwere  these  'he  sole  accomplishments 
of  the  youths  who  yearlv  on  the  feast  day  of  Our  hinW 
of  (luadalupe  ])ronounced  discourses  in  honor  of  her 
merit,  which  won  the  applause  of  listening  nmltitudes. 
What  more  was  necessary  than  this  heavenly  disci- 
pline?  As  for  a  knowledge  of  earth,  any  fool  keeping 
his  eyes  open  would  learn  that. 

To  tliis  erudite  tirade,  his  Excellency  listened  atten- 
tivclv,  at  its  close  remarkini'  dryly  that  f()r  all  this  a 
little  education  would  not  harm  the  vounj*'  Californians, 
and  that  there  were  other  branches  of  learning  fully 
as  important  as  sacred  music.  After  a  servant  had 
distributed  fruits  and  sweets  to  the  children,  Sola  dis- 
missed them,  bidding  scmie  of  the  more  advanced 
scholars  to  wait  upon  him  the  following  day.  On 
their  presenting  themselves,  he  explained  the  inipm'- 
tance  of  close  attention  to  stud}'",  and  at  the  close  of 
the  interview  presented  them  with  a  copy  of  the  con- 
stitution of  1812,  some  recent  decrees  of  the  cintcs 
and  numbers  of  the  Gaceta  de  }[exko,  and,  most  ac- 
ceptable gift  of  all,  a  copy  of  Dim  Quixote.  Promisini^ 
them  more  when  these  should  iiave  been  carefully 
perused,  the  governor  dismissed  che  lads,  who  returiK d 
to  their  fellows  with  a  jjlowinGf  account  of  the  interest 
taken  m  them  by  their  new  ruler. 

In  this  way  Sola  caused  the  schools  to  be  reoiioned 
at  various  places  in  the  province.     As  masters,  he 


COST  OF  LEAUNI  ,(i. 


sclortod  sottlors,  or  invalided  soldii  rs  of  jj^ood  cliaracter, 
to  whom  a  j^ratuity  was  oivm,  or  soiiii!  sollicr  who 
t;iii,niit  leading  and  reli«;ion.  Out  ot"  liis  own  almn- 
d;mt  means  he  t'oundrd  at  the  capital  a  sehool  for  boys, 
jiiid  one  tor  girls.  He  caused  the  reins  of  discipline 
to  he  tighter  drawn,  complaint  against  a  master  heing 
regarded  as  a  sort  of  high  treasdii,  to  he  punished 
wilh  the  utmost  severity;  an<l  wisely  ht»lding  that  on 
the  I'dueation  of  youth  depemls  the  j)rogress  of  the 
state,  punished  such  short-sighted  parents  as  refused 
to  send  their  children  to  the  schools. 

In  a  letter  to  Comandante  Argiiello  of  San  Fi'an- 
cisco  he  wrote:  "No  admita  Vm  discul[)a  alguna  il  los 
padi'cs  que  rehusan  enviar  sus  hijos  il  la  escuela  ponpie, 
si  no  se  educa  la  juventufl,  el  pais  en  vez  de  i)rogres;ir, 
forzosamente  se  veni  obligado  a  n^troceder,  cosa  (pie 
OS  deher  de  las  autoridades  evitar  a  todo  riesgo." 

Desirous  of  founding  a  high  school,  he  invited  to 
^hmterey  two  8})anish  professors  of  ability  and  ex- 
jierii'iK'c;  but  to  men  of  narrow  though  educated 
minds,  life  in  California  proved  irksome,  and  the  im- 
ported pedagogues  remained  in  the  country  but  a  lew 
Weeks.  Observing  that  the  neophytes  evinced  a  (H-r- 
tain  aptitude  for  singing  the  Latin  of  the  mass,  and 
t(K)k  great  interest  in  assisting  at  that  ceremonial  as 
Well  as  in  all  pertaining  to  the  service  of  the  church, 
ho  j)roposed  to  the  viceroy  the  establishment  of  a 
College  similar  to  that  of  San  Gregorio  do  Mtyico. 
Tlio  expense  was  to  be  l)orne  by  the  mission  commu- 
nities, each  of  which  should  send  to  the  college  half  a 
(lo/en  young  Indians,  who,  under  the  su})ervisit»n  of 
two  of  the  friars,  should  be  taught  writing,  grammar, 
l»hil()sophy,  and  ethics.  It  was  Sola's  well-founded 
opinion  that  thus  there  could  soon  be  instructed  a 
ho(ly  of  missionaries  who  w^ould  be  of  inestimable  ad- 
vantage in  the  conversion  of  their  kinsfolk.  He  also 
sii;4gested  the  foundation  of  an  establishment  where 
the  female  neophytes,  who  at  the  tender  age  of  three 
years  should  be  taken  from  their  mothers,  might  un- 


502 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  lONORAXCE. 


.1 


dor  the  care  of  a  discreet  matron  be  instructed  in  the 
ordinary  household  duties  of  women.  But  men  of 
the  stamp  of  Quiroga  no  longer  existed  in  New  Spain, 
while  the  political  condition  of  the  viceroyalty  was 
such  as  to  render  even  the  discussion  of  such  a  schenu' 
impracticable. 

It  was  evident  that  no  aid  of  any  kind  could  he 
expected  from  Mexico,  and  Sola  was  left  alone  to 
battle  in  behalf  of  education  against  the  covert  iiitlu- 
ence  of  the  friars,  which  fanned  into  open  resistaiut' 
the  inveterate  dislike  of  an  ignorant  people  to  any 
})roject  for  the  mental  improvement  of  their  chikhcii. 
When,  therefore,  in  addition  to  this  the  governor 
found  himself  opposed  and  crippled  because  of  the 
chronic  lack  of  funds  in  the  public  treasury,  it  caiinnt 
be  wondered  at  that  even  an  enthusiasm  such  as  Iiis 
became  discouragcid,  and  that  he  abandoned  the  profit- 
less struiriile. 


The  earlier  years  of  Sola's  administration  may  he 
ro!>arded  as  the  uolden  a<jfe  of  education  in  Califoi  iiia, 
since  heretofore  the  schools  had  never  been  equalKd. 
while  later  they  were  unsurpassed.     Of  these  schools, 
the   following  is  a  descrij)tion:  The  room  itself  was 
long,  narrow,  badly  lighted;   with  unadorned  walls. 
save  by  a  huge  green  cross  or  the  picture  of  sonu' 
saint,  generally  the  virgin  of  Guadalujte.  suspe'iidi  ci 
over  the  master's  head,  or  to  one  side  of  his  ta\>\v\ 
dirty  everywhere,  and  in  places  dilapidated.     Around 
its  sides  were  ranged  roughly  made  benches.     Tlui" 
was  a  rude  platform  at  one  end,  sometimes  with  a  rail- 
ing, but  more  frequently  without,  on  which  was  [ilacid 
a  table  covered  with  a  dingy  black   cloth.     Biliind 
tills  table  was  seated,  in  a  tjreasv  dress  of  fantastic 
fashion,  an  old  invalided  soldier  of  ill-tempered  visauo 
and  ref)ulsive  presence.     As  the  scholars  reluctantly 
entered  its  chilling  atmosphere,  each  walked  the  length 
of  the  room,  kneeled  before  the  cross  or  saint,  recited 
aloud  the  bendito,  and  crossed  himself.     His  devotion": 


THE  LUCKLESS  SCHOOL-BOY, 


503 


finished,  he,  trembhng,  approached  the  master,  sayhig, 
'La  inano,  Senor  luaostro;"  whereupon  that  grave 
t'unctionary,  with  a  sort  of  grunt  or  bellow,  gave  hhn 
liis  hand  to  kiss.  The  boy  then  put  his  hat  on  the 
luap  formed  hi  a  corner  by  those  of  his  school-fellows, 
took  his  accustomed  seat,  and  as  soon  as  a  larger  boy 
jiiid  sliown  him  his  lesson,  began  to  recite,  in  a  high 
tone  and  with  a  vehemence  that  caused  the  veins  of 
liis  neck  to  swell,  his  allotted  task  of  the  caton,  or 
primer.  If  learning  to  write,  he  placed  some  heavy 
l)l;ick  lines,  called  a  pauta,  under  the  coarse  paper, 
wliieh  he  ruled  with  a  piece  of  lead,  afterward  taking 
the  pa))er  and  his  pen  to  the  master,  who,  sharpening 
tlie  latter  with  a  knife,  set  him  a  copy  according  to 
liis  ijrade,  of  which  there  were  eiijfht,  rans>ini:f  from 
coarse  marks  and  })ot-hooks  to  fine  writing  in  the  old- 
fashioned  round  hand.  The  sheet  completed,  the  child 
took  it  to  the  master.  "Here  is  a  blot,  you  little 
rascal  I"  "Pardon,  Sehor  maestro,  to-morrow  1  will 
do  better."  "J [old  out  vour  hand,  sirrah ! "  and  tlie 
necessary  discipline,  witliout  which  no  educatit)n  could 
lie  achieved,  was  duly  administered.  During  the  time 
devoted  to  the  examination  of  the  copies,  the  fi>rule 
liad  but  little  rest.  ]^ut  on  the  black  cloth  lay  anotlier 
and  far  more  terrible  implement  of  torture — a  luinptMi 
scourge  with  iron  points — a  nice  invention,  truly,  for 
liilping  little  children  to  keej)  from  laughing  aloud, 
running  in  the  street,  playing  truant,  spilling  ink,  or 
failing  to  know  the  lesson  in  the  dreaded  ilodriiia,  the 
only  lesson  taught,  ])ei'haps,  because  it  was  the  only 
one  the  master  could  teach,  this  letter  oftence  being 
unpardonable.  This  very  a[>propriate  iiKpiisItorial 
implement  was  in  daily  use.  One  by  one  each  little 
guilty  wretch  was  stri[)ped  of  his  ]>oor  shirt,  often  his 
only  garment,  stretched  i'ace  downward  uptui  a  bench, 
with  a  handkerchief  thrust  into  his  mouth  as  a  gag, 
and  lashed  with  a  dozen  or  more  blows,  until  the  blood 
ran  down  fron  '  e  little  lacerated  back.  Ah,  heavenly 
J:'ather,  what  tools  1  and  what  innumerable  follies  civil- 


A  FUilLE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


izatlon  and  Christianity  have  to  answer  for!  It  was 
held  that  while  the  children  were  at  school  their  par- 
ents could  not  call  upon  God  in  their  behalf,  but  that 
the  master  was  alone  answerable  to  him,  as  well  as  to 
the  civil  authorities  and  the  church.  Tiie  master  was 
also  responsible  for  any  want  of  ap[)lication  on  the  part 
of  his  pupils;  as  a  set-off,  however,  he  was  directed  to 
counsel  and  warn  the  children,  and  to  apply  the  tor- 
ture when  deemed  necessary,  especially  for  siiortconi- 
ings  concerning  the  doctrina  cristiaiia,  for  which  no 
excuse,  as  I  have  said,  could  be  accepted.  Moreover, 
the  master's  conduct  was  watched  by  the  parents;  ami 
if  the  children  did  not  make  satisfactory  progress,  com- 
plaint was  made  to  the  comisionado  or  alcalde. 

Six  or  tw(>lve  months  were  devoted  to  the  primcM-, 
or  A  B  C  book.  A  like  time  was  given  to  tlio  caton, 
which,  though  also  a  primer,  was  regarded  as  a  second 
book,  an  incongruous  mass  of  reading,  obtuse,  useless, 
corrupt,  absurd;  lessons  of  servility  to  tlie  stupid 
alcalde;  gross  doctrines  ill  defined.  After  tliis  the 
child  entered  upon  the  course  of  writing  from  tht- 
first  to  the  eijj^hth  ijrade,  after  which  he  learned  the 
first  four  rules  of  arithmetic — this  accomplishment, 
however,  not  being  taught  universally.  Through 
the  whole  course  ran  the  doctrina,  the  most  accursed 
torment  of  all — the  children  reciting  these  sublime 
lessons  of  ignorance  like  parrots. 

Even  in  the  same  stdiool  there  was  no  uniformity 
in  the  reading-books.  They  were  all  religious  works, 
chief  among  them  being  the  famous  Cak'cisnio  de 
Rijtalda,  after  which  ranked  in  imj)ortahco  the  (\ditii 
Crixtiano,  a  Novcna  de  la  Vivgcn,  in  some  one  of  Ik  r 
many  attributes,  or  the  life  and  martyrdom  of  any  of 
the  innumerable  Spanish  saints.  In  conmiitting  tluso 
to  memory,  each  paragra[)h  was  associated  with  diio 
n»ental  torments,  the  remembrance  of  each  page 
indelibly  fixed  by  the  all-purifying  scourge. 

Vallej(s  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  many  facts 
connected  with  the  subject  of  education,  writing  at  a 


RELIGION  IN  EDUCATION. 


80S 


time  when  upwards  of  lialf  a  century  separated  him 
fVoiu  the  occurrences  which  he  rehites,  says:  "The 
catechism  of  Father  Ripaldal  Who  among  tlie  sur- 
viving elders  of  the  native  Cahfornians  is  not  ac- 
(juainted  with  Father  Ripalda?  Who  among  them 
jiossessed  of  a  ghmmering  of  reason,  and  the  kast 
desire  for  liberty  of  conscitnice,  does  not  detest  that 
lonstrous  code  of  fanaticism,  which,  like  some  veno- 
mous serpent,  entwining  itself  aliout  the  heart  of 
youth,  slowly  devours  it? — the  while  implanting  in 
their  innocent  understanding  principles  of  tyranny 
and  superstition  incompatible  with  our  institutions — - 
1  had  almost  said  inimical  to  human  dignity!" 

The  Spanish  government,  while  not  prescribing 
V  h;.  J  class  of  text-books  should  be  used  in  the  schools, 
t(.' ■  s[>ecial  pains  to  prohibit  certain  political  cate- 
thiii  .  and  pamphlets  published  in  Spain,  and  which 
St  dlliously  savored  of  other  things  than  the  divine  right 
of  kings.  Among  the  prohibited  text-books,  which 
do  not,  however,  appear  to  have  made  their  w.ay  to 
Calil'ornia,  \/ere:  "Catecismo  polftico  arreglado  it  la 
coiistitucion  de  la  monarquia  espauola  para  ihistracion 
(1(1  pueblo,  instruccion  de  la  juventud  y  uso  de  las  es- 
ouelas  de  primeras  letras;  por  ]3.  J.  C.  en  Cc'udoba, 
(11  la  imprenta  real  de  D.  llafael  Garcia  Domingiu^z — 
anode  1812;  Catecismo  patritStico,  6  breve  exi)()sicion 
do  las  obligaciones  naturales,  civiles  y  religiosas  de  un 
hucii  Lspanol;  onmipuesto  por  un  parroco  del  arzobis- 
pado  de  To'j'lo;  iVIadrid :  Imprenta  do  Ibarra,  1813; 
Lccciones  polftitas  para  el  uso  dc  la  juventud  Espauola; 
por  (£  Di.  t).  M;inu'^l  Cupero,  Cura  del  Sagrario  de 
Sev'lla:  ii.;pn  a  e".  la  mii,ina  por  1).  Jose  Hidalgo — 
anode  1811? ;  Caioeismo  politico  Espanol  constitucional 
•jiu'  it  imitacion  del  de  doctriiia  cristiana  compuesto  por 
el  Sr  Keynoso,  presenta  al  publico  E.  E.  D.  0.  N.  En 
Malaga,  en  la  oficina  de  1).  Luis  Carreras,  ano  1814; 
Catecismo  cristiano  politico  compuesto  por  un  magis- 
trado  para  la  educacion  de  su  hijo  y  dado  it  luz  por  el 
ayuntam     <to  de  Antcfiuera  para  el  uso  de  sus  escuelas, 


txa 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


I 


I 


imprcso  en  la  niisma  por  la  viuda  e  hijos  de  Galvan, 
ano  1814." 

Compare  these  with  the  text-books  we  place  in  tlie 
hands  of  our  children  to-day,  and  we  may  well  excuse 
any  manifestation  of  feelinj^  on  the  part  of  one  who. 
like  Vallejo,  had  been  subjected  in  the  days  of  his 
tender  youth  to  their  tortures. 

This,  then,  was  the  routine  of  study  during^  fivo 
days  of  the  week,  except  when  some  feast  or  fast  of 
the  church  gave  the  jxlad  children  a  holiday.  Satur- 
days were  days  of  review  and  examination.  Occasion- 
ally the  children  were  taken  to  church  in  order  to  be 
present  at  the  n.-ass  and  listen  to  long  sermons,  dry 
and  tedious,  ^i  '\  nnd  then  they  were  made  to  con- 
fess to  some  grim  <  issionary. 

This  was  the  almoo.  nvarying  routine  of  school-boy 
life.  Their  nu»thers  had  some  pity  for  them,  as  nftir 
a  frugal  breakfast,  pale  and  tearful  they  left  tluiv 
homes;  but  their  fathers,  saying,  "As  I  was  ground  so 
be  thou  ground,"  took  away  all  hope.  Vallejo  thus 
graphically  closes  his  account  of  the  early  schools; 
"The  escuela  antigua  was  a  heaping  uj)  of  horrors,  a 
torture  for  childhood,  a  punishment  for  innocence.  Jii 
it  the  souls  of  a  whole  generation  were  inoculated 
with  the  virus  of  a  deadly  disease.  .  .  .  There  opeiud, 
black  and  frightful,  the  tomb  of  thought,  antl  tlif 
scliool,  which  should  be  the  gilded  vestibuiu  carpctid 
with  roses,  bv  which  the  human  fainilv  enters  the 
sanctuary  of  civilization,  in  the  time  of  the  viceroys 
and  the  earlier  governors  of  California  was  but  the 
gloomy  and  harmful  })assage  which  swallowed  slaves 
for  the  future  use  of  monarchy.  In  my  mind  thoro 
rise  up  such  ]>ainful  emotions,  such  bitter  renu'ui- 
brances  of  the  sad  consequences  due  to  the  education 
which  our  masters  gave  us,  that  the  mere  recollection 
is  absolutely  painful.  Recalling  to  mind  these  thiiius 
is  like  the  dream  of  the  escaped  victim  who  sees  aris- 
ing from  the  depths  the  spectre  of  his  hated  exreii- 
tioner.     The  old  school  should  have  been  called  the 


§ 


YOUTHFUL  DirLOMACY. 


507 


school  of  sorvilism,  since  it  was  tlie  torture-chamber 
wherein  was  done  to  death  tlie  sentiment  of  digaity 
which  perislied  amid  a  thousaiul  torments,  jiiiysical 
and  moral,  encompassing'  the  martyrdom  of  the  hody, 
and  extinguish injjf  tlie  light  of  reason  in  the  new-horn 
man."  Such  being  the  case,  there  was  fully  enough 
of  education  in  pastoral  California,  after  all. 

Not  that  the  little  Californians  were  angels,  deserv- 
ing no  discipline.  They  were  like  other  scliool-boys 
of  other  times  and  countries  in  frequently  infringing 
the  rules  laid  down  for  their  guidance,  and  were,  in- 
deeil,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  som 'times  found  in 
ojjcn  rebellion  against  the  master.  At  Monterey,  it 
was  customary  to  allow  the  boys  to  go  to  the  beach 
ill  order  to  see  the  incon  'nir  ships.  On  one  of  the.sc 
rari'  occasions,  the  Pri)tccsa  was  si«>nalled  in  the  olhnu", 
and  the  usual  permission  was  given.  The  elder 
scholars  had  nearly  completed  a  copy  of  the  habili- 
tado's  accounts,  on  which  they  had  bestowed  unusual 
care,  as  it  was  intended  for  transmission  to  Mexico, 
and  were  bidden  by  the  master  to  carefully  put  away 
their  manuscript,  and  to  close  as  they  went  out  the 
(jnttni,  or  hole  cut  in  the  door  for  the  pa.ssage  of  the 
(at.  Heedless  of  everything  but  the  anticipated 
jikasure,  these  injunctions  were  forgotten,  and  the 
camr  cliildren  hurried  to  the  »lK)re.  There  they  met 
Sola,  who  received  them  l^indly,  as  was  his  wont,  and 
wa^  well  pleased  witli  their  re[)ort  of  the  progress 
made  in  the  task  which  he  liad  allotted  to  them.  In 
(hic  time  the  shin  anchored;  the  commander  and  pas- 
sengers came  on  shore,  anil  the  lunvilUng  lads  returned 
sl(»\vly  to  school,  to  Hiid  that,  in  conseijuence  of  their 
Higlect,  a  numbi'r  of  hens  had  invatled  the  classic  j)re- 
( inct,  and  overturning  the  ink-bottles,  had  ruined  be- 
yond redemption  their  elaborate  coj ties.  Tiieir  hearts 
ahiiost  ceased  to  beat  as  thev  tiiouuht  of  the  iuioend- 
ing  conseipiencc;  for  their  [)receptor,  whiK'  miserly  in 
the  expiMiditure  of  cigarrillos,  was  nowise  niggarilly  in 
the  use  t)f  the  ferule,  which,  moreover,  through  long 


001 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


practice,  ho  wielded  with  no  mean  skill.  Their  sus- 
pense was  not  long.  The  master  entered,  and  taking 
in  tlie  situation  at  a  glance,  with  a  scowl  more  than 
usually  demoniacal  ordered  the  whole  school  into  the 
torture-chamber,  an  inner  apartment  with  no  means 
of  ogress  save  through  the  school-room.  He  was 
obe\ed  in  ominous  silence.  But  when  he  ordered  two 
of  tlie  elder  boys  to  seize  the  first  victim,  they  llatly 
refused.  Encouraged  by  this  bold  stand,  their  com- 
rades closed  the  wooden  shutter  of  the  only  window, 
and  began  discussing  the  advisability  of  laying  out  the 
pedagogue  on  the  bench,  and  applying  to  his  back 
the  scourge.  If  well  laid  on,  it  might  serve  as  a 
reminder  to  lessen  their  tortures,  which  presently  it 
would  be  their  turn  to  endure.  When  it  fully  came 
home  to  him  —this  amazing  impudence — the  school- 
master took  to  liis  heels  and  reported  the  matter  t(» 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  presidio,  who  in  turn 
informed  tlie  governor.  A  connnissioner  was  sent  to 
investigate  the  matter,  who  pardoned  the  rebels,  on 
the  ground  that  their  excessive  joy  at  the  arrival  of 
the  Princcsa  so  affected  their  minds  for  the  moment 
as  to  render  them  irresponsible  agents. 

Little  learning  as  the  boys  got,  far  less  was  imparted 
to  the  girls;  it  was  '\ot  necessary  or  desirable  that 
a  woman  should  know  anything  beyond  household 
duties.  Besides  plain  cooking,  plain  sewing,  sufficient 
for  making  plain  clothes,  unvaried  in  fashion,  worn 
by  themselves,  their  husbands,  and  their  children, 
made  up  the  sum  of  their  accomplishments.  Witli 
the  exception  of  the  single  instance  of  a  girl's  school, 
to  which  I  have  alluded,  there  were  none  established 
until  a  much  later  day.  In  the  towns,  the  daughteis 
of  some  of  the  prominent  families  assembled  at  the 
house  of  the  mother  of  t)ne  of  them,  who  taught  them 
to  read  and  write,  in  the  same  way  that  the  boys 
were  taught,  although  not  to  the  same  extent. 
They  also  learned  to  weave  in  hand-looms  the  gaudy 


MISSION  INSTRUCTION. 


609 


rnofs  which,  spread  upon  the  floor  of  the  church,  served 
them  as  seats.  Or  seated  on  the  floor  of  the  school- 
room, or  of  the  inner  corridor  of  the  house,  each  child 
with  her  hoop-like  embroidery-frame  upon  her  knees, 
tliey  slowly  wrought  with  the  needle  in  cotton  stuff 
not  over  fine  the  simple  embroidery  intended  for  the 
tinbellishment  of  valances,  and  the  like,  which  ulti- 
mately were  to  form  part,  and  frequently  all,  of  the 
maker's  dower.  The  simple  ccwkery  known  to  Cali- 
fornians,  and  the  care  of  children,  each  girl  learned  at 
home. 

The  friars  took  no  part  in  public  instruction,  and 
this  may  well  excite  our  wonder,  for  they  were  them- 
selves all  men  of  good  education,  some  of  them  deeply 
Irarned.  But  they  taught,  only  i?i  a  desultory  way 
and  as  if  for  pastime,  their  favorites  among  the  sol- 
diers of  the  escoltas,  or  the  few  children  de  razon  wlio 
lived  at  the  missions.  One  enthusiastic  religious  w;^.s 
wont  to  arise  at  untimely  hours  of  the  night  in  order 
to  instruct  the  sentry  at  his  post,  and  with  the  ramrod 
of  his  pupil's  musket  trace  in  the  ashes  of  the  guard- 
house liearth  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  A  few 
tliere  were  who,  mastermij:  the  ton<jfue  of  those  who^^e 
welfare,  material  and  spiritual,  was  in  their  keeping, 
endeavored  to  make  clear  to  their  benighted  intel- 
ligiMiee  mysteries  not  easily  comprehended  by  Plato 
or  l*aul.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  friars,  adopting 
the  traditional  policy  of  their  country  and  their  clotli, 
that  education  was  bad  for  the  Indians,  although  in 
tlie  few  cases  where  it  had  been  tried  in  California 
the  result  had  betMi  good,  prevented  the  neophytes 
from  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  reading  and  writing, 
nnd  taught  even  to  their  household  servants  onlv  such 
menial  duties  as  were  necessarv  to  their  own  comfort. 
Of  what  avail  was  learning  in  this  lotos-land  t  There 
was  m  it  neither  health,  wealth,  nor  happiness ;  besitles, 
it  was  a  great  waste  of  labor;  for  if  the  soul  was 
saved,  the  mind  at  death  would  know  all,  and  that 
was  soon  enough. 


9m 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORAXCE. 


iy 


Thus,  as  we  have  seen,  a  twofold  obstacle  hindered 
the  uroij^ress  of  education,  and  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Arguello  nothing  was  accomplished.  In  1824 
he  presided  at  a  meeting  of  the  provincial  assembly, 
on  which  occasion  the  question  of  the  establishment 
of  a  high  school  for  the  education  of  youths  was 
mooted,  but  it  was  decided  that  there  were  no  funds 
that  could  be  applied  to  such  a  purpose.  Of  eight 
mend)ers  present,  the  half  spoke  in  favor  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  hospicios  de  estudios,  in  view  of  its 
great  benefit  to  California.  A  little  later,  Sola,  who 
still  preserved  his  interest  in  California  as  well  as  his 
enthusiasm  for  the  promotion  of  learning,  and  now 
represented  the  province  in  the  Mexican  congress, 
wrote  to  ArgUello  of  the  formation  of  an  institute  for 
the  j)rt»niotion  of  science  in  the  republic,  and  invited 
the  Californians  to  contribute  to  the  estimated  expense, 
which  was  not  slight.  Though  aware  that  he  was 
about  to  be  removed,  and,  moreover,  no  friend  to  Sola, 
Aniliello  sent  circulars  to  the  friars,  and  to  the  more 
prominent  among  tlie  laymen.  The  priests  refused 
to  aid  an  enterprise  favored  by  enemies  of  the  mon- 
archy, and  the  others  said  that  thev  had  no  time  for 
science.  California  contributed  nothing;  and  as  tin; 
other  states  did  no  more,  the  enterprise  failed.  Xo 
public  interest  in  education  could  be  awakened,  and 
each  father  of  a  family  followed  his  own  inclination. 

Echeandia  held  that  learning  was  the  corner-stone 
of  a  people's  wealth,  and  its  encouragement  the  chirf 
duty  and  greatest  glory  of  a  governtn.  He  believed 
in  the  gratuitous  and  compulsory  education  of  rieh 
and  poor,  Indians  and  gente  de  razon  alike.  These 
were  fiivorite  ideas  \vith  him,  openly  and  frequently 
expressed ;  and  when  the  matter  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  friars,  who  through  many  channels  ever  ki'jtt 
themselves  informed  of  what  was  said  at  the  govern- 
ment house  of  the  territory,  they,  having  neither  for- 
gotten nor  i  jrgiven  his  secularization  scheme,  called 
upon  God  to  pardon  the  unfortunate  ruler  unable  to 


'I 


GOVERNORS  AND  FRIARS. 


511 


roniprclieiid  liovv  vastly  superior  a  religious  education 
was  to  Olio  inoroly  secular.  This,  however,  did  not 
prevent  the  governor  from  calling  on  the  fatliers  to 
establish  at  each  mission,  and  at  its  proper  charges,  a 
primary  school,  whose  teachers  were  to  be  capable 
men  of  good  moral  character.  The  fathers  promised 
obodience,  determined  all  the  time  to  disobey. 

While  at  Tepic,  on  his  way  to  take  possession  of 
liis  o-overnment,  he  had  been  obliged  to  inform  the 
sui)reme  authority  that  the  two  teachers  of  primary 
schools  in  California  who  had  already  reached  Aca- 
pulfo  were  unable  to  go  farther,  because  the  province 
could  not  defray  the  cost  of  their  passage  to  Monterey. 
Sliortly  after  he  reached  Monterey  the  assembly,  at 
his  instigatitm.  voted  to  reipiest  the  supreme  govern- 
nitiit  that  it  should  send,  at  its  own  cost,  some  masters 
fur  ])rimary  schools  in  California.  The  number  of 
masters,  who  were  also  to  establish,  if  possible,  an 
aciuU'mia  de  granuitica,  where  philosophy,  law,  and 
(hawing  sliould  be  taught,  is  not  mentioned.  Me- 
chanics for  a  rope- walk  which  might  be  useful  to  vessels 
wcri'  also  asked  for.     The  re<|uests  were  not  granted. 

Xothing  daunted,  tlie  governor  continued  to  battle 
with  recalcitrant  friars  and  stupid  ayuntamientos.  He 
K'tt  no  means  untried  to  gain  the  supjwrt  of  the  latter, 
in  one  instance  directing  that  there  should  be  elected 
to  that  body  only  members  who  should  at  least  be  able 
to  write  legibly,  and  threatening  that  were  this  requi- 
site not  complied  w-ith  judicial  action  would,  conform- 
ahly  to  law,  suspend  their  right  of  citizenship. 

Finding  that  the  civil  authorities  were  powerless  to 
carry  out  his  commands,  some  of  them  in  despair 
asserting  that  it  was  useless  to  endeavor  to  pay  a 
teacher  if  not  a  single  child  attended  school,  Echean- 
(ha  called  upon  the  commanding  officers  at  the  presidios 
to  compel  parents  to  send  their  children.  This  meas- 
ure was  to  a  certain  extent  effective,  and  the  alcaldes 
a-^aiii  set  to  with  a  will,  he  of  Monterey  voluntarily 
acting  as  master  of  a  school  whose  sole  belongings  con- 


612 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


'I 


ft 


sisted  of  a  covered  table,  one  aritli luetic,  and  four 
primers. 

So  the  nia<;istrate  was  able  to  make  a  brave  show- 
ing — on  |>aper — when  in  1829  he  reported  to  the 
supreme  govertiment  that  there  were  in  existence  in 
the  province  eleven  primary  schools,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  331)  pupils.  This  report  was  dated  at  Sau 
Dieoro,  May  19,  1829. 

The  schools  were  as  follows:  one  at  San  Josu 
pueblo  with  30  scholars;  one  at  San  Miguel  mission 
with  three  scholars;  one  at  Santa  Btirbara  presidio 
with  G7  scholars;  one  at  Santa  Barbara  mission  with 
44  scholars;  San  Buenaventura  had  30  scholars;  Sau 
Fernando  20;  Los  Angeles  pueblo  Gl;  San  Diego 
presidio  18;  San  Gabriel  mission  8;  San  Juan  Ca})is- 
trano  17;  San  Luis  Rey  35.  It  will  be  observed  that 
the  Monterey  school  was  once  more  closed  for  want  of 
a  teaclier,  and  that  of  San  Francisco  had  not  been 
reopened. 

The  governor  added  that  the  schools  had  been  [)ar- 
alyzed  by  the  lack  of  funds  and  the  impossibility  of 
obtaining  suitable  teachers.  Municipalities  and  mis- 
sions were  now  prepared  to  pay  cajiable  teachers;  for 
even  at  the  schools  for  gente  de  razon  only  poor 
instruction  was  given  in  the  doctrina  cristiana,  read- 
ing, and  writing.  At  the  mission  schools  the  young 
neophytes  learned  only  to  sing  the  mass  awkwartlly, 
to  play  wind  and  stringed  instruments,  and  repeat  the 
doctrina,  while  the  attendance  was  small  because  of 
the  necessary  work  afield.  He  therefore  called  on  the 
supreme  government  for  aid. 

But  the  enthusiasm  of  the  subordinate  authorities 
was  short-lived,  and  Echeandia,  unable  to  contend 
against  the  enmity  of  the  friars,  the  indifference  of  the 
people,  and  the  poverty  of  the  treasury,  accomplisliod 
no  more  than  his  predecessors  had  done.  Reluctantly 
he  abandoned  the  contest,  and  the  cause  of  education 
again  declined.  The  schools,  few  in  number  and  pie- 
sided  over   by  incapable   teachers,   were   open   only 


CASA  DE  EDUCACION. 


t» 


id  four 

}  show- 
to  tho 
ience  in 
attcml- 
at  Sail 

tn  Jose 
missi(jii 
presidio 
ion  with 
irs;  San 

I  Dieu'o 

II  Capis- 
ved  that 

want  of 
lot  been 

teen  par- 

ibihtv  of 

and  niis- 

lors;  for 

ly  poor 

la,  road- 

e  young 

wartlly, 

peat  tho 

ause  of 

d  on  the 

thorities 
iconteiul 
\e  of  tho 
liphshod 
[.ictantly 
lucation 
md  pio- 
m   only 


about  one  third  of  the  time,  at  irregular  intervals,  and 
lor  brief  periods,  according  to  tho  condition  of  tlio 
treasury.  Any  circumstance  was  seized  upon  as  a 
pictoxt  for  closing  the  schools.  In  March  18.S2,  it 
coming  to  light  that  the  assessor  had  introduced  some 
a^niardiente  without  paying  duty  thereon,  the  mer- 
chants at  Monterey  also  resisted  payment  on  their 
introductions  of  liquor  until  the  assessor  should  pay. 
Consequently  the  schools,  which  at  the  time  were 
maintained  by  these  funds,  were  closed.  Some  of  the 
teachers  of  tlie  mission  scliools  went  so  far  as  to 
enqiloy  their  pupils  as  servants  about  the  house,  or  in 
uathering  herbs  which  the  master  sold  for  his  own 
jiroHt.  During  the  period  of  anarchy  which  followed 
Echeandi'a's  term  of  office,  and  even  before  the  secu- 
larization of  tho  missions,  these  schools  one  by  one  had 
ceased  to  exist. 

At  this  juncture  W.  E.  P.  Hartnell,  a  Roman 
catholic  Englishman  of  liberal  education,  and  j)roH- 
cient  as  a  linguist,  who  some  years  previously  had 
married  a  woman  of  the  country  and  engaged  in  trade 
at  Monterey,  in  which  he  had  not  met  with  success, 
concluded  to  establish  at  Monterey  a  school  for  boys. 
For  that  purpose  he  associated  himself  with  the  Kev. 
Patrick  Peter  Short,  a  refugee  priest  from  the  French 
missions  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  He  also  obtained 
the  concurrence  of  the  friars,  and  of  the  governor,  Fi- 
tj:uei()a,  who  promised  aid.  Hartnell  thereupon  issued 
a  prospectus.  In  this  document,  which  is  dated  Dc- 
cond)cr  10,  18;].3,  he  announced  that  he  would  o[)en  a 
'casa  de  educacion'  for  a  limited  number  of  pupils, 
not  under  eight  years  of  age.  He  counted  upon  the 
patronage  of  the  government,  and  of  a  considerable 
number  of  honorable  citizens  and  foreigners,  who  had 
already  contributed  liberally  to  the  preliminary  ex- 
penses of  the  undertaking.  By  the  favor  of  God,  the 
establishment  would  be  opened  at  the  beginniiig  of 
the  coming  year;  and  as  there  were  but  limited  ac- 
connuodations  for   pupils — the  wilderness  hereabout 


CaL.  Past.    33 


614 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


being  narrow — early  application  should  be  made.  In- 
struction would  be  given  in  reading  and  writing;  Spun- 
isii  grammar;  French,  English,  German,  and  Latin; 
arithmetic  and  book-keeping ;  mathematics  and  philos- 
ophy. Particular  attention  would  be  given  to  teach- 
ing the  christian  doctrine,  and  to  the  boys'  habits 
and  manners.  For  his  board  and  lodging  and  educa- 
tion, each  pupil  should  pay  |200  yearly.  They  should 
furnish  their  own  books  and  stationery,  and  hi'\n<r 
with  them  certain  articles  of  clothing.  Three  weeks 
thereafter,  namely,  on  January  1,  1834,  the  Seminario 
de  San  Josd  was  formally  opened  at  the  rancho  del 
Patrocinio,  an  estate  near  Monterey  belonging  to 
Hartnell.  Fourteen  boys  were  brought  together 
under  these  happy  auspices,  and  yet  in  a  year  and  a 
half  the  school  was  closed. 


In  May  1834  Governor  Figueroa  reported  to  tlie 
supreme  government  that  there  were  primary  scIhxjIs 
only  at  Monterey,  Santa  Bilrbara,  and  Los  Angclos, 
which  were  taught  by  ill-qualified,  inexperienced  nun, 
and  attended  by  but  few  children.  They  were  all  for 
boys;  for  girls  none  existed;  nor  of  late  years  had 
any  attempt  been  made  in  the  direction  of  fenialo 
education.  These  facts  the  governor  set  forth  in  a 
speech  delivered  shortly  afterward  at  the  opening 
session  of  the  assembly,  whereupon  that  body  asked 
from  the  supreme  government  an  annual  sum  for  the 
support  of  public  schools,  to  which  request  no  atten- 
tion was  paid. 

Aid  was  at  hand,  however;  while  the  governor  and 
the  ayuntamientos  were  searching  for  men  and  money, 
the  Hijar  colony  arrived,  with  a  teacher  for  the 
normal  school,  which  it  was  proposed  to  establisli  at 
Monterey,  and  eight,  of  whom  one  was  a  woman,  fur 
the  primary  schools. 

At  a  session  of  the  assembly,  held  November  3, 
1834,  a  bill  of  the  following  tenor  was  passed:  1.  The 
governor  should  designate  the  places  at  whieli  the 


THE  HIJAR  TEACHERS. 


filS 


teachor.s  brought  by  Ilfjar  were  to  open  schools.  2. 
These  teachers  should  receive  the  salary  assigned  them 
hy  Hijar — $1,000  per  annum — and  be  paid  from  the 
municipal  funds,  or  the  community  property  of  the 
missions,  as  the  governor  might  determine,  in  money 
or  in  pnxluee.  3.  The  teachers  of  primary  schools 
sliould  first  be  required  to  pass  the  examination  by 
l;\\v  indicated.  4.  The  teacher  proposed  for  the 
normal  school  should  also  comply  with  the  law  pre- 
vious to  establishing  himself  at  the  capital.  5.  The 
IL^ox triior  should  see  to  it  that  one  or  more  persons 
iVom  each  pueblo,  cho.son  from  among  those  most  apt 
I'di-  tiie  purpose,  attended  the  normal  school.  These 
should  1)0  maintained  while  at  the  normal  school  by 
tliu  pueblos.  6.  Seflora  Ignacia  Paz  should  open  at 
Monterey  a  primary  school  for  girls;  she  should 
undergo  an  examination,  and  receive  a  salary  of  $600 
por  annum. 

Still  the  cause  of  education  did  not  thrive.  The  Cali- 
firniansdid  not  like  new-comers;  and  soon  there  were 
complaints  on  the  score  of  morals  against  the  masters. 
Some  of  these,  finding  Hijar's  representations  to  some 
extent  false,  returned  to  Mexico.  Then  some  of  the 
schools  were  confided  to  the  old-time  pedagogues,  who 
were  incompetent,  he  of  Monterey,  for  instance,  being 
unable  to  spell  correctly  his  native  language.  And 
altove  all,  the  old  opponents  of  jirogress,  the  ignorance 
and  indifference  of  the  people,  which  led  them  in  some 
eases  into  avowed  opposition  to  the  governor's  scheme, 
were  unconquerable. 

A  t  Los  Angeles  not  a  man  could  be  found  who  was 
al>ie  to  discharge  the  duties  of  fiscal  in  an  alcalde's 
fi.urt.  Of  thirty  ranchcros  of  San  Antonio,  San 
Pahlo,  and  elsewhere,  who  petitioned  the  governor 
that  their  properties  might  be  separated  from  San 
Francisco  and  joined  to  San  Josd,  only  eleven  could 
sijrii  their  names. 

At  first  the  alcaldes,  urged  thereto  by  the  governor, 
threatened  to  punish  the  priests  who  did  not  comply 


i 


nt 


A  FUTILE  FIGKT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


with  the  law;  but  these  Jiaving  Httle  effect,  educational 
matters  were  allowed  to  drift  and  decline. 

In  February,  1835,  Figueroa  instructed  the  alcaldo 
of  San  Diego  tliat  parents  need  not  be  required  to 
send  their  children  to  the  school  when  this  was  not 
convenient.  At  the  San  Diego  ex-niission  the  In- 
dians were  excused  from  attending  school  because  tluv 
did  not  like  the  master.  Kind  treatment  or  punisli- 
ment  equally  failed  to  prevent  the  schools  from  beiiij^ 
deserted;  parents  preferred  to  employ  their  chikhiii 
in  labor,  and  when  search  was  made  for  tljeni  by  some 
conscientious  master — wiiich,  however,  was  of  rare  oc- 
currence- -they  concealed  themselves. 

Nor  was  Alvarado,  himself  one  of  a  handful  of  nativo 
Californians  who  in  spite  of  all  obstacles  had  acquin  d 
Borne  little  education,  a  wlnt  more  successful  in  his 
persistent  endeavor  to  advance  the  cause  of  learniiij,'. 
His  first  message  to  tlie  so-called  congress  of  Califoi- 
nia  urged  the  necessity  of  public  instruction,  and  he 
made  other  appeals  to  the  same  eflbci.  But  tlie 
treasury  still  remained  in  its  normal  empty  condition, 
and  save  by  the  stereotyped  reiteration  of  laws  o«i  tiio 
part  of  the  ayuntamientos,  nothing  was  accomplislud. 
Continuing  his  efforts,  however,  the  governor  visitrd 
frequently  the  schools  at  the  capital,  rewarding  tlie 
meritorious  and  rebuking  those  deserving  of  censuic. 
But  the  government  was  powerless  to  render  pecuniary 
aid,  and  the  negligence  of  parents  insurmountable.  At 
Los  Angeles,  when  Ignacio  Coronel,  a  man  of  fair 
education  and  good  ability,  called  a  meeting  of  liis 
fellow-townsmen  to  select  a  suitable  locality  for  the 
school  of  which  he  had  charge,  there  was  exhibited  an 
almost  entire  lack  of  interest  in  the  matter,  and  few  of 
those  present  offered  to  contribute  to  the  necessary 
expense. 

After  four  years,  Alvarado,  in  another  speech  de- 
livered at  the  opening  of  the  assembly,  said  that  in 
the  whole  territory  there  was  scarcely  a  single  school. 


CALIFORNIANS  AT  THE  ISLANDS. 


m 


Tliat  tlie  igHorance  of  the  people  was  as  great  as  ever, 
is  evidenced  by  a  mass  of  documents  in  my  collection. 
At  Santa  Bdrbara  there  was  no  one  qualified  to  act 
as  secretary  to  the  alcalde's  court.  At  San  Jose  the 
jiit'Z  de  paz,  as  he  himself  informed  the  prefect,  being 
uii.ible  to  write,  appointed  an  amanuensis. 

Wliile  it  was  so  impossible  to  maintain  in  the  terri- 
t  tiy  the  necessary  primary  scliools,  it  was  proposed 
lliiit  a  number  of  Nouuij  Californians  should  be  edu- 
c:ited  at  the  military  academy  of  Chapultepec.  The 
lilaii  was  abandoned,  however,  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  better  to  bring  up  Californians  in  their  own  coun- 
try, where  their  morals  were  less  likely  to  be  cor- 
rupted, and  where  they  were  less  liable  to  be  seduced 
into  })articipation  in  revolutions. 

About  this  time  the  sons  of  several  foreigners  who 
liad  married  Californians,  and  had  settled  in  the  coun- 
try, were  in  need  of  education,  and  with  a  few  of  the 
sons  "f  native  Californians,  were  sent  to  a  school  at 
the  Hawaiian  Islands,  which  had  been  for  several 
yvixvH  successfully  taught  l)y  tlie  missionaries.  But 
tlie  expense  deterred  many  parents  from  sending  their 
M)iis  tliither.  After  they  had  been  there  some  months, 
till'  boys  wrote  to  their  parents  asking  for  some  horses 
and  their  ecjuipments.  The  first  Sunday  after  receiv- 
ing,' tlie  gifts  they  went  out  to  anmse  themselves,  and 
I'tlier  game  being  scarce,  they  lassoed  and  nearly  killed 
three  natives.  The  bovs  were  arrested  and  lodged  in 
jail,  heing  liberated  only  at  the  intercession  of  the  for- 
c'iiiii  consuls. 

When  Bishop  Garcia-Diogo  took  possession  of  jiis 
(lioeese,  lie  signified  in  his  first  [)astoral  his  intention 
of  attending  to  the  primary  scliocls;  and  in  accord- 
ance with  orders  from  Rome,  he  busied  himself  with 
tlic  project  of  founding  a  seminary  at  Santa  Barbara. 
But  although  he  succeeded  in  obtainin«j  from  Michel- 
torejui  a  grant  of  eight  square  leagues  of  land,  he  was 


818 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


unable  to  raise  the  money  for  building  an  episcopal 
residence. 

Micheltorena  endeavored  to  adopt  a  new  system  tor 
the  establishment  of  schools.  He  exhorted  the  mas- 
ters to  be  patient  and  kind,  and  sought  by  means  ot' 
rewards  to  arouse  in  the  childrejn  a  love  of  study. 
These  he  caused  to  bo  distributed  at  an  examination 
of  the  pupils  of  the  Monterey  schools,  and  nuidi' 
similar  gifts  at  such  times  as  he  visited  them  unan- 
nounced. Among  other  reforms,  he  concluded  tluit 
instead  of  two  poor  teachers  for  the  normal  school,  at 
salaries  of  $1,000  and  $1,200,  one  good  one  was  betttr, 
and  Hartnell  was  appointed  with  a  salary  of  $1,200. 
He  also  stimulated  to  action  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los 
Angeles,  although  the  corporatit)n  wondered  whore 
the  necessary  funds  were  to  come  from. 

The  ayuntamiento,  at  its  session  of  January  1 1 . 
1844,  claimed  that  there  were  no  municipal  funds 
which  could  be  appropriated  to  the  schools,  for  tluiv 
were  none  except  such  as  arose  from  fines  and  land 
dues,  and  requested  that  Los  Angeles  might  be  put 
on  an  equal  footing  with  Monterey,  whose  schools 
received  an  annual  appropriation  of  $600.  The  gov- 
ernor replied  that  he  was  engaged  in  preparing  ro<,ni- 
lations  for  the  schools,  and  that  meanwhile  $500  |k  r 
annum  should  be  given  to  the  schools  of  Los  Anorlis. 
Micheltorena  also  agreed  to  purchase  a  suitable  build- 
inu:  for  a  school. 

The  governor  spent  several  weeks  in  perfecting  Ins 
educational  scheme,  and  finally  issued  a  decree  l>y 
which  schools  vvere  reestablished  at  San  Diego,  l^ns 
Angeles,  Santa  Bdrbara,  Monterey,  San  Jose,  Sici 
Francisco,  and  Sonoma.  The  plan  adopted,  tlnuiL;!! 
but  a  slight  improvement  on  the  others,  was  perliaps 
the  best  that  under  the  circumstantes  could  have  l'< t ii 
devised.  The  decree  was  issued  May  1,  1844,  and 
contained  the  following  articles;  1.  Each  scluxil  as 
soon  as  opened  should  be  located  in  the  tea<li'i'^ 
house  until  a  suitable  locality  was  provided.     2.  Kcati- 


THE  GOVERNOR'S  PLAN. 


619 


Ing,  writing,  the  four  fundamental  rules  of  arithmetic, 
and  the  d^Kitrina  should  be  taught.  Girls,  however, 
should  also  be  instructed  in  making  and  mending 
clotlies,  and  to  a  certain  extent  in  embroidery  and 
weaving  by  hand.  3.  The  schools  should  be  open 
Ironi  8  to  1 1  A.  M.  and  from  2  to  5  p.  m.,  except  on  Sun- 
ilays,  national  holidays,  the  saint's  day  of  the  town, 
and  scholars  were  excused  on  their  own  saint's  day. 
4.  All  cliildren  of  from  6  to  11  years  of  age  should 
attend  school,  uidess  a  valid  reason  was  given  for  not 
doing  so,  or  unless  the  child  were  instructed  at  home 
or  elsewhere,  in  the  branches  specified.  5.  The 
school-mistress  might,  if  she  would,  receive  children  of 
less  than  the  specified  age.  6.  When  it  should  be 
IV  ccssary  to  exact  the  fine  or  impose  other  penalties, 
as  sjKscified  by  law,  the  judge  must  take  into  consid- 
eration the  circumstances  of  the  case ;  for  the  child 
might  be  ill,  or  have  to  work  at  home.  7.  Pupils 
wore  to  furnish  their  own  books  and  stationery.  8. 
The  school-mistresses  were  to  be  appointed  by  the 
governor,  from  names  tent  to  him  by  the  ayunta- 
niientos,  and  were  to  receive  each  $40  monthly,  tiie 
[)iiyniont  being  preferred  to  tliat  of  any  salary  in  the 
territory.  9.  The  school- mistress,  always  keeping 
gitod  order  in  view,  should  arrange  the  school  work  to 
suit  themselves — the  sexes,  however,  being  kept  sepa- 
rate— sliould  attend  to  the  religious  education  of  the 
children,  and  pay  due  regard  to  their  acquiring  j)roper 
social  manners.  10.  The  most  holy  virgin  of  (iuada- 
hipe  was  named  as  patroness  of  the  seliools,  and  lur 
image  was  to  be  assigned  a  suitable  place  in  each  of 
them. 

The  gcnernor  likewise  issued  a  proclamation,  in 
wliiih,  after  an  exhortation  on  tiie  usefulness  of  edu- 
eiition  and  a  recital  of  tlie  obstiicles  which  heretof«>n; 
h.id  prevented  the  establishment  of  schools,  he  called 
upon  the  patriotism  of  otticials  and  people  to  support 
tlit'in.  The  proclamation  elosed  with  the  announcement 
tliat  on  the  first  Monday  in  June  the  schools  should  bo 


820 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


opened  with  a  solemn  mass,  and  witli  the  concurrence  of 
all  the  leading  people.  It  does  not  appear  that  scliools 
were  even  opened  at  all  of  the  places  indicated  by  tlie 
governor,  and  at  the  places  where  they  were  estab- 
lished it  was  found  to  be  impossible  to  raise  money  to 
pay  'Jie  teachers. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  another  attempt  was 
made  by  a  few  foreigners  to  secure  an  education  for 
their  sons,  who  had  long  since  returned  from  the  Is- 
lands; but  the  plan  was  never  carried  into  effect. 

Nine  men  signed  an  agreement,  whereby  each  was 
to  pay  annually  for  three  years  $100  to  a  school-master 
from  the  United  States,  who  should  be  a  Roman  cath- 
olic, and  bring  with  him  satisfactory  certificates  as  to 
ability  and  character.  He  should  teach  Spanisli  and 
English  grammar,  writing,  and  mathematics  for  six 
hours  daily  during  five  days  of  the  week.  Each  sub- 
scriber had  the  privilege  of  sending  two  boys  to  the 
school,  and  by  the  payment  of  an  additional  $50  was 
entitled  to  send  a  third ;  but  the  number  of  pupils  was 
never  to  be  more  than  thirty-six.  Each  subscriber 
agreed  to  board  the  master  for  three  months,  either  at 
his  own  house  or  some  other,  and  each  was  to  furnish 
the  books  and  stationery  used  by  his  sons^^.  At  other 
hours  than  those  specified,  the  master  was  at  liberty 
to  teach  other  pupils. 

A  visionary  proposition  was  made  to  the  govern- 
ment by  Henri  Cambuston,  a  Frenchman  who  had 
been  master  of  the  Monterey  school,  but  had  been 
discharged  on  account  of  some  trouble  with  the  pre- 
fect. He  oflered  to  teach  more  branches,  from  pri- 
mary instruction  to  the  application  of  the  sciences, 
than  any  four  men  could  have  taught  properly;  the 
offer  was  not  accepted. 

Within  a  year  after  its  adoption,  the  impracticability 
of  Micheltorena's  rejiulations  for  the  schools  had  been 
abundantly  shown,  and  he  had  but  just  left  the  coun- 
try when  the  assembly  resolved  to  ask  the  supreiiip 


PROHIBITION  OF  BOOKS. 


521 


gdvemment  to  furnish  five  teachers  of  primary 
schools  on  the  Lancasterian  plan,  and  two  professors 
competent  to  teach  the  higher  branches  and  the  two 
))rincipal  foreign  languages.  But  when  this  request 
reached  Mexico,  other  matters  engaged  the  atten- 
tion oi'  the  government,  and  the  request  was  not 
granted. 

Dining  his  brief  term  of  office,  Pico  took  steps  for 
the  establishment  of  schools  similar  to  those  attemi)ted 
by  his  predecessors,  and  encountered  the  same  obsta- 
eli> — want  of  funds,  lack  of  competent  teachers,  indif- 
fntMice  on  the  part  of  parents — which  rendered  his 
titforts  fruitless. 

Such  is  the  brief  history  of  the  schools  of  Califor- 
nia under  the  dominion  of  Spain  and  Mexico.  Theie 
wt'i'o,  indei'd,  none  worthy  of  the  name  until  a  ditt'er- 
iiit  race  came  into  possession  of  this  fair  land,  and 
l>r(»ke  the  spell  that  seems  to  bind  every  colt»ny  of  the 
Spaniards  still  ruled  by  their  descendants.  Tlie  Cali- 
foruians  of  1840  were  scarcely  nK)re  learned  than  those 
of  17(»t);  they  hardly  knew  enough  fully  to  realize 
their  i>j;norance. 

In  1845  but  eleven  of  twenty-five  voters  at  San 
])iego  were  able  to  write.  In  March  1845  Alcalde 
ijcese  of  Sonoma  rej)orted  to  the  governor  that  the 
}>ueblo  contained  upward  of  100  inhabitants,  but  that 
aiiinng  the  civilians  there  were  but  two  persons  com- 
petent to  serve  as  judges,  for  they  were  the  only  ones 
wlin  could  write.  Two  months  later,  Marcos  J^aea, 
<HU'  of  the  j>ersons  referred  to  by  Leese,  recpiested  the 
governor  to  excuse  him  from  acting  as  judge,  for  he 
ccaild  neither  re.".d  nor  write,  liiwa  stated,  more<»ver, 
tliat  the  judge  should  l»e  removed  from  (»tlici',  as  he 
alx)  was  incapal)le.  l*rivate  letters  and  official  docu- 
uii  iits  in  my  collection,  in  penmanshij)  and  in  spelling, 
as  well  as  in  the  crudity  of  the  iileas  expressed,  bear 
testiniony  to  a  lamentable  condition  of  ignorance. 


Among  such  a  people  books  were  a  superHuity;  and 


A  FUTILE  BIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


only  in  later  years  were  a  few  volumes  collected  by 
two  or  three  individuals.  During  the  early  years  of 
the  missions,  they  had  been  furnished  with  certain 
approved  religious  and  historical  works.  Among 
these  were  copies  of  Venegas  and  Palou's  Vida  de  Jn- 
nipern  Serra.  But  the  Inquisition,  which  througliout 
Spain's  wide  domain  was  the  ruler  in  all  that  related 
to  the  mental  development  of  her  subjects,  prohibited 
the  introduction  into  California  of  any  but  a  certain 
stripe  of  books,  and  watch  was  kept  on  the  luggage  of 
the  few  foreigners  who  visited  the  country. 

In  January  1797,  the  governor,  writing  to  the 
viceroy,  reported  that  Captain  Dorr's  French  pilot 
had  furnished  him  with  the  voyages  of  Biron,  Car- 
taret,  and  Cook,  and  that  he  had  given  in  return  thu 
memoirs  of  Sully  and  the  voyages  of  Tavanier,  As 
these  works  were  all  in  the  French  language  they 
could  not  have  worked  great  harm  to  people  unable 
to  read  them. 

One  would  think  that  it  was  about  time  for  nnnj 
to  be  emancipated  in  America,  but  one  of  the  first 
acts  of  the  church  in  Mexico  was  to  insist  upon  the 
full  rigor  of  the  prohibition.  Heretofore,  indeed,  the 
ban  had  been  inoperative,  because  there  were  no 
transgressors;  but  now  that  trade  with  California  w;is 
open  to  the  world  the  case  was  different.  The  Bos- 
ton skippers  and  supercargoes  indulged  in  little  ven- 
tures of  their  own,  which  did  not  appear  on  the  sliiji's 
manifest — among  other  things  a  fe'v  books  which  tlu  y 
bartered  for  hides  and  tallow  to  two  or  three  Califor- 
nians  athirst  for  knowledge.  The  friars  were  vigilant, 
Jiowever,  and  not  infrequently  detected  tlie  illicit 
traffic,  and  condemned  the  volumes,  in  all  the  sober- 
ness of  mediaeval  times,  to  be  burned  in  the  market- 
place. In  1831  some  persons  who  had  in  this  way 
come  into  possession  of  prohibited  b(^oks  were  duly 
disciplined  by  the  church. 

But  in  the  lotos-eating  days,  few  books  were  ac- 
quired, and  except  the  collections  of  religious  works 


LIBRARIES  AND  BOOK-BURNERS. 


623 


at  the  missions,  which  at  the  time  of  their  seculariza- 
tion consisted  in  the  aggregate  of  some  3,000  volumes 
valued  in  the  inventories  at  about  $4,800,  there  was 
no  such  thing  as  library,  public  or  private,  in  Califor- 
nia, until  the  arrival  of  the  Hfjar  colonists,  who 
l)rought  with  them  a  few  books.  While  limited  in 
number,  these  must  also  have  been  only  such  as  the 
church  permitted,  for  as  late  as  1838,  at  least,  the 
supreme  government  ordered  certain  books  to  be 
taken  away  from  their  owners  and  destroyed.  A  list 
of  works  "contrarios  d  la  religion  que  de  pronta 
providencia  se  manda  recoger  e  impedir  su  introduc- 
cion,"  is  given  in  an  order  issuing  from  the  dcpart- 
incMt  of  state,  dated  July  2,  1838.  And  this  was 
only  eleven  years  prior  to  the  time  when  such  a  flood 
of  infernal  literature  was  poured  into  the  country  as 
should  call  Serra  Salvatierra,  and  all  the  rest  of  them 
back  to  that  dear  old  besotted  book-burner,  Zumarraija. 
Shakespeare,  Smollett,  and  Shelley.  Oh  1  Tom  Paine 
and  Luther,  Bunyan  and  Byron,  Voltaire  and  Victor 
Hugo,  Eugene  Sue,  Paul  de  Kock,  and  Reynolds. 
Oh !  Oh !  Oh  I  If  now  the  scions  of  California  nobility 
could  only  read  what  delicious  draughts  of  wickedness 
niii>:ht  be  theirs  1 


There  were  in  1846  three  or  four  libraries  in  Cali- 
fornia, other  than  those  of  the  missions,  being  M.  (x. 
Vallejo's,  at  Sonoma,  Hartnell's,  which  had  cost  him 
a  good  sum,  and  from  which  he  readily  lent  to  his 
friends;  Francisco  Pacheco's  collection  was  worthy  of 
notice,  consisting  as  it  did  of  per'mdicos  onpasfarhs,  and 
books  on  Mexican  history.  Captaiii  de  la  Guerra  at 
Santa  Bdrbara  had  a  lot  of  scientific  and  religious 
hooks.  None  of  these  libraries  remained  long  mi  the 
original  owner's  possession,  Vallejo's  being  burned ; 
Hartnell's  divided  among  his  descendants ;  Pacheco's 
wvnt  into  the  possession  of  his  brother-in-law,  Mariano 
]\[alarin,  of  Santa  Clara.  De  la  Guerra's  was  jiroba- 
bly  scattered  among  his  sons  and  their  descendants. 


m 


A  FUTILE  FIGHT  WITH  IGNORANCE. 


The  padres,  as  I  have  inthnated,  during  the  period 
of  full  sway  over  the  consciences  of  the  Californians, 
'  did  all  they  could  to  check  intellectual  development, 
by  preventing  the  circulation  of  books  contiiiniuiu; 
modern  philosophical  ideas.  A  number  of  books  rt-- 
ccived  bv  one  of  the  Carrillos  from  the  American 
bark  ] 'Volunteer  were  bunied  by  the  missionaries,  who 
obtained  after  much  exertion,  the  permission  of  the 
jcfe-politico,  Echeandia.  This  was  between  tlio 
years  1825  and  1831.  In  the  latter  year  on  board  <>t' 
the  Mexican  vessel  Ijcnnor  w^as  a  large  collection  of 
books  of  the  class  interdicted  by  the  church.  They 
were  the  property  of  the  German  merchant  Virmond, 
and  were  not  on  the  ship's  manifest.  A  spiteful  or 
fanatical  sailor  reported  the  matter  to  the  padres  at 
San  Francisco.  Vallejo,  then  comandante  at  this 
place,  went  on  board,  warned  Virmond  and  Fitch, 
the  commander  of  the  Leonor,  and  offered  to  buv  tlie 
books,  which  were  sold  to  him  for  400  hides  and  1 0 
skins  of  tallow.  This  was  the  best  librarv  in  Call- 
fornia  up  to  this  time.  By  5  o'clock  the  next  moin- 
ing  the  books  were  safely  in  the  purchaser's  house. 
Jose  Castro  and  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  who  became  in 
later  years  so  prominent  in  California,  took  some  of 
these  books  to  Monterey  to  read. 

Later,  Castro's  very  pious  chere  amie,  on  confessing' 
her  own  and  her  lover's  sins,  told  the  padre  that  he 
and  Alvarado  hatl  been  reading  Rousseau's  and  other 
prohibited  works.  About  the  same  time  Father 
Estenega  at  San  Francisco  surprised  Vallejo  reading' 
Tckmachis.  The  president  of  the  missions  demanded 
the  surrender  of  the  books,  and  due  penitence,  etc., 
and  the  demand  not  being  complied  with,  the  three 
were  excomnmnicated,  and  the  decree  was  duly  pro- 
claimed at  the  several  missions.  Neither  of  them 
cared  much  for  that,  and  went  on  with  their  readini>-, 
though  the  books  were  kept  where  they  could  nut  be 
easily  discovered.  But  their  mothers,  sisters,  ami 
female  friends  were   filled   with  terror  at   the   fate 


A  GAME  OF  EXC0MMUNICATI0?T. 


836 


awaiting  them,  both  here  and  hereafter.  A  short 
time  afterward,  Alvarado  had  some  money  to  pay  to 
Frttlier  Duran,  the  prelate  of  the  missions  and  vicar- 
forain  of  the  bishop  of  Sonora,  and  went  to  his  resi- 
drnce :  but  before  offering  to  dehver  the  money,  told 
him  that  he  was  one  of  the  excomnmnicated,  and  in- 
asmuch as  he  had  heard  Father  Sarri'a  say  that  it 
was  sinful  to  hold  any  relations  with  an  excommuni- 
cated person,  he  was  sorry  to  be  thus  prevented  from 
paying  him  the  money.  Thereupon  he  turned  to 
o(i  away.  But  the  padre  called  him  back,  sayijig : 
•ListH!!  Juanito;  thou  hast  misunderstood  what 
Padro  Sarrfa  said.  What  thou  sayst  applies  oidy  to 
persons  under  excomnmnication  major,  and  not  the 
iiiinoi'.  I  have  power  to  annul  the  sentence,  and  to 
do  nmch  more.  From  now  thou  and  thy  companions 
aiv  absolved,  and  I  can  give  you  permission  to  road 
jtrohibited  books,  even  the  protestant  bible.  Let  us 
have  the  money,  and  we  will  still  be  friends,  for  I 
believe  that  the  sons  of  the  old  settlers  who  suflered 
witli  us  in  early  times,  will  not  permit  the  Mexican 
(jt)vernment  to  drive  us  out  after  so  many  years  of 
toil,  simply  because  our  vows  will  not  permit  us  to 
take  tl  le  oath  of  allegiance  demanded  of  us."  Alvarado 
returned  thanks  and  took  lunch  with  the  padre. 


I 


^ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


C.UJFORNIANISMS. 

Wer  ctwas  Trefiliches  leisten  will, 
Hatt'  gem  was  Oroszes  geboren, 
Der  sammle  stillt  und  unersclilatft 
Ini  kleiuaten  I'unkte  die  hochste  Kraft. 


—Schilhr. 


The  inhabitants  of  California  have  retained  in 
common  use,  since  the  annexation  of  the  country  to 
the  United  States,  a  considerable  number  of  Sj)anisli, 
Mexican,  and  Hispano- American  words  and  phrases. 
Among  them  are  some  which  seem  to  be  of  })un'ly 
Californian  origin.  The  able  jurist,  Ignacio  Sepiilveda, 
remarks  that  though  the  Californian  settlers  did  not 
preserve  the  Castilian  language  in  its  purity,  yettlitv 
retained  a  great  many  memories  of  old  Spain,  witli 
many  of  the  concise  proverbs  which  the  Moors 
brought  to  the  peninsula,  and  many  of  its  legends  ami 
traditionary  songs. 

,  Begiiming  with  the  word  greaser,  so  commonly 
applied  by  Americans  to  their  Mexican  neighbois. 
Salvador  Vallejo,  in  his  Notas  Ilistoricas  gives  a  ver- 
sion which  may  be  taken  for  what  it  is  worth.  Ho 
says  that  in  1844-5,  when  large  numbers  of  immigrants 
were  arriving  overland,  and  most  every  one  dro\  o  a 
heavy  ox  team  by  which  their  aged  relatives,  tluir 
women  and  children,  had  accomplished  the  journey, 
the  Caynameros,  who  for  mother  wit  were  the  Irish- 
men of  California,  flocked  around  the  wagons,  from 
wh'ch  came  forth  human  beings  with  dirty  faces  ami 
greasy  hands,  the  drivers  pulling  out  greasy  mat- 
tresses and  with  greasy  hands  spreading  them  on  the 


(526) 


THE  GREASER. 


Sty 


pfround.  It  made  the  savages  smilo  to  see  such  greasy 
( iv  ilization,  to  see  a  people  more  greasy  than  them- 
silves,  and  so  they  called  them  mantecosos,  greasy 
ones;  and  at  the  last  it  turned  out  that  whenever  a 
( 'aynamero  spoke  of  any  one  who  had  come  over  the 
jtlalns,  he  called  him  a  mantecoso.  The  nick-name 
liavhig  been  afterward  explained  to  the  overland  im- 
migrants, they  turned  the  tables  on  the  Indians:,  angli- 
ci7A'd  greaser,  and  applied  it  to  them,  and  finally  to 
all  native  Californians  and  Mexicans.  In  1846  the 
word  was  also  used  in  connection  with  the  people  of 
^[atamoros,  and  all  Mexicans  with  whom  the  Amer- 
ican army  came  in  contact.  Its  use  there  is  said  to 
have  originated  as  follows :  The  Americans  did  noi 
ospeolally  fancj''  greasing  the  wheels  of  their  wagons, 
and  made  the  natives  do  it  for  them.  Hence  they, 
and  presently  all  the  Mexicans,  came  to  be  termed 
iireasers. 

Adobe.     An  unbumed,  sun-dried  large  brick. 

Agnaje.  The  Mexicans  and  Californians  apply  this 
w«)rd  to  springs.  In  Spanish  it  has  reference  only  to 
the  sea. 

Alameda.     A  grove  of  trees. 

A  Iforjas.     Saddle-bags,  commonly  made  of  rawhides. 

Aliml.     A  grove  of  alisos,  or  alder  trees. 

Ajiurejo.  A  pack-saddle,  also  applied  to  appurten- 
ances of  machinery. 

Arrastra.     An  old-fashioned  mill  for  crushing  «)re. 

Arwyo.    A  brook ;  also  applied  to  the  dry  bed  of  one. 

Aijunte  pronounced  by  the  illiterate  jayunte  (hah- 
vulin-tav).  The  assemblinij:  of  the  Indian  single  nun 
and  grown-up  boys,  as  well  as  their  quarters  in  the 
mission. 

JicKjUcano.  In  Spanish  it  means  an  expert.  In 
Spanish-America  it  is  especially  applied  to  one  who 
knows  well  a  country  and  its  roads. 

Jkrruchi.  A  peculiar  form  of  men's  shoes  in  old 
times.  Possibly  it  meant  also  the  material  the  shoes 
Were  made  o£ 


I 


li 


i 


028 


CALIFOnNIANISMS. 


I 


Boiumzay  and  Jiorrasca  in  floa  parlance  moan  rcspor- 
tively  fair  weather  and  storm.  In  nnnin«<^  tlie  fonutr 
is  opplicd  to  a  mine  that  in  yieldin^j  well ;  and  the 
latttr  to  one  that  will  not  pay  expenses. 

Jirca.     Pitch ;  al8o  applied  to  tar. 

JJnscnn.     A  iK)or  miner  seeking  for  metal. 

i'ahallada.  In  California  signifies  the  herd  of  broken 
liorses  of  an  individual  or  of  an  armed  force. 

Cacdsfc,  or  cacaxtle.     A  basket;  also  a  footstool. 

Canada.  A  deep  ravine,  small  canon,  or  narrow- 
valley  with  stecip  sides. 

Canon.  The  original  meaning  in  Spanish  is  a  tube. 
It  is  applied  also  to  a  narrow,  tunnel-like  pa.ssage  for 
a  stream  of  water  between  high  precipitous  banks ;  ii 
canyon. 

Carpa.     Used  in  California  for  tents,  or  shelter. 

Cafmdor,  like  buscon,  refers  to  a  miner  who  is  look- 
ing for  metal. 

Ccdazo,  a  fine  sieve;  also  a  figure  of  the  contre- 
dancc. 

Clia.     The  Californian  term  for  tea. 

Chuhuixtlc.  A  disease  of  wheat  caused  by  lonj,' 
drought- 

Chapapotc.  A  bitummous  substance ;  also  applinl 
to  tar. 

Chaparro.     A  short,  thick-set  man. 

Chapnlin  and  CliapuL  Mexican  for  locust,  and 
grasshopper.  In  Spanish  langosta,  salton,  and  grillo 
for  different  species. 

CJiichirjuo,  as  applied  to  sucking  calves,  and  toruno 
to  bull  calves.  Chichigua  is  applied  to  milch  cows, 
and  possibly,  as  in  Central  America,  to  wet  nurses. 

Chinguirito.  Rum  distilled  from  the  refuse  <if 
sugar.     Applied  also  to  all  ardent  spirits. 

CJnrrion,  from  the  Spanish  chirriar,  to  squeak. 
Chiefly  applied  to  an  unwieldy  cart.  It  means  also  a 
heavy  whip.  A  chirrionazo  is  a  blow  with  a  chirricii ; 
a  pela  de  chirrionazos,  means  a  sound  thrashing  with 
a  chirrion. 


MIXED  SI'aMSH  and  INDIAN  W0UD8. 


Co)iiillfo)in,  nil  old  Spuniiili  word,  now  conriloiui. 
All  almiidant  t'oast;  a  sort  of  luciuc  and  baibeiMit', 
w  itli  I'lfiity  of  meat,  l)ivad,  iiK-zcal.  etc. 

Cnrml.  A  pin  for  live-stock;  even  a  poultry  yard, 
lit  lice  the  California  verb  'to  corral,'  "o  drive  into  a 
corral. 

I'Di/nfr.  A  small  California  wolf;  also  a  inininLT 
tmii,  iiieaiiiiiL^  to  di;.;  a  hole  similar  to  tin  burrow  of 
a  coyote.  It  is  us^d  likewise  as  an  adjective  applied 
to  any  person  or  thing  native,  or  indigenous  to  the 
country. 

( 'itrt'd  was  a  jacket  of  several  thicknesses  of  chamois 
or  other  skin,  used  by  the  presidial  troops  tor  cam- 
paigning against  hostile  Indians. 

(  nradcra,  the  practice  of  killing  cattle  to  steal  the 
hides. 

<  'iirrn,  the  hide  of  cattle  or  horses. 

Ihniinridr,  or  to  make  a  dc nuncio.  To  report  to 
tlie  government  a  crime  or  plot;  a  metal  bearing  site, 
or  unoceupied  land. 

Did  frrimlo.  A  day  on  which  no  work  could  be 
(lone,     l^sed  in  California  as  <lia  dc  fiesta. 

J'','nUi'Xwlcro.     A  place  of  embarking,  or  landing. 

KxihXKente.  The  collection  of  original  papers  relat- 
ing to  a  g()vernnient  aflair. 

Etu'inuL     A  grove  t)f  incinos,  or  oaks. 

I'dndunijo.     A  dance  of  the  common  people. 

I'nuic.     A  saddle-tree. 

(iori/ucz.  Probably  a  corruption  of  the  Spanish 
,j;oiguz,  a  species  of  dart  used  in  the  olden  time.  In 
(alit'ornia.  oorijuez  means  an  ox-ujoad. 

lfdhilitdvio)i.  The  act  of  authorizing  a  thing,  or  the 
provision  made  in  money,  goods,  etc.,  to  carry  out  a 
project. 

Ildhdikido  was  the  paymaster  and  business  man  of 
a  presidial  company. 

Ihirro.  In  8i)anish,  it  is  an  unfccundated  c^x<^;  un- 
substantial, empty,  insignificant.  In  California,  it 
was  applied  to  persons  of  light  complexion  and  hair. 


CaL.  I'AST.     34 


530 


C  ALl  FORXr  ANISMS. 


:!g,' 


I 


Hullo.  A  man  wltliout  i)hysical  strength,  or  weak 
in  tlio  lojjs. 

Jural,  or  Jacalc.  A  temporary  liut  covered  with 
canes  or  tule. 

Jiu/ulma.     A  head-stall  for  breaking  wild  horses. 

Jam.     An  arrow  or  dart. 

Jarazo.     An   arrow  wound. 

Jihitrar.  As  pronounced  by  the  illiterate.  Tiic 
wor<l  is  helotear;  to  pick  Indian  corn  In  the  milk, 
which  is  called  lielote. 

Lazar.     To  lasso,  or  catch  aninuils  with  a  rope. 

Mauada.  A  herd  of  shee[>,  also  called  horrcf/add. 
A  DKinada  dc  ycgvas  is  a  herd  of  breeding  maivs 
un<hr  the  lead  of  a  stallion.  When  the  mares  wi  ic 
used  for  breeding  mulen,  a ra6a//o  raltaado  was  placed 
with  them.  A  mare,  after  she  had  been  touched  liy 
a  jackass,  was  called  a  yff/va  <d>iirrada. 

MidKjas.     Bed-clothes  and  blankets. 

Mfcate.     Mexican  for  rope. 

Mrsfn'io  and  Mostrniro.  Live-stock  without  owin  i-. 
Generally  aj>plied  to  wild  horses  or  cattle. 

Miljia.     A  field  of  Indian  corn. 

Mniiillas,  or  MochillaK.  Leatlu>rn  flaps  for covciiiii 
a  saddle-tree.     A  soldier's  mochila  is  his  knapsack. 

Macho.  Ap[)lied  to  a  bull  or  cow  with  horns  cut 
ofl';  also  to  any  human  being  or  animal  that  has  lost 
a  [)i('ce  of  a  finger,  thund),  toe,  ear,  etc, 

Mo)ijrrl().  T\\v  (juartcrs  of  the  single  Indian  wn- 
men,  or  even  young  widows,  in  the  missions. 

Xaraiija  dc  aqua.  A  measun^  of  water  of  about  tlic 
diameter  of  an  orange,  which  is  rather  an  indefinite 
measure. 

(h'ijaiuK  lidi  fhrcjaiia  dr  ficrro.  Cattle  marked  <>n 
the  ears,  tliough  not  necessarily  with   an  ir»»'i   brand. 

Vaulno.  An  epithet  applied  to  land  suitalde  tor 
any  purpose. 

PdiKwlia  for  panoin-  -fVn  ear  of  millet  or  maize: 
applied  to  th<*  Jisc-shapcd  loaves  of  coarse  sui;ar; 
otherwise  called  panela,  and  in  Peru,  chancaca. 


;  4a 


MIXED  SPANISH  AND  INDIAN  WORDS. 


6»1 


Placer.  A  place  wliere  jjfohl  is  found  in  dirt,  eitlu  r 
nil  drv  land  or  in  the  bed  of  a  stream. 

J*l(ii/a.      The  sea-beacli. 

Plaza.     An  open  scjuarc  in  a  town. 

Pozo.     A  sprinijf  or  well. 

Piichh.     A  chartered  town. 

lidiH'lio.  A.  tract  t)f  land  used  almost  wholly  f"r 
|);istura«]jo.  It  rarely  had,  in  Mexican  times,  less  than 
t'our  miles  in  extent;  in  most  cases,  not  less  than  iiO. 
Since  the  American  annexation,  rancho,  anji'Iiciz*  d 
lanch,  is  applied  even  to  snu/ll  farms,  and  to  sin*ile 
Ik. uses.  The  verb,  to  ranch,  1  as  been  coined  in  con- 
nection with  farmlnsjj.     It  is  bad  forn> 

Ranchcro.  A  })erson  owning  a  rancho.  or  living 
ill  one. 

Pii iirhcria.  An  Indian  village,  or  collectie.i  ••(' 
Indian  lodges.  It  may  also  be  a  place  of  scatters,  huts. 

l!((il<ir,  or  crhar  nalada.  To  seize  by  royal  right. 
Xo  longer  heard. 

Iicata.  A  rop  made  of  rawhide,  used  (or  lassoing 
animal.;. 

Punxjkhi,     A  gathering  of  horses. 

AV.s'.     A  head  of  mat  cattle. 

PiOtko.  Hounding  up  cattle  for  separating  or  mark- 
ing them. 

Hi'ihrira.  A  scroll  or  tlourish  appended  by  people 
of  the  Spanish  race  to  tlu'lr  signatures,  as  a  necessary 
pait  of  them.  Officials  in  the  Spanish  doniitiioiis 
t't'ti  n  use  tin;  rubrica  alone  to  public  documents. 

•'^aiizal.  From  sduz,  or  siluce,  willow,  means  a  gvo\  e 
of  willows. 

^nn:alil().  This  diminutive  means  a  small  gro\e  tf 
Nviilows. 

S/'irra.  The  original  meaning  is  a  saw;  a  serru.'lin 
is  a  connnon  carpenter's  saw.  The  word  is  commonly 
u><  (I  to  express  a  chain  of  mountains. 

Sovinjotc.  As  is  ap})lied  to  the  youngest  child 
"»f  a  family;  also  to  the  lowest  servant. 

Tdpulo.     A  shawl. 


(AIJFORXrANISMS, 


wit* 


htjiniictt. 
the  j^'ari't't. 


d  t 


.sc'(.l  It)  mean  a  <•«)( 


k-l..t't 


or  room  ovt  i" 


Tiirdcdila.      A  march  l)o<jjuii  late  *m  the  dav. 
Tivnliro.      Tilt'  mnstrr  of  cfrriiioiiics  at  a  Isall. 
T<ciili>f('.       A  species  of  oNvl. 

T'ljiicqiiilc.     A    mineral  .salt,    cliicHy  used 


m 


th 


imiK'S. 


Tciiuin.  A  task  allotted  to  the  niission  neophvtes. 
after  <(>m|;letiMi;  which  they  were  allowed  to  rest. 

TiCrrtix  ill'  f( mpoi'dl.  Lands  di'jteiidiiiLj  entirely  on 
raiiis  for  their  cultivation  ;  <listin;j,uished  from  tierras 
i\r  re'j;iidio,  «»r  irrigated  lands. 

Ti<rriix  ilc  (ihrrniilr^o.  Jjands  having  dt>posits  df 
water  to  which  cattle  resoii. 

Tiilc.       Watel--l'eeds. 

Tiihir.      Field  of  tules. 

I'dllddo  is  used  to  si;j;nify  a  wide,  deep  trench,  with 
the  earth  taken  therefrom  thrown   up  on   oik^  si<l. . 


Tlie  vallado  Served  as  a  hound.nv   fei 


K 


v.       In   >>|'ai! 


and  some  pai'ts  of  Spanish  Ameru-a  \allado  means  a 
kind  of  fence  or  wall  of  runnned  earth  suiMnomitid  hy 
stones  or  rods,  and  planted  on  tlu'  snnnnit  with 
ma'^ues',  <'actns,  jtihuelas,  hlackherry  vini's,  or  soinr 
other  thorny  plant? 


(icinin. 


Neat  cattlt 


HCIIN 


(Kino'o. 


<i.      \'acchiation,  and  also  tlu*  vaccine  viru.- 


"/ 


A   c«»w-herder, 


St 


d  also  as  an   adjec- 


ti\  e,  as  in  sH/n   riKinrrd,  ii  sadille  of  the  kind  used  h 
\  acpieros. 

/iiiijit.  \n  1!  ri'^atlnjj^  ditch,  such  as  one  in  Los 
Anu'cles. 

y.oiijiro  is  the  otHcial  havinLj  charue  of  the  /aiiji. 
to  see  tliat  it  is  in  «^ood  orchr,  and  to  attend  I'l 
the  dlstril)ution  t)f  water,  et»'. 

'I'o  tlu'  ahove  may  he  added  other  words,  not  >^' 
Spanish  oi*  Mevican  origin,  which  have  peculiar 
meanin>xs  in  C'alHornia.  as  for  Instance  : 

llrtl-riK'l:.  l(oi*rowe<l  from  mining,  is  often  used  to 
imply  the  bottom  of  a  suhject. 


M1XK1>  '  rANlslI    AND   INDIAN'   WOUliS. 


llinuJiirr.    an     i-'lo,    wortliltss    0  How,    who    earns 
iiothin;^,  and  lias  no  means  ofsupimrt. 

lUditnuw)  arotunl,  playinLj  tlie  role  t»f  a  hummer. 
Ciaiin.      Tlie    piece    of   ;j;roim«l    measured    out    f'li' 


iiiinin'jf  l)y  a  party    or  a    company 


Tl 


lere   are 


ar 


li;nik.  liill,  Hat,  tunnel,  claims;  ako  land  clainb 


/>/'/'// ////.s'.      rir«)und    where'    oold   is  dutij  for.      Wvl 


Mi-i'^in'jfs  aio  on 


hank; 


or 


hars  of  streams  of  uater, 


1  hy  dl;j;!4in;js  are  in  places  whit  h  are  dry  at  certain 
prrioils  of  the  year. 

7h  ih'H  Hj,  ..    a  slan;j;  jthrase,  sij^nityin;.^  to  sto]>,  say 


in>  more 


fail,  o-i 


o  away,  tlisappear,  etc 


To  freeze  out.  I'sed  hy  mim-rs  to  cxjti-ess  tliat 
certain  stoclvliolders  or  others  conceined  in  a  mine 
lia\t'  heen  forced  to  .sell  their  shares  or  interest. 

dulrji.     A  ,u,ully. 

Iloodhim.  Applied  to  youni:;  va<:al)onds.  especially 
nt'  towns.  '^I'he  word  does  not  n<cessaril\'  imiil\-  that 
tin  individual  will  not  work,  for  there  aie  nouii'j,' 
p'lMins  Nvho  Work  in  tin'  day.  and   act  as  hoodlums  in 


Hie  evtMnn«j;,  on  holid; 
d  t 


»vs,  I'tc.      The  word  is  ^eiieralK- 

h 


Used  to  mean  a  younu:  man  or  woman  who  is  con- 
stantly  disturhin^^,'  the  peace,  or  causin;^-  annoyances. 
M(»st  of  the  lioodhuns  are  vicious,  and  sooner  or  latt  r 


S\\  1 


11  tl 


le    crunma 


1    cl 


iss. 


M, 


UlV     o 


f  tl 


am    m 


S; 


in 


IOCS 


I- rancisco  atfect  a  certain  rakish  dress,  peculiar  si 
iiMil   hats,   and   mode  of  nrran;j;inL;   theii"  hair,   which 
makes  them  out  at  once  to  he  of  the  class. 

Ifililnnilir.  A  minin^jj  pi-occss  hy  which  watir  is 
tliiown  throULjIi  a  hose  or  pip"  upon  the  dii't,  to  wash 
out  the  iLjold. 

To  Itioek  (loini.  To  ste;d.  Tn  miner's  parlance,  to 
sfial    valuahle    pieces    of  aurifirous    (piart/    fioin    ;i 

lo,i,.. 

I'dil-dirt.  Auriferous  dirt  that  yields  wa'j:es,  oi 
'  pans  out  well.'    When  wa-^-es  wtic  lii^di.  it  was  c«piiv- 


alrtit  to  \ieldniU!"  ahundaiitlv 


W 


len  a    !rnne 


has   h 


II 


'iiie    (>x]iausted    it    is    .said    to    juive    'pctei'ed    out. 


1  nee 


hoth 


expressions  are  api 


>|>lieti   to  other  affair: 


-M 


CALIFORNIANISMS. 


To  'profipcct.  To  hunt  for  ])laccs  containing  gold, 
silver,  etc. 

]*rospccl  is  the  discovery  niado  after  prospectin;^. 
When  a  prospector  finds  gold  in  one  or  more  particles, 
he  sa^  s  he  has  f(»und  the  color. 

liocLcr  or  Cradle,  an  apparatus  resembling  a  domes- 
tic cradle,  used  to  wash  tlie  gold  clear  of  tJie  dirt. 

^^luicc.  A  wooden  trough  used  for  washing  dirt 
to  separate  the  gold  dust  t)r  nuggets. 

(iroutid  Sluice.  A  trough  or  hole  made  in  the 
uround  for  washin*'  dirt. 

Tu'd-Slukr.  A  sluice  placed  below  other  sluici  s 
from  which  it  receives  dirt  and  water. 

SI  nice-Fork.  A  fork  resembling  one  for  stin-ing 
manure.  The  prongs  are  blunt,  the  width  tlie  same 
at  pohit  and  lu'el. 

SI  nice- J  lead  is  the  amount  of  water  used  in  tlif 
sluice.  Water  is  constantly  running  hito  the  sluier 
through  an  o))ening. 

Sltiiii  is  slimy  dirt. 

Tofifrip.     To  clear  tb'>  pay-dirt  of  worthless  cart  li. 

Square  uieal  is  a  full  and  sutHcient  meal  eaten  at 
table. 

Tailinf/a.  A  mining  word,  meaning  the  waste  of  a 
<iuarlz-mill,  ro(^kt'r,  sluice,  etc. 

Tmii.  A  wooden  ti'ough,  of  10  to  15  feet  in  hiigtli 
in  which  to  wash  out  auriferous  earth. 

T'liii-StroiHi  and  Tom-Head.  Tlu'  (quantity  of  wtUir 
usetl  in  a  tom. 

WiiKj-Ikun,  A  dam  made  in  a  river  or  creek.  s<» 
as  to  shut  out  till'  watvr  fi'om  a  par't  of  the  bid. 

A  word  as  to  the  jiopular  use  of  the  ti'rms  'Calit'oi- 
nian  '  and  '  Amei'ican.'  I  object  strongly  to  the  use  it" 
thi'se  wortls,  hi  their  common  accrjttation,  as,  strictly 
s|)raking,  incorrect  and  misleading.  In  my  Xaliir 
Hans  of  (he  Pacific  Sfdhs.  I  apply  the  word  ' Calif' u- 
nian  '  to  the  native  inhabitants  of  California,  and  tlu' 
word  'American  '  to  the  native  inhabitantsof  Americi. 
And  the.se  are  and  can  be  the  oidy  strictly  accurate 


•CALIFORNIAX*   AND   'AMERICAN.' 


885 


application  of  the  words  to  j^eoples.  It  is  a  ijjross 
ai)surditv'  to  call  the  ])eople  ou  one  side  ot"  the  Niau;ara 
Kiver.  Canadians,  and  those  on  the  other  side  Anieri- 
cniis  ;  or  to  call  those  on  one  side  of  the  Kio  Grande, 
^[cxicans,  and  those  of  the  other  side  Americans. 
An  c«|ual  absurdity  it  is  to  call  Europeans  who  came 
from  Si>ain  or  Mexico  and  settled  in  one  part  of  the 
state  at  one  time  Callfornians,  and  Europeans  who 
( amc  from  Enufland  or  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  another  [)art  or  the  same  part  of  the  state  at  an- 
otlur  time,  Americans.  Yet,  after  turninjj;  the  matter 
well  over  in  mv  mind,  I  see  no  other  way  than  to  fall 
in  with  fallacy,  and  drift  with  the  tide  into  the  sl»»UL!,h 
of  inaccuracy.  The  words  have  become  so  idcntificil 
with  the  history  of  the  times  that  it  is  now  imjto.s.sihle 
to  chant^e  them;  and  even  were  this  possible,  it  is 
(litlicult  to  find  other  words  practicable  to  be  used  as 
sul)stitutes.  The  WO' ds  'Anyjlo- American'  and  ']fis- 
pano- American'  are  iimch  more  exact,  but  these  are 
tno  clumsy  for  ])opular  use.  All  the  more  rcpunuant 
to  me  is  this  forced  misuse  of  these  words  here,  wlu  ii. 
in  aiiothi-r  work,  I  have  ap])lied  them  in  a  totally 
ilitfrreiit  and  the  only  correct  sense;  for  thus  I  find 
iny.«;i'lf  the  histrument  of  an  anomaly  which  in  the 
same  liti'rature  applies  to  the  same  words  ditli  rent 
]iu'anin<jjs. 

Tlure  is  yet  another  ap})lication  of  the  word  'Cali- 
f'trnian '  ra|)idly  sprin^iujjj  into  u^e,  which  incrt-a.^rs 
tiir  ditliculty.  Shortly  after  the  country  fell  into  the 
1  lands  of  the  ITnited  States,  returned  o;(»ld-seeker8 
wvvi'  calK'd  Californians;  and  as  California  liirw 
mightily,  and  brcame  fam(»us  throu*xlu»ut  tlif  woild, 
and  as  the  word  became  tlu>  svn<)nvm  of  fi'i-eness, 
tlusjmess,  manliness,  and  enti'rprlse.  it  pleased  the 
fincy  of  these  adv<Miturers  ;  and  rvi-r  since,  wlierever 
tlie  state's  a«lopted  sons  have  wainlered--  in  the  east, 
in  Kurop(>,  and  In  Asia — tluy  have  ju'oudly  recorded 
tin  ir  names  as  Callforuian.s.  Xor  do  I  see  any  way 
to  avoid  this  application  of  the  word  in  this  connec- 


6M 


CALIFORXIANISMS. 


I 


turn.  The  present  inliabitants  of  the  country  must 
have  a  name,  and  are  justly  entitled  to  the  use  of  the 
word.  But  that  makes  the  abnormity  no  less  uii- 
pleiislnuc  to  the  writer,  who  finds  himself  forced  to 
apply  to  a  proper  name  three  several  meanhijjjs,  with 
nothiiiu^  but  the  connection  and  the  intelligence  of  tlie 
reader  to  determine  in  each  instance  which  is  meant. 
In  writiniL^  upon  the  aborij^ines  of  America  and  Cali- 
fornia, therefore,  I  call  the  natives  Americans  and 
Californians,  respectively;  in  speaking  of  the  events 
that  transpired  under  and  immediately  subsetpient  to 
Spanish  and  Mexican  rule,  I  call  the  S()anish  and 
^le.xican  occupants  of  the  country  Californians,  in 
contradistinction  to  the  people  of  the  United  States 
kn<nvn  as  Anu'ricans,  and  later,  as  the  before-men- 
tioned di.stinctions  become  obliterated,  and  people  of 
all  lands  and  nations  are  ])roud  to  merge  their  natinn- 
ality  into  that  of  the  land  of  their  adoj)tion,  these,  toD, 
shall  have  given  them  the  name  they  so  love — C;ili- 
fornians. 


CHAPTER  XYIIT. 


LAW,  (iOVKUNMKXT,   AXl)  RKIJcilOX. 

Aviciido  y  (lt>vioii(1<>H<'r  los  HistnI•i,^(l(ll•l•s  jmntualc-*,  vcriluilcrns,  y  no  n.ida 
!i|iassiiiii<iilii.s,  y  ni  t-l  inturvs,  ni  il  iiiu-ilu,  el  niin'or  iii  la  alii'inii,  im  Ics  liaxa 
t.iircr  ilcl  oaiiiiiiii  lie  la  vcnlail,  cuya  mailre  is  la  llisturia  ciiiula  ilil  ti<'iii|Mi, 
(li  |iii<itii  lie  las  aooioncs,  tt-stiji"  ile  lo  jiassadn,  fxeiiiplo  y  aviso  dc  Ici  [ire- 
M  iiti',  advurU'iK-ia  do  In  \n>r  vciiir.  <  i  rrmi/i-i. 


Ik  the  tlirc'Cjijrcat  pniiciitlt'sunderlyinjjjt'tliics,  iiaiiii- 


;i\v.  L*'<.)Voniiii<'nt,  aiK 


1  rv\\\x 


un\,  are  proper  cnteria  o 


f 


I'lo^ri'ss,  till'  HispaMo-Califoriiiaiis  were  tlie  iiidsf  civ- 
ilize il  (»f  peoples.  Law,  datiiiij;'  from  S[iaiiiaii<l  Mexico 
ci'iituries  l)aek,  was  present  to  superHuity,  tlioUijIi  to 
till  the  truth  It  was  very  moderately  ai){)lie(l.  (Jov- 
ciiiment,  civil  and  eeelesiastieal,  was  piU'd  round  them 
iinnmtahi  hiL!;h,  as  if  the  two  "jjreat  [lurposcs  of  (Jod 
aiid  man  were,  one  class  to  rule  anil   anothci*  te  oliev. 


dl 


As  for  reli«j;ion,   it  was  liko   a  limitless  swamp 
w,  IV  engulfed  in  it. 

Ihit  law,  government,  and  religion  are  not  element." 
'■•essentials  of  pro;4ress;  they  have  hut  little  t(t  dt 


with  proi^ress  except  at  certain  sta<j;i's.  Savage 
stiiitly  such,  have  no  law  or  government,  and  hut  a 
|MM)i'  excuse  for  ri'li|jlon.  ^Fcn  the  hii;hest  cultivated 
h;i\(\  or  have  need  of,  little  more  of  these  honds  than 
sava'j;es.  liut  in  the  intermediate  sta'j,-e  they  are 
fiiiiid  to  he  essential.  Law  and  !j;overnmint  were 
st}oii;^(.i- iij  t(^udal  times  than  latei' ;  and  rdi^ioii  was 
much  mor(^  the  master  of  advanced  peoples  fifty  years 
ii-M  than  now. 

Ill  few  of  Spain's  colonies,  or  in  tmy  part  of  her  do- 
minions, or  in  the  connuunities  ;4'rowinL!;  out  of  her  col- 

( .'^i- ) 


LAW,  CJOVEIIXMENT,  AND  RELKilON. 


onizations,  lias  there  been  inueli  lack  of  governiiio'. 
Douiinioii  has  ever  heeii  a  prcmiiiieiit  feature  with  tin- 
Latin  rare,  to  say  n(»thin«jf  of  the  An«,'lo-8axon,  hall  of 
the  nation  bein;j;  always  (luite  ready  to  govern  the 
other  half  And  as  for  laws,  there  was  no  I'ntl  to 
them.  Men  wi're  made  to  eat  and  slee[)  hy  law,  to 
work,  diess,  play,  and  l)ray  by  law,  t(j  live  and  die  hy 
law. 

Nor  was  California  slii»;hted  in  this  respect,  as  1  have 
said.  .V  pueblo  of  oOO  inhabitants  should  be  ruled  I'V 
an  avuntainiento,  consistinj;  of  an  alcalde,  three  aldt  r- 


men,  ana  one  ijrocurador  snulico 


I 


di 


Th 


lese  orticers  wtif 


to  be  electtd  each  year  aecordiuLT  to  the  law  of  election, 
the  alcalde  and  two  of  the  aldermen  to  be  changed 
everv  veai",  while  one  alderman  and  the  procurador 
wiTe  to  serve  for  two  years. 


civi 


One  writinjjf  of  Monterey  [)laces  it  at  tlio  head 
lizati 


on.  "The  whitewashed  houses,"  he  say>, 
"have  a  nmch  better  effect  in  the  landscape  than 
those  of  Santa  Biirbara,  or  of  (^difornia  towns  i>'enei'- 
allv.  which  are  all  of  a  (lii"t\  ;nud  color;  the  red  tihs 
of  the  roofs  also  contrast  well  with  the  white  sides  nf 
the  houses,  and  with  the  brii^ht  fresh  yfreen  of  tlic 
lawn,  upon  which  the  dwellint;s,  about  a  hundred  in 
number,  are  dotti'd  about  irrcLJularly  here  and  theiv. 
There  arc^  not,  in  this  or  in  any  other  town  of  C^dit'in- 
nia,  either  streets  or  fences,  excei)t  here  and  tht'ie  a 
small  patch  fenced  in  for  a  i;anlen,  so  that  the  hou>i  > 
bciuij^  l)laced  at  random  on  the  green,  and  being  all  ef 
one  story  aiul  of  thi'  cotta«j:e  form,  have  a  remarkaMv 
pretty  eii'ect  when  seen  from  a  distance. 

"Monterey  is  decidedly  the  pleasantest  and  niest 
civilized-looking  place  in  California.  In  the  centie  et" 
the  town  is  an  o|)en  square  surroundi-d  on  the  fmir 
sides  by  lines  of  one-storied  plastereti  l)uildings.  hi 
the  middk'  of  the  scjuart'  are  some  half-do/en  caniieii, 
some  mounted,  others  not.  This  is  the  presidio,  er 
ibrt.      lOvery   town   has  a   presidio   in   its  centre,   er 


rather, 


eve 


ry  pr 


-'sidio  has  a  town  built  round  it,  as  the 


PASTORAL   MONTKUKV, 


599 


fuitrt  wero  first  built  l»y  tliu  Mrxican  ijovcrninont,  and 
till'  pLoplc  then  t'rt'fticl  their  (l\vi'lliii«;s  round   tlnin 


tni-  i»i'i)ti'('tion.     Tlu-  prt'sidiol 
mi 


ion'  is  vu 


tiri'l 


y  "'I 


R-n  an< 
sfvrra 


I 


fortified.  A  short  time  back  tliere  wen 
(iiliecrs  stationed  liero,  with  lon;^  and  soundinL,''  titles, 
and  about  eighty  soldiers.  These,  however,  wei'e  very 
jiitorly  jtaiti,  tV'd,  and  clothed,  and  eonse<juently  just  as 
j)o(»rly  diseijdined.  The  y'overnor-y;e'neral,  or  as  he  is 
conunonly  called,  the  <.(i'neral,  has  his  resiiK'nce  here, 
!iii(l  Monterey  is  thus  the  seat  of  o;«>vernnient.  This 
ntlicer  is  ap}»ointed  by  the  central  L>'overinnent  of 
Mexico,  and  is  the  chief  civil  an«^l  military  olH<'er.  In 
addition  to  the  o'eneral,  each  town  has  its  coniandante, 
who  is  the  chief  niilitarv  otHct'r  of  thc^  station,  and 
has  chart;'!'  of  the  fort,  and  conducts  all  transactions 
with  forei<;ners  and  foreii»n  vessels.  The  civil  officers 
consist  of  two  or  three  alcakles  and  c(»rresjfidoi'es,  who 
aie  fleeted  bv  the  inhal)itants.  Of  courts  of  law 
;uid  jurisprudence  gt'uerally,  tlu;  iidiabitants  \ui\v  no 
knowledge  whatevi'r.  Small  numicipal  matteis  are 
ie>-ulate<l  by  the  alcaldes  anil  c^trretiidores,  whilst 
cvrrythino-  pi'rtaininijf  to  the  general  i^over-ninent,  to 
the  military,  and  to  forei_t»"ners  is  left  to  the  coman- 
diiiit/,  actins^'  un<ler  the  orders  ()f  the  lufovernor-i^eneral. 
Caj-ital  cases  are  decidi'd  by  him  upon  personal  in- 
spection if  he  happened  to  be  near,  or  by  minutes, 
transmitted  to  him  by  the  pro|K'r  oifieer,  if  the  offender 
chances  to  be  at  a  distant  jdace.  Xo  protestant  has 
iuiy  civil  rights,  nor  can  he  hold  pro|)erty,  nor  in  fact 


IS  lie 


allowed  to  remain  niorethana  few 


Wee 


a>liore 


unless  he  belonn's  to  sonii'  vessel,  so  that  any  Ameri- 
c.iiis  or  JMiglish  who  intend  to  reside  at  Monterey  are 
oimjielled  t(J  beconu-  catholics." 

The  only  ranchos  Lri^'eii  as  proju'rty  to  holders  dur- 
iii'4  Spanish  tinu'  wer-  those  of  the  Xietos.  \'erdiiL;os, 
l>ominguez,  the  Malin<»  of  Hartulo  Tapia,  and  pi(ii»a- 
hly  also  la  Ballona  (»f  the  Zuhigas. 

I  Ii  re  are  some  of  the  i>rdenan/.as  municipales  tor  the 
ityiuitamientos  for   18J3.     One  of  the  princiiKd  [»re- 


'•>! 


')»() 


LAW.  COVKllN'.MKN'T,  AND   UKLIClON'. 


royativi  s  'jfraiitrd  l>v  tlu;  j-oiistitutlon  to  tlM>  juuiita- 


III 


K'litos,  itMituiiicil  ill  tlic  Htli   f'acultv  tif  aiticlt 


is  tliat  nf  tonniiii;"    tlic  iiiuiiici|»al   ordtiiaii/as    ot'  tli 


I 


IK 


•I.I. 


and  |trcsrii 


liiiH'  til 


(•III.  a('cuiii|..i!iir(l  l»y  a  r(|iMrt 


tliiou'^li  tile  (lijtiitacioM  ttiTitorial  tor  approval.    'I'ln 


ordriiaii/.as    slioiiM    (-oiiipi'cIkmkI 


tl 


ic    ol 


nlir  t« 


S(i\(»|    ill   tlir    intrnial    i;o\rriiiiitiit    of  the    ji\  uiita- 
iiiitiiio,  and  in  what  must  lie  ohstivcd  hy  the  citi/i  ii> 
as  to  |»oIicc,  utility  {roniniliilail),  and  health.    'The  priii 
rijtli  s    o-ovcrniii!^  the  intrrior  alliiirs  ot'  i\\o  ayiinta 
iiiii'iito  can  he  ^tin'i'ali/rd ;   hut  as  to  cxtrrnal  inattns, 
tlitsc  will  htj  diH'citnt  in  tlu-  dillciriit  imchlos, 


Til 


put 


hi 


o  siial 


have  a  lious( 


for  tl 


It'  use  I 


.f  tl 


aytintainiciito,  with  the  iicccssai'V  olliccs  for  the  sccii 
taiv.  tlu'  arciiivos  and  accounts,  as  well  as  a  warchou- 


for 


th 


ic  ininlcincnt^  aiK 


1  tooh 


.1  I 


s  needed  lo]-  imi»iic  Work 


and  harracUs  f()r  tho   national  '>iiard  when  this  he  di 


uamze* 


This  house  shall  i»e  termed  the  casa 


coii- 


sistoii.ij.  and  the  apartment  wiieie   the  ayuntainieiifo 
iiieetiii'^s  are   held   the  sala  capitular, 


>s  soon 


installed,  the  ayuntamieiito  shall  hy  a  jilurality  of  votes 
a|i|»oint  Ji  s(>cretary.  a  \  irtuous  and  capahle  jtersoii 
\\  h(»se  ;ippointmi'nt  shall  he  suhject  to  the  a|tj)ld\al  et 
the  provincial  deputacion.and  who  shall  not  he  renio\  t  (| 
excejtt  hy  consent  of  the  same  hody;  a  treasurer,  nr 
<le|»ositary  of  tlu'  comiiuin  funds  —this  heiiiiL;'  a  ]iei>(iii 
approved  f»nly  hy  the  ayiintaniient(»;  a  eontador  tis(,il, 
whose  duty  shall  he  that  of  kceiiiiii^"  the  municip.il  ac- 
counts, and  authorizing'  drafts  inad»>  hy  the  committ"e. 
such  as  come  within  his  province;  one  or  two  pnrteis. 
who  shall  summon  nn'inhers  to  mei'tinij^s,  and  iiiaki' 
themselves  o'eilerally  useful;   a  store-Ueepi'r,  who  sli  ill 


S  we 


taki'  care  of  and  keep  in  order  the  tools,  etc.,  a 
the  furniture  and  the  standards  of  weij^hts  and  n 
Ules. 


;is 


rM>- 


4.   The  avuntamiento  heiiiLT  installed  with  th 


e  solria- 


nities  j)res( 
.) 


■rihed   hv  the  constitution,  t>ii  the  first  dav 


in  Januarv,  which   is  not  a 


liolid. 


IV.  an  e\tra(»rdinai\' 


Si'ssioii  .shall  ho  held  for  the  purpose  of  the  appi'Hit- 


MUNICIPAL  rnOCEDURF.. 


Ml 


iiHiit  of  oonimitti't'H,  acfonliiii;  to  artick'  3'_M   of  the 
(.-iistitutioii     the    srcntai'v    Iiaviiiij^    previously    ir;nl 


oidiiiaiici's  J 


111(1  tlu;  aiticlo  iiK'iitioiifil.     StoailiiK 


/  o 


f  those  ordiuaiuTs. 


f).   Then'  shall  hf  a|i))oiiitr(l.  hcsidcs  thrsc  coimnit- 


n 


'jLlJulol 


vs  auxiliaics  toa.Nslst  the  alcalde     accoid 


11^- to  the  st'foiid  |>ai't   of  said   article-  in  cariii'j   foi' 


tl, 


tolK'C    { 


Hid 


secunt\    o 


f  th 


l»m 


l»los,  this,  if  siitli- 


ii  iitlv  extensive  heiiii;  divided  into  euarteles  <listil«'ts. 
<;.   The    avuntaniiento    as  a   hodv    shall    he   called 


nil 


tie  until  tlu!  oortes  di'ternuiK^  the  |>l(»|tel 


th 


titl( 


illK 


wliile  in  session  its  ineiiihers  shall  a<klress  one  aiiotlit  r 


;is 


V.  s. 


7.  I'litil  it  sliall  he  determined  whetlier  or  not  the 
111!  nihers  of  tlu^  avuntaniiento  must  use  a  uniform. 
tlh  \  may  usi;  those  in  voj^ue  ainoiii"^  former  ayunta- 
iiiiciitos,  and  see  that  they  he  of  stutls  made  in  the 
niiinfrv;  no  one  heiui:;  ohlin'e<l  to  wear  uniform  if  he 
Ih  not  ahle  tt»  att'ord  it,  it  hein«j^  sutHcient  that  he  jne- 
>i  lit  himself  deceiitlv.  Militaiv  men  will  wear  tin  ir 
uiiif  >rms. 

-^.  (Ordinary  sessions  sliall  he  held  on  Tuesdays  :iii(l 
Tiiursdays  of  each  week  without  any  summons  heini; 
11' ecssary,  hut  he  who  will  \)v  unahle  to  attend  will  pie- 
\i'Ui>ly  oivt.  due  notic«;  to  the  |)rcsident.  who  shall  he 
tliej(f(>-j>oli'tico,  where  there  he«>ne,  and  in  the  following- 
mdrr  the  1st  and  'Jd  alcald»>s  and  the  senior  re;jitl<»r. 

'.'.  'i'o  constitute  a  »iuoruni  al'  vothin"  nieinhers  iinist 
iittt  lid.  hut  this  heinj:;  hii|>ossihle,  a  numher.  consist- 
iiii  of  otic  more  than  half  the  whole,  will  suHiee. 

I".  At  the  hour  fixed  u|>on,  the  porters  sliall  iiidi- 
<"i1f  the  saiiK!  tt»  tin-  president,  and  tlu;  niemhers  sli.ill 
'iiti  r  tli(^  sala  capitular,  and  hv  order  of  seiiioiitv  in 
"tlice  take  theh"  seats  around  the  tahle  with  the  presi- 
'I'  lit  at  the  head.  The  secretary  shall  occupy  a  si  ji- 
■iijite  tahle  at  the  foot  of  the  main  tahlc.     All  shall 


"•i>iiili 


ictth 


lemsclves  Ul 


haneb 


y  and  circums|)ectiy 


th 


Til 


l'"il.r  shall  heat  hand  outside  of  thi'  sala,  in  onJei- 
t'l  luiiie  when  called  and  keep  outsiders  from  t'litering. 


542 


LAW.   r.OVERNMENT,   AND  TIEUOIOX. 


1  1.  Slioukl  a  meinlxr  arrive  tiftrr  tlio  sittiii'^  1m' 
opi'iu'd,  he  is  to  be  received  hy  the  (»tlierH  staiidiir^. 
ai;(l  tlie  secretary  must  iiitonn  him  of  wliat  busiiu  s.s 
has  been  done. 

1'2.  Tlie  session  will  commence  bv  the  secret;>iv 
r(^adiii<jj  minutes  of  the  last  meeting,  that,  if  neeessaiv, 
ameiichntiits  may  be  made,  and  that  a  clean  copy  In- 
made  and  dulv  sii^ned  at  the  prestnt  sittin*;. 

IM.  Ileception  of  reports,  written  or  verbal,  of 
committe«'s,  shall  then  be  in  order.  14.  He  who  lias 
th(>  floor  shall  be  listened  to  attentively,  and  in  it 
interrui)ted  bj'  others.  After  all  (K'sirous  of  speak 
'\u\f  have  done  so,  the  vote  shall  be  taken — the  junior 
members  votin^j  first. 

1 .').  Should  the  sindico  make  any  verbal  propositi,  ui, 
ho  shall  be  attentivelv  lu'ard    before   the   mattcf  In 
acted  on;  if  in  writiuLj  it  shall  be  discussed,   but  n-r 
resolvi'd  until  the  next  meetin*',  or  if  a  verv  intricate 
matter,  the  meetini;  thereafter. 

!<!.  Wlieii  the  secretary  lays  before  the  council  an 
ordi'r,  or  a  bando  circular  of  the  jefe-politlco,  it  shall  \>v 
read  slowly,  and  afterward  ordered  [)assed  to  thf  al- 
calde for  publication  or  execution — except  where  it  lie 
referred  It)  a  connnittee  ^v  ithin  the  coijjnizanci"  of  wliich 
it  may  come.  The  alcalde  will,  as  ordered,  cause  tlif 
same  to  be  .sent  to  the  next  ayuntamiento,  and  Ik' 
and  the  secretarv  will  acknowledife  haviuij:  receivnl 
and  circulated  the  same. 

17.  Should  any  order  be  received  from  the  juc- 
vincial  diputacion,  relative  to  economy  in  exjxiniiiiLr 
pro})ios  y  arbitrios,  it  nmst  be  connnunicated  to  tlic 
contador  and  tesi)rcro  for  their  i»uidance, 

18.  Should  the  order  or  bando  circular  relate  to  a 
matter  interesting  to  the  juez  (jf  first  in.stance,  ercK  - 
siastical  juez,  or  other  functionary,  he  ^^hall  be  officially 
notified  in  writing  by  the  presiilent  and  set  retary. 

10.  The  discussion  of  business  treated  of  being  ti'i- 
ishcd,  and — provided  that  the  proceedings  have  Iikh 
lengthy — the  minutes  of  the  secretary  signed   by  the 


MUNICIPAL  PROCKDURE 


jiri'sidi'nt,  that  they  may  1><'  aftorwanl  written  out, 
tlif  t'X|»'clit'iitt'S  .shall  ho  ufiveii  to  the  coiiimittt't's, 
that  the  same  he  examiiud  (»r  executed. 

•JO.  Should  the  juez  eelesiilstieo,  and  he  of  first  iii- 
iiistaiice,  have  occasion  toatttud  a  sittiiiij  of  tlujayuii- 
taiaiento,  the  former  shall  he  seabd  on  the  ri^ht  hand 
olthe  alcalde,  and  the  latter  on  tlie  left ;  either  wlieii 
iil'iiie  shall  1h'  seated  on  tiie  rii^ht — as  also  tlie  conian- 
(laiite  militar — i»ut  any  other  puhlic  functionary  must 
sit  hflow  the  sindico. 

2\.  Should  any  diputacion  of  farmers,  merchants, 
or  aitisans  [iresont  itself  to  the  ayuntamitnto,  in 
order  to  treat  of  anything  relatinjjf  to  their  rosprct- 
ive  trades,  vie,  or  tlie  imposition  of  contrihutions, 
tilt  y  sliall  1)0  .«eated  on  seats  separated  from  those  of 
the  memhers  of  the  ayuntamiento;  hut  any  oni- eiti- 
ztii  wlio  may  present  himself  individually  sliall  remain 
oil  toot  unless  ho  have  some  military  o!"  ci\  il  <listinc- 
tii'M — hoini,'  a  military  officer  or  having  hrlnnu'td  to 
tli«'  ayuntamiento,  or  a  letrado,  or  some  persnn  eon- 
suited  on  the  point  under  discussion — in  wliieh  case 
lie  shall  have  a  separate  seat;  if  a  clei'<j^yman.  he  shall 
sit  ani<ni|Lr  the  nu'inhers  next  to  the  decano. 


!"J.   Citizens'  petition.•^  recpiirins;;  study  or  n^suluti 


on 


shall  he  referred  to  a  sj)ecial  committee,  which  shall  ex- 
amine tho  same  and  n  port  at  tho  next  meetin'Lrof  the 
ayuntamiento;  hut  no  husiness  can  ho  so  riferred  t<i  a 
pi  is(in  not  a  memlK-r,  though  ho  he  a  nlatixe  of  a 
lutuilM'r.  L'M.  Should  any  individual  petition  have 
any  relation  to  tho  puhlic,  it  shall  ho  referre<l  to  the 
si'nilico,  that  ho  examine  tho  same  and  rejiort  as  tlie 
(urasion  mav  demand;  and  in  anv  nuittiTof  this  nature 
Ills  opinion  shall  he  heard  heforo  tho  same  is  decided. 
•24,  Should  tho  petition  ho  one  in  which  is  con- 
corned  any  memher  of  the  ayuntamiento,  or  his  i-ela- 
tive,  intimate  friend,  or  person  to  whom  ho  is  under 
ohliixations,  or  on  whom  ho  in  any  way  depends,  such 
iii'inher  shall  not  vote,  or  shall  leave  the  sala  when 
tin.  matter  may  require,  that  the  others  vote  freely. 


i 


n 


fii'  ■ 


'i  I' 


644  LAW,   (lOVERXMENT,   AND  RELKilON. 

25.  Slioulcl  tlio  matt'  r  treated  of  Ik;  of  a  rescrvod 
luiturt',  all  tli»' iiu'iiiiHTs  ai'f  (>l»li!jj('(l  to  In;  rcticfiit;  and 

•crt't  shall   \)v  voted  as  wtak- 


ft'^. 


rs 


whoever  di\  ulLjes  tlie  st 

iiriM(li!d.  and  he  held  respoiisihle  for  resultant  daiiia-j; 

2(1.  What  lias  been  detenniiied  uitoii  1)V  the  a\  iiii- 
taiuieiito  caimet  he  rovokorl  without  j^rave  motives,  m- 
without  the  j>revlous  consent  of  the  sindleo  and  tliu 
concuireuei;  of  all  who  [)rovi'>asly  voted  on  tho  ques- 
tion. 

27.  Shouhl  tho  serretarv  ho  ill  or  unavoidahlv  ah- 

V  t 

sent,  the  junior  rei^idor  shall  lU't  in  his  stead;  if  the 
reu,idor  Ik;  husy  on  some  eonnnittee,  a  secretary  ad 
interim  shall  he  appointed  hy  a  |)lurality  of  vot 
who  shall  deliver  to  the  secretary,  on  his  return,  the 
minutes,  etc.,  si^netl  hv  the  mend)ei's. 

28.  In  the  same  manner,  the  si'ndicc)  shall  he  rc- 
|)lac(ul  hy  tht3  junior  re^idor;  the  aleaKle  hy  the  re^i- 
dores  in  order  <»f  seniority;  when,  however,  theje  he 
two  alcaldes  or  two  sindicos.  one  shall  (ill  the  vacancy 
of  the  other,  and  only  when  both  bo  absent  shall  tliu 
above  course  In;  taken. 

2!).  if  on  the  day  (>f  any  ordinary  me(>tiii|4  any 
matter  requiring-  inimediato  action  should  arise,  mem- 
bers shall  be  citiil. 

30.  In  case  of  special  meetiiiLjs  members  sliall  lie 
cited  by  means  of  notes  signed  by  the  presidi-nt  ami 
secretaiT. 

.'M .  'I'he  sfndico  may  ask  that  a  special  meetin-^'  he 
called,  and  is  not  obliged  t<»  ^ive  his  reasons  :  any  ot  Ik  r 
nicmbei' shall  make  a  like  reiiuc^t  through  and  in  iu- 
cord  with  tho  sindico,  informing  him  of  the  case  that 
ho  mav  ask  what  is  littint^,  and  that  all  the  nuinh'  is 
be  cited  they  signing  the  citation  and  ivcurnii!'^  it 
to  the  |i(»i'tero  for-  a  ivcord  of  their  lia\  ing  been  <'iii  d. 

82.  .\t  stated  as  well  a.s  at  I'xli'aoidinary  mectinus 
mondters  may  request  that  their  vote  be  nconled 
apart  fi-om  the  rest  in  a  book  kept  for  the  puip'»<', 
but  this  will  not  excuse  them  from  signing' the  minui'S 
accoriling  to  the  will  of  thi'  plurality. 


MUNK'irAL  riUH'KDUUE. 


848 


nn.  No  individual  vote  sliall  bo  rcoordod,  uides.s  so 
ordciod  l)y  tliu  [H'osidrut. 

34.  If  tin-  matter  ilebiitc'd  bo  not  uriifiMit,  any  ineni- 
Imt  may  sus|t('iid  tbo  takinj^  of  a  voti;  until  furtbor 
(liscussioM,  providi'd  tbat  lio  si,L,n>ify  liis  intt-ntidii  of 
liiiiiuiii;4"  forw.ii'd  nrw  arLfUuuMits.  Xo  business  can 
lie  thus  sus[i('nih'd  for  uioro  tban  ;3  sittinj^s — on  tbo 
4lli  the  vot»*  to  bo  takou. 

.!.').  Sbould  a  s[)ocial  ujootin*:^  be  called  to  consider 
sonic  sealed  eonuuunieation  addressed  to  tlu'  ayunta- 
iiiicnto,  the  secretary  siiall  not  open  the  saiuo  until  oie 
iiinre  than  the  half  of  tbo  nu'iniicrs  be  present,  win  u., 
it'  tiio  matter  be  j^rave,  there  nmst  Ik-  uniinimity  in 
vntin^'~in  ease  of  ilisaifrooment  ill  the  niemi)ers  be- 
iiii;  cited. 

:\i'>.  No  member  wbile  eni;a«jfed  on  a  speei.d  eom- 
iiiittt  e  may  absent  bimsei  fun  til  its  labors  arc  «'oiic!uded, 
and  then  only  for  eauso,  and  with  perMiis.siou  of  tin- 
|iicsidcnt. 

;)7.  No  auth(tritv  may  summon  tbe  ayuntMiniento 
a>  a  i>ody  to  appear  before  it;  and  should  JUiy  iiidivid- 

u- 


11 


tl  member  Ite  cited,  it  must  be  bv  an  ollicia!  cctinm 


iiic.ition. 

.is.  ( 'omnuuncations  to  tbe  ayuntamiento  fimn  the 
ililli  relit  authoriticH  must  be  in  writinij^,  mid  must  be 
aii^wtrcd  in  the  siime  way;  or  if  dceiiieil  better,  by  a 
i'(Miiinittee  (d'  one  or  two. 

.'I'.'.  Nor  can  the  ayuntamicnto  ^^ummon  l>et'ore  it 
aiiv  public  functionary.  e\c«'|iL  for  consnltation  or 
iiuieeiiieiit,  which  shall  be  done  by  Ml  oflicial  communi- 

•  'atlnll. 

I".  Should  thejud'^"e  of  lirst  instance  be  obli'^ed  to 
juii'^e  civilly  (»r  criminally  a  member  of  tjie  avuiita 
iiiiciito,  be  Hball,  in  a  |tolite  manner,  yive  oflicial  com. 
iimiii<  ;ition  to  the  president,  unless  hi'  be  taken  in  the 
act,  when  it  is  neccNsary  only  t<i  advise  tlif  pn  sideiit 
that  the  party  has  been  arrested  without  it  beitiLT 
iircr^sary  {<»  say  why. 

I  i     An  arrested  member  of  the  ayimtamiento  miiMt 

t>"  ijeiained  at  the  casa  coiisistorial  under  the  resjioii- 
c\i..  I'tsr.   ;» 


I 


I 

.,1 


i  I  w 


B46 


LAW,  OOVEIIXMEXT.  AND  llEI.HilOX. 


sil>ilitv  of"  tlu'  president,  (►r  ono  of  tlie  rcj^icloros,  as  li 


slioiiUl  he  III  rus(;  ot  llilplisonmelit  Dellij^  lU'ees.sai y,  or 
tliere  ha  no  l)«>n«lsnuiii  u<'i'or<linf^  to  law ;  l>ut  if  sni- 
teiweil  to  death  or  eorporal  puniishnient,  lie  must  be 
deliven^d  to  the  juez  and  ur<>  to  the  jail. 

42.  JJurin*^  the  trial,  an<l  until  the  erimc  l)e  dttrr- 
niiiM'd,  liiH  vacancy  in  the  ayuntauiieiito  .shall  he  fill. d 
in  the  usual  way. 

4.'{.  The  same  course  shall  he  fuHnwed  if  thr  al<  aide 
f(»riinilat('  the  sumaria  until  tin'  culprit  he  Kj^^ally  i>l;ii  i  d 
at  the  disposition  of  the  juez. 

44.  Siiould  the  '/ulpiit  he  the  alcalde,  the  "id  alcalde, 
or  the  .senior  rci^idor,  shall  take  his  placf. 

4.").  Should  the  arrest  he  arbitrary  or  illeiial.  ihr 
ayuntaniientt>  shall,  hy  its  sfndico,  make  a  formal  rmn- 
plaint  to  the  juez  of  the  nearest  partido,  accordiiii,' 
to  law,  for  they  should  aid  and  honor  one  another  as 


niemiicrs  of  till!  .saiiK 


Dot 


Iv 


4(i.  If  the  oflence  he  committed  hy  a  reiLjidor  ;is 
reju'idor,  tlu!  alcalde  cannot  _ju(lL;"e  it,  l)Ut  shall,  tliroii.;li 
the  si'iidico,  formalize  the  accu.sation  hejore  the  jui  z 
d<'  partido,  and  if  it  he  foi-  an  infraction  of  the  consti- 
tution, the  same  juez  shall  form  tlu'  sumaria,  ami  fur 
ward  the  .same  throu^^h  the  [trovincial  diputacion  \,, 
the  proper  auth(»rity. 

47.    In  accordance  with  article  4  -ut  supra      tin  tv 


di 


I  ted 


le   I.I; 


an  III- 


snall  he  appointed  a  juez  di-  ai;nas  y  de  j.iaza 
spet'tor  of  cattle  killiiin"  and  hakeries,  a  police  jiiilui'. 
one  of  schools,  and  one  or  more  of  juihlic  works,  rnmls, 
forests,  and  jails,  who  shall  act  according  to  a  sp( « lal 
ur«liiiaiice  formed  for  that  ohject. 

4H.  There  shall  al.so  he  a  committee  of  ways  !iii(i 
means  (hacienda),  composed  of  an  alcalde  aii<l  a  i'<  ji- 


(lor,  the  eontador,  and  the  secretai 


■y 


41),  'I'hese  pei'soiis  shall  taki'  turns,  of  one  iiHiith 
each,  in  colle<-tin|4  the  rents  of  propio.s,  or  otln-r  sum- 
of  a  like  nature,  the  eontiihutions  of  arhitrios  or  r.ipi- 
t^icioiies  lev  ied  ill  accord  with  the  prosiiicial  diputa- 
cion, and  shall  pav  these  sums  into  the  treasiiiv  the 
i'onta«lor  enteriiii:  the  same  on  hi**  hot<k.s. 


MUNICir.VL  rUOCEDURE. 


Ml 


50.  No  money  for  expenHes  shall  l)o  drawn  without 
thtre  bointf  presented  to  the  treusurer  a  <lraft  siifned 
ity  the  al(;alde  and  secretary — <'o^iiizance  of  the  same 
hiinir  taken  by  the  contador  in  the  hooks,  all  tlie  doe- 
UMunts  beinj^  retained  hy  the  treasurer  as  vimchers 
tor  halanein^  his  accounts. 

51.  Accounts  shall  l)e  balanced  on  the  Ist  of  each 
month,  on  which  occasion  tlnf  members  of  the  com- 
mittee of  Wiiys  and  means  (hacicMida)  shall  attend,  and 
tlie  accounts  audited  by  the  committees  of  producto 
and  consumo  shall  be  presented,  and  the  estimate's  for 
tlie  ensuin<^  nionth  shall  be  made. 

52.  No  item  of  the  accounts  shall  be  admitted  by 
the  treasurer  or  depositary,  unless  it  be  certified  by  the 
(-i)iitador  that  he  has  taken  account  of  it;  noi'  shall 
the  latter  certify  to  any  taking  of  funds  ftr  expense, 
unless  the  same  lie  appi'oved  by  the  ])rovincial  dijMita- 
eiuM  lor  any  t>bje«'t  whatever,  not  even  for  the  secre- 
t.iry's  pay  -  as  was  deternnned  by  the  decree  of  .July 

The  i-  "i  rd  of  the  ayuntamiento  sessions  of  Angeles 
alloid  little  information  as  to  rules  and  mode  of  pi-o- 
cnlure,  besidis  what  tin;  i"e;;lam«'nto  prescribes.  'I'he 
pit'sideut  as  1st  alcahh',  antl  hence  usually  a  man  of 
moi'e  inriuence  and  saL;a«'ity,  as  may  be  supposed,  than 
lie  ordinary  reLfidort's,  i(enei"ally  propo.ses  tin-  moi-e  im- 
]"irtant  projects.  Tln.rea|>p«'ars  to  be  no  record  of  any 
motions  bein^  formeily  secon(le<l ;  they  are  referred 
tn  the  tyeneral  vote,  discussed,  and  passed  or  rejected. 
Tiie  r«'solution  is  i;iven  to  th*'  president  to  carry  out 
li\  V()te  of  authorization,  or  a  eonimission  is  elected  to 
<i"  so.  Ofti-n  a  subject  is  l)y  vote  transfeirci.!  to  the 
|ii«  sident,  or  to  a  committee  to  diM-ide  as  it  pleases. 

The  limit  of  power,  as  re^ai'ds  the  natuic  of  a  sub- 
ji  -t  or  its  extent,  may  be  seen  in  the  various  proceed 
iii'^s  in  till'  polici!  rei^ulations  where  mention  is  niadi- 
;i>  to  when  the  government  or  assembly  ha\e  to  be 
ii|'|icaled  to,  as  of  higher  authority  in  the  respective 
iiiiitti'rs.  The  a<'ts  of  a  meetiui^  are  re-read  at  the  next 
uiH'  to  be  apj)roved  finally.     Often  a  petition  or  meas- 


LAW,   r.OVE?vXMi:NT,   AXn   RELIf;iON. 


'.'% 


uro  is  oxciiiptiMl  from  tlic  usual  roiitiiu?  of  sovf-ral  vviu]- 
iujj^H  and  rt'[n»rt  of  a  <()uiiiiitU;(',  ami  jtjisstxl  tlic  saiiu' 


at 


Previous  to  1S23,  the  alcalde  was  electod  at  the 
lH'«.'iniin.<jf  of  tlio  year  under  suiu'rintcmlenco  of  tlie 
niinistros,  wlio  hIiouM  notify  the  t^overnor. 

On  the  nth  of  .May,  1  H.'Jr,,  J(f(>-}M.litlco  Chico  is- 
sued the  followiiiL!^  dec  ree  for  the  better  eid'oicenieiit 
of  the  law  of  l)ecend)er  21),  1H.'};>:  1st,  Cuerpos  de 
seo'urulad  y  polici'a  ti)  he  estait]ishe«l  in  the  territory. 
2d,  Tliese  cuerpos  to  1)»;  composed  of  jefe-politieo,  sin- 
dicos  of  the  ayuntamiento,  and  four  comisarios  of  ]»(i- 


leia, 


chosen    from    the    leadinj^    clti/ens,       'U\,  Tl 


condsariosto  ])e  a])pr(»vt'd  by  the  respect  ive  ayuMt.iiiii- 
eutos  hv  a  i»lura]itv  of  votes  durint'  the  first  week  in 
.Tanuarv.  4th,  Four  substitutes  were  also  to  Itc  jip- 
pointed,    nth.  The  ayuntamiento  should  notify  men  iheis 


<1 


ot  tlieir  apjiomtnient.  and  also  noL'y  all  encari;ados  jok 
masters  of  hacierulas.  fith.  No  one  should  beexcus((l 
from  servility  without  just  cause.  7th,  The  duti(  s  ef 
the  njend>ers  will  !».•:  1st,  to  care  for  tin;  public  ti;iii- 
•  piility  at  their  place  of  resid<'nco;  2d,  to  ]»uj'sue  and 
arrest  evil-tloers,  aii<l  deliver  tlie»u  to  the  judges;  .'5d.  t<> 
obey  th(!  orders  of  tiie  alcalde  eonstitucional.  8tli. 
llesidenis  of  all  nmnieipalities  are  oblij^e*!  to  aid  (lie 
ofHeers  of  policr  with  their  ]>ersons,  horses,  lunis.  ii'i.I 
uliat<ver  may  be  re<{ul!"e<l,  but  tlie  comisarios  are  \n 
act  kindly.  Jith,  Ayuntamientos  will  re|»oit  to  tin.' 
L'oxernor  the  orLjanization  of  thest>  cuerpos  acecii'dni'^ 
t<5  this  decree.  Idth,  i)isobc<lience  to  be  He\t  ii  ly 
punished  This  is  taken  fiom  the  Sun  Dii^jfo  arclnv  s. 
I  Ljive  hertv.ini  the  j>ro»  isioiiul  rules  for  the  •mk- 
ployec  s  of  the  ofHct'  of  i^ovcrnor's  seen'tary.  |>rep:ui(l 
liy  the  chii'f  eh  ik  and  secretary  ad  interim  Fruncixu 
Ar«-e,  conformablv  to  |M)Wers  coid'erred  on  him  hv 
the  law  of  March  20,  t^.'57,  and  approved  by  Miiii'l- 
torena. 


JSccntarv's  functiotis:  Art.  1.  T«)  have   cji; 


ir<:< 


RULES  OF  COVKIiNOrrs  OFFICE. 


SM 


(Vtrytliliif^  counoctcil  witli  the  (tffirc,  lu'liinf  rrspon- 
.siMr  tor  whatoviT  tlocuiiiouts  iiiav  !)«'  iiitrustrcl  to  liiiii 
l>y  till'  <,'ovt'r!ior.  Art.  2.  To  sec  that  th«'  employed 
(.iiiijily  faitlifully  with  their  duties,  and  tiiat  they  do 
not  divulge  nijitters  taking  place  in  the  otiice.  Art. 
:l.  To  sign  all  orders  or  documents  sent  him  for  that 
nlijcct  hy  the  govi'rnor,  and  to  scrietly  comply  with 
iiiid  give  speedy  despatch  to  everything  sent  or 
in  omineiul.Ml  to  him.  Art.  4.  To  re{)ort  immediately 
evt  vy  papei^  or  doi'ument  which  may  come  into  his 
]i.i»es>ioii  from  other  stances,  and  which  may  depend 
tor  d»'spat<'h  on  tlu*  governt»i''s  decision.  Moreover, 
li(  >iiall,  once  »)r  twice  daily,  re[>ort  to  the  governor 
t'li  orders. 

l!scril)ii'nti''s  functions:  Art.  1.  To  complv  stri«*tlv 
wirli  the  present  rules,  and  carrv  out  faithfuhv  ail 
oidtrs  givi'ii  hy  the  seci-etaiy.  Ait.  "1.  Shall  «-o5n»,' 
to  the  ortice  at  H  A.  M..  and  work  till  \'l  m.,  conie  again 
at  il.  and  work  till  T.  \\  m.,  except  on  the  customary 
lii»li(!ays.  Art.  :{.  Siiall  he  res[ionsil)le  to  the  seere- 
taiy  for  any  <locunieiit  n(»t  forthcoming  wh«-n  needed; 
:iiii|  to  tile  government  foi'  tii"  slightest  infraction  <»f 
tin-'-  rules.  Alt.  \.  Sliall  take  care  that  all  matters 
<Miifi.|ed  to  him  he  desjiatched  with  neatness,  and  keep 
.s':li  lit  as  to  matters  confid«'«l  t:o  hini  by  the  goNernor 
or  >ecietary. 

\\  ith   N'ictori.is  arrival,  tla^  otlicers  already  l»»gaii 
t'l  li.ok  upon  the  soldiers  as  infei-iors.      Formerly,  there 
I  heeii  no  distiiK'tion,  \\>\  otlir(  is'  and  soldiers'  fami- 


ii.'ii 


ite«i 


th 


It  >  treate<J  ont>  anoiiter  as  etpiais. 
.liiM'  Marfa  Amador,  writing  of  is::7,  relates: 
■".'vfter  ten  years  and  tivi>  months  ot  servic«'  in  the 
WW  Fiancisco  comitany  of  cuera,  T  determiiii'd  to  ask 
"I    iiiv  dischaige.      J    went  to  Captain    .Vrgtiello    t' 


11'  II'IUUI 


tl 


le    same 


He     refused, 


aiu 


1    otfered    me   a 


\  ron  of  seigeani  i 


f  1 


voulcl  renwun  ui  tlie  >er\  u-t- 


Tliis   I   refuse(i.  sa\  ing  tliat   he   had   not  favoi'ed  me 


wh 


II   pi'omotion    Wo 


ulil 


jave    l)een    tim* 


no 


twith 


LAW,  (iOVKllXMEXT,  AND  UKLIOIOK. 


I'Pi' 


w 


K 


standing  my  luMnj^  tlu-  son  of  nn  oftic-er,  and  liaviiin; 
uhvjivs  (lone  niv  duty  laithiullv. 

"All  tlu.'  acknoNvlc'd'cnK'Ut  of  mv  servioes  had  In  .  u 
the  title  of  soldatlo  distinj^uido — a  title  wliuh  \\;;s 
mine  by  ri^^ht.     I  ronfoss  that,  durini!;  the  time  I  was 
his    siTvant,    lie   had    fii<jUi.ntly  a.skid   me  to  taki 
wliiu  with  him.     The  ailvanta<j;e  of  iK'iiii^  a  MtMadu 
distin<jfuido--t]u're  wore  four  of  us  in  tht  comjianv 
was   this;    we  wi'io  iKtt   ol)liu:ed    to  do  any  kind  df 
work  other  than  tiie  occupyin;,!'  of  (»ur  ]ihu'<'s  in  tl.i 
ranks,   aiui  mtunitin;^  ^uai-d.      When   ordered   to   (1,« 
anytliinfjf  tlse,  and  we  aLjreed  to  do  it,  we  reeelved  tm 
reaii'Sixtni  )>ay  in  ad\anee.      When  told  that  there 
n<»    money,  wo    refused    ilatly  tit    do  wiiat   'v".:!- 


was 


desire* 


Win  ;:  Sj>aniarils  first  hf«4;an  eominji'  to  ('alifninia, 
]tur>uant  l">  a  luvai  urdt  r  thr  i;o\ cnnnent  furnislml 
to  eaeh  soldier  of  the  *jurris(tiis  a  hroadsword,  lauci-. 
i!U  oval  leathern  shii-ld,  a  firelock,  and  j»istols.  Tli 
sword  had  to  li(>  of  the  standard  si/t' ;  the  laner-hraiU 
were  ahoiit  two  feet  in  k'Hjj^tli,  on(>  and  a  half  inci  -- 
M'ide.  Mill  stl-enutlu'ned  in  the  ei'utre,  so  that  tin  v 
forme<l  a  swell,  and  sharp  on  hotli  sidew,  with  a  'j;uaii! 
to  cheek  the  weapon  tV(»ni  s^oin^-  in  too  far,  and  t 
facililat^    its  hriiiL,'  jtulled  out,  and  the  i-i-petiti-ui  n- 


hi 


ows. 


Tl»»-  shield  was   like  those   loniT  in  use   li 


uiid  rtfier  tliis  lime;  th«'  firelock  as  well  as  the  jiist.'!- 
Were  <*ocked,  and  liatl  locks  after  the  Spanish  fa-ln  ; 
the  guud»arrel  was « it' the  h  HM-th  of  three  feet  of  a  t"  - 
— a  toise  heiuL;  a  i''iench  measure  of  six  fe»  t.  etjuixa- 
lenttoHcven  Spanish  teet      the  stock  was  well  jiropMi 
tioned.       The  hairels  of  the  jtistols  did  not  exceed  t'  1 
inches.      The  ealil»r«'  of  tlu-  enns  and  pi>f"ls  wa>  "i 
one  ounce;  the  hammers  of  the  liuns  were  of  the  liiii>t 
tem[)ei',  in  order  that  they  could  stand  the  acti<»n  ot't 


IK 


sun. 


Desides  the  troop.«;  of  the  line,  artillery  ami  ch\  ili'v. 
each  presidio  had  a  c(M'tain  nundter  of  lisdian  se-fN, 
who  were  urmed  with  pisti»l,  shield,  and  spcai',  Ik    '1  ' 


MILITAUY    MATrKUS. 


5.-1 


liavinuf  tlu  ir  hows,  and  tlu  ir  (;uivi>r.s  filled  with  arrows. 
Tlurt!  was  always  an  txtni  supply  of  arms  at  ta«  h 
jinst,  ami  thiy  wm.'  kept  in  pt-rftrt  order.  An 
aniiorer,  who  was  also  a  private,  to  whom  extra  i)ay 
was  allowed,  had  ehar<;o  of  the  ainuiinent  of  his  lom- 
ji.iiiy,  and  iiis  duty  wa.s  to  kei'p  the  same  elean  and  in 
fond  repair. 

Ivu'h  soldier  was  allowed  six  horses,  one  ])ony,  and 
one  mule  ;  the  eaptain  of  the  presidio  saw  that  the 
animals  weic  proi)erly  eared  for  and  feil.      Kaeh  man 

IS  re(iuired  to  havi'  one  of  his  horses  readv  saddK'd 


w; 


and  supphed  with  foraijo,  day  and  night;  the  captains 
;iiid  otlieers  Were  lieM  ii'Sjionsihlt!  for  the  striet  fulfil- 
ls nt  of  this  oi(K'r;  tin'  safety  of  the  })ort  and  (»f  tiie 
settlements  might  (h'lund  u[ton  the  troops  heing  in 
ri  adiness  to  ^tart  at  a  moment's  notiee,  and  to  jiut  a 
Slop  t<»  tin'  raids  of  the  .savages. 

Tlie  Indian  scouts  wei-i>  also  supplied  with  a  sad<lle 
ami  iiridle;  the  foi'mer  was  of  the  kind  later  known 
undi-r  the  name  of  silhi  i'(np(('r(t,  or  va<[iu>ro"s  or  cow- 
Ik  rder's  saddK-;  it  was  jirovided  with  the  u^ual  ap- 
pendages of  e.ipai'ison;  long  and  wide  leathein  skins 
atr.iehi'd  t<»  the  [lonunel  to  covei'  tin-  thighs  ami  legs, 
littli'  eusliitins  and  closeil  wooden  stiri'ups;  the  u.se  of 
iaige  stirrujis  was  strictly  foihiddeii. 

"Notwithstanding  our  privileges,"  continues  Ama- 
'l.'i'.  "Captain  Argiiello  iVecpiently  put  us  in  the 
stocks,  the  culj>i'it  lying  on  the  ground,  with  no  rest 
ftir  the  lu'ad.  and  exposeil  to  the  sun.  This  puni>h- 
imnt  the  c.ij'tain  termed  the  pina  arhitraiia,  and  said 
that  he  inllicti'd  it  heeause,  in  i-efusing  to  assist  in  loa«l- 
ii)'4  niules  and  conducting  them  from  Santa  ( 'ru/ to 
the  presidio,  we  gave  a  Itad  example  to  the  other  sol- 
tliei's.  Hut  as  soon  as  1  )oiia  iiafaela,  wife  of  ("a|itain 
Argiiello  saw  us  in  the  stoeks,  she  would  m>ist  that 
w>  >li(tuld  lie  lilu'ratiul;  many  times  coming  pi  rsonally 
til  make  tin.  coi-poral  of' the  guard  free  us.  I  imagine 
tiiat  she  ami  tin*  captain  had  an  iniderstanding  ahuit 
this;   for  one  day  in  his  pr-scnee,  and  that  of  the  olii- 


555 


LAW,  COVr.IiXMFA'T.  AXD  REL1<;I0N. 


ccr  of  t]io  ouanl,  slic  luTsrlf  ojK-iu'd  the  .stocks  and 
St  t  us  at  lilu'ity,  at'ti-r  ohtaiuiiiu^  piTuii^sion  of  the 
<»lH<Tr  ot'  tlif  j^uanl.  TIio  (■a[)taiii  iiuTtly  laiinlird, 
and  calit  d  u.s,  as  was  Ids  custinii,  costah's  di' a/uiidnv/' 
(Azumliri!  is  a  nifasurr  used  tor  lujuids.  and  a/.uiiiltiar 
is  to  um'  that  incasuK'.  It 
inaiiv  otliiT   Spanish  words,  t< 


was  also  us<'< 


o  cxprt'ss   < 


hind 


a  If  N<  ry 
kt  nn»'ss. 


Thi'  rx|>ifssion   may  hv  taken  to  siij^nily  'tnipty-iiatt'd 
Ic'llows;'  htciallv,  it  is  'sack  of  azunihiv.) 


Justi 


(•('  was   somewhat   erratic:  severe  to-dav,   la\ 


eiiouLjh  to-morrow, 


M. 


tl 


e.Mcan   thieves  were  so  pit-nti 


U-nti 


tid  in  Is.'.S  that  Alvarado  thoULjiit  two  jit  least  iniylit 
Well  he  spared,  and  under  color  <ti'  martial  law  oi-deiid 
theni  ti>  Im'  shot. 

•'  I  can  assert."  says  Ai'na/,  "that  from  IS-lOlo  1>  I". 
perlect  security  tor  jterson  jtrevailed  in  ( "alifoi  nia 
towns  and  highways,  except  iVom  savages  in  reumtc 
localities,  as  at  \A  Xacimii'iito.  Asuncion,  l*a.so  dc 
JloMes.  and  Las  J*asitas.  i-'iidv's  was  tlu'  t)nly  niiii- 
tlei'  and  rohhery  I  luai-d  of." 

'I'he  alcaldi'  was  the  justice,  and  all  «lisputes  and  all 
suits  Wire  hrou^ht  hefore  him.  Minoi-  cases  he  (|i- 
cided   himself,  hut  cases  of  yreat  importance,  and  all 


d 


conmiei'cial   cast's,   wi 


re  referri'd  to  tl 


le  n'overnnicjit 


at  the  north.      Aftei-  the  sup|iri'ssion  of  alcaldes  and 
avuiitamientos,  under  the  central  regime,  thei'e  wi  iv 


justa- 


if  the   pea«'e  who  exercised  the  judii'ial  fun 


tions  fornu'i'ly  perl'oiine<!  hy  the  alcahK 

Ahar.ido  divided  tlu'  territoi-y  int(»  districts  ami 
cantons,  at  the  head  of  each  district  |ilacinn'  a 
pre t'ect  with  a  suh-piefect  to  aid  him.  Toward  tlic 
(lose  of  the  year  IS.!'.),  in  accordance  with  a  law  <'( 
connress,  the  ayuntamii'iitos  wen*  sup[)ressed,  tlu'  |'ii- 
li'ct-'  heiii'jj  jiuthori/ed  to  t.ike  char^n'e  ol"  hiisiness  i'"ii- 
iiected  with  lanil  titles  in  tu'der  to  hriii^'  the  same 
het'ore  the  !,;overnment.  The  law  referred  to  provid<  d 
that  there  should  he  letrados  itr  escrihanos  piihlic<is, 
(which  will  hear  translating  into  notaries  ]>uhru',  simi- 


JUDICIAL   DISTRICTS. 


r.ri3 


their  (lutus  wen'  siinilar), for  the  purpose  of  antlicnti- 
catinn'  all  acts,  judicial  as  wi-U  as  civil;  and  at  ]»()ints 
wlicrc  tlicro  wi'ro  no  such  officers,  tliu  juccts  do  i)az, 
iiidcd  l»y  two  witnesses,  wore  enipowerecl  to  act  in  tlii'ir 
stead.  On  the  su};})ression  of  the  ayuntaniientos, 
j  uces  do  })az  were  named,  who  pcrfornu^d  the  duties 
ot'  the  former  alcaldes  const  itucionales,  with  this  dif- 
frrence:  that,  wlicreas  the  1st  alcahle  had  heen  pres- 
ident of  the  ayuntamiento  and  juez  de  I"  instaneia, 
now  the  1st  jui'Z  de  paz  possessed  the  powers  of  juez 
de  I"  instaneia  who  took  cognizance  of  suits  at  law, 
and  the  suhstantiation  of  criminal  <'auses.  The  'Jd 
|u«/,de  paz  took  charge  of  preliminary  matters  in  crim- 
inal cases,  and  of  conciliatory  aiul  verbal  civil  suits. 

The  San  Dieiio  district  in  liS44  extended  to  Santa 
Margaiita,  one  league  heyond  San  Luis  ]vey.  San 
.luaii  ( 'ai»istrano  e,\tended  Irom  Las  Flores  puehlitt), 
six  leagues  .south,  to  Uio  Santa  Ana.  Santa  jJarhara 
rxtended  from  raiK^ho  Simi  on  the  north  slope-  of  Santa 
Siisana  to  the  raneho  Ivinji'  half-wav  Intwicn  I'ui'i- 
sinia  and  San  Luis  Ohispo.  Monterey  extinded  from 
San  Luis()hispo  to  nea!' San  Juan  l^autista,  though 
iud'hiallv  it  lu'ld  swav  farthei"  noi'th.  San  .foso  ex- 
t  ■iidetl  over  Santa  Clara  and  San  Jose  mission  and 


lan>  lies. 


I 


I  ease  o 


f  a  sale  of  real  i'stat(\  the  alealde  acted  a> 


notary.  The  protocol  of  terms  was  signed  hy  the  }>ar- 
lii  s,  liy  the  jutlge,  and  two  witnessis,  and  soiin-tiint'S 
liy  two  (ir  three  other  witnesses  called  in>trumentales. 
The  original  ileed  remained  in  the  aiclii\e>,  a  eeiti- 
tifil  copy  lieing  given  to  parties.  The  judge,  elirks, 
"1  [laities  would  read  the  dociunent  aloud  to  all. 

l''oi' \tivy:ra\e  crimes,  twentv-ti\c  laches  ilailv  were 
i:ivrii  for  nine  days,  hut  this  si'Utenee  was  indulged 
ill  niily  liy  iiiilitary  eoinmandei's  or  the  ^i»vt'rnmeiit. 
T\^intv-livo  laslus  were  the  most  imi'osed  hv  the 
1 'allies,  1 1 

<  hi  one  occasion  Pio  Pico  came  to  Angeles  fioiu 
k^aii  Diego.    Befori'  reaching  Anneles,  he  was  inl'ornieil 


6&4 


LAW,  COVERXMKXr.  A\I)  UKLHilOV. 


that  tluf  alcjiltlc  would  not  let  Iiiiu  cut*  r  tlir  plaof 
without  ai  passpoit.  llaviii!;;  iioin',  he  foryctl  oiif — 
siuiiuiLj  to  it  tlu'  iianit'  oftiu'  ('oinaialaiitc  of  Sail  ])i(  ^o. 
This,  on  rcachiiii,^  Aiiiiclrs.  he  picsi'iitt'd.  Tho  alt-aldc, 
wlio  did  not  know  liow  to  icad,  to(»k  tlic  pajur  and 
jH'tlcnd.'d  to  read  it.  Tluicupon  ho  tx|>n'sscd  hiin- 
s(  ir  as  |nir((tly  aatisfii'tl,  and  ii'tunu'd  tin:  ilocunuiii 
to  Pico. 

In  a  Icttt'i"   fVoni  tlu>  alcalde  of  ^[ont('I'cy  to  tin 
oovcnioi',  under  date  of  Dccrnihcr  li>,  I  S  IS,  rcf'ci'cncc 
is  niatic  to  the  i-tu'losed  \ci<lict  ot'a  jiuy  of  six  Mcx 
ieans,  a;4ainst   Salvador  Nieto  for   havin;L:;  diidlen^cd 
Nii'oliis  Silvas  and  Hr«'d  a  pistol  at  him.      lie  is  cmi 
dennietl  to  hIx  months  iiuhlic  lahor,  and  Silvas  to  thii  c 
months  for  acceptiniu^   the  ehallenj^o  and   leavinj^'   liis 
liouse  with  arms. 

It  was  comnion    to  challeiii^e  an  opponent  out  "f 
jeahiusy.   aftei'    a   (piaiTel   over  a   naim 


I  Mi 


ice    and 


tim«'  appointed,  they  met,  and  without  further  word 
l»e;^an    to  slash  with    their  swords,   inllictinj^-   terril'l 


woun( 


\v;i' 


allout'c 


Is.      When  one  of  them  hecame  tii'e<l,  a  Vt  st 
1,     \\  hen  one  cried  enoU!nii,  and  re<'«»^ni/ed  tin 


<»ther  as  the  hest  man,  tlu'  viet»»r  ilictated  condition^ 
'I'Ik'    usual    meetin'^-plaees   were    the    IliU'rta    \'i>j;i, 
lluerta  del  luy,  or  Canada  <le  la  Si-j^unda.     Care  \v;i> 
taken  to  jirevent  ohsirvation. 

Writing-  to  the  lu^overnor  from  San  .lose  April  I'l, 
IS'JJ,  l'\-itlu'r  Diiran,  vi<-arit)  fonineo,  aeknowltd.;. - 
the  summary  of  j»i'oceedini>s  formed  against  Calm 
Cannto  r>t)ronda,  and  Melit«tn  Soto,  civilian,  for  fiulit- 
i\\\X  a  duel  near  Santa  liiiihaia,  in  which  case  h.'  is 
asked  to  uive  his  opinion  as  regards  the  penalty  i 
j)osi'(|  l»y  the  church  for  the  ofl'enco.  The  (hurdi. 
savs,  caimot  look  with  indiflerence  on  th(>  almost  t 


ni- 


tarn  eternal  damnation  or  tliose  w 


f  th 


ho  d 


u>  m  a  ( 


luel. 


rl'- 

aiii'. 


hasaccordinuly  imposed  the  most  terrihle  punishment, 
namely,  that  of  excoimmion  mayor,  //»>(»  j'dch)  incur- 
rcii<l<i.  He  itd'ers  to  the  laws  on  this  otleiieo — inlro- 
diiced  hy  the  devil  to  destroy  men's  souls  — whicli  also 


LATIN  LYINO. 


fi<V> 


(It  iiy  burial  In  consocratotl  jjfrnund  to  tlio  falhii.  To 
this  the  Imll  (loti'stuhllrm  of  Pope  Hi'iudit-t  XIV. 
u)l<ls  d«Miial  of  saiTi'd  burial,  cvtii  wIhmi  tlu*  piison 
«lies  .some  time  after,  in  coiiscnuriuf  of  tlu'  wouimIh. 

BoroTida  ai)iH'urs  to  liavo  been  tliall«n<^('(l  by  Soto, 
ami  tbo  duol  was  fou«^lit  with  (Icadly  weapitiis,  not 
pistols,  in  a  Canada,  without  witnesses.  Hence  tliey 
iiieiirrcd  cxconnnunion  mayor  late  sententia  i[)so  faet(» 
iiK'urrenda,  and  must  conduct  themselves  as  reijuiii'd 
to  obtain  absolution.  ()n(>  «!xcu.se  was  i;^noran«'o  (»f 
tlie  punlsliinent,  but  this  plea  was  ranly  admitted. 
TIr' absolution  for  the  case  waa  termed  <i<l  caiih  htm. 

If  the  C\difornians  were  fluent  and  polite  liars,  they 
came  honestly  by  thl.s,  with  other  amiable  vices,  in- 
herithiL^  tlieni  from  their  Mexican  and  Spanish  ances- 
try. To  lie  was  a  small  matter;  to  be  caught  lyin<x, 
even,  was  not  a  <;reat  matter.  lleliL;lon,  (Hi  a  Sunday 
iiiornini^,  was  a  serious  matter;  on  a  Sunday  aftn  noon, 
it  was  a  tritrmj^  matter.  l\'!Jury  was  a  horribU'  of- 
fence— sometimes.  With  easy  consciences  and  facile 
ton!j;ues,  they  did  not  really  expect  to  l)e  visited  by 
jnmishment,  here  or  hereafter,  for  false  sw»arliiL;'. 
(Iivi-rnor  Sola  says,  in  IS'21,  it  was  customary  for 
witnesses  to  deny  a  knowledge  of  facts  whrii.xcr  it 
mi.;Iit  be  det'med  uncharitable  t«>  speak  truth  wliich 
would  l)rin«jj  injury  upt»n  another — ^just  as  it  is  to-(hiy 
with  reujai'd  to  our  railway  maujnates  testifyin;;-  where 
their  interests  are  concerned;  If  there  is  no  other  way 
of  !j;ettinL,'  around  it,  their  memory  is  sure  to  fail 
tlii-m.  One  certainly  could  not  expect  a  fifty-inillion 
•  lollar  man  to  remember  anything  which  it  was  clearly 
to  Ills  interests  to  forj^et. 

So  it  is  with  nine-tenths  of  those  who  are  put  ujum 
the  witness  stand  in  any  country.  Not  all  of  them 
intend  to  swear  falsely,  but  few  speak  or  [»iactise  the 
whole  truth  and  nothinij  else.  It  mav  he  bias  of 
111111(1  or  bias  of  feeling,  but  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
thi'  hias  is  always  in  favor  of  the  alliant's  intei-ests. 
JIt'U  often  in  a  court  of  justice  do  we  hear  witnesses 


■(•b^ 


«     .^^ 


X^ 


-%. 


<> 


^^  o. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


IIM    12.5 


T  m 


M    12.2 


12.0 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4      1.6 

■• 6"     

► 

Photograpliic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


\ 


V 


''<ir  "..>.  <^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


s^^ 


# 


7a 


<> 


556 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,   AND  RELiaiON. 


swearing  diametrically  opposite  to  each  other,  so  that 
it  is  impossible  to  say  tliat  one  or  both  of  them  arc 
not  perjuring  themselves,  and  yet  they  can  hardly  be 
punished  for  purjury,  as  it  is  impossible  to  tell  which, 
if  either,  is  telling  the  truth.  And  so  when  a  man 
swears  he  cannot  remember ;  there  is  no  way  of  prov- 
ing that  he  is  swearing  falsely,  or  that  he  can  and 
does  remember,  and  would  be  very  quick  to  give  the 
desired  imformation  were  it  to  his  interest  to  do  so. 

Hence,  when  we  complain  that  a  Mexican's  word 
cannot  be  relied  on,  that  his  sense  of  honor  as  a  rule, 
is  not  sufficiently  strong  to  keep  him  honest,  that  as 
he  suspects  every  one  himself,  he  expects  every  one  to 
suspect  him,  that  as  he  believes  to  be  true  not  more 
than  half  of  what  is  told  him,  so  he  expects  not  more 
than  half  of  what  he  says  will  be  believed,  and  so  on, 
— I  say  when  we  complain  of  the  short-comings  of  the 
Hispano-American,  let  us  not  forget  those  of  the 
Ano-lo- Amer  ican. 

The  ecclesiastical  government  in  1835  was  arranged 
somewhat  in  this  wise :  The  two  Californias  and  So- 
nora  together  formed  one  diocese,  under  a  bishop  witli 
a  stipend  of  $6,000.  Until  California  should  be  erected 
into  a  bishopric,  there  was  to  be  a  vicar,  appointed 
by  the  bishop  of  Sonora,  as  he  was  usually  called,  for 
each  of  the  two  California  territories.  The  necessary 
curacies  were  established,  each  mission  being  sucli; 
and  were  the  curate  clergyman  or  friar,  he  could  i.ot 
be  a  Spaniard.  The  curate  must  have  sufficient  means 
apportioned  to  him  for  the  support  of  himself  and  his 
subordinates,  collecting  nothing  from  his  parishioners, 
and  making  no  charge  for  baptism.  Curates  were 
ecclesiastical  judges,  their  acts  to  be  before  two  wit- 
nesses, with  appeal  from  their  decisioas  to  the  vicar. 
Curates  should  act  fraternally,  and  settle  matters 
amicably. 

The  mission  churches  afforded  asylum  for  political 
or  military  refugees,  but  were  hardly  sufficient  to 
shield  notorious  criminals.     The  chapels  of  the  pie- 


ECCLESIASTICAL  AFFAIRS. 


657 


sidios,  whose  expenses  were  defrayed  by  the  garrison, 
gave  no  such  protection. 

Pontifical  bulls  being  counterfeited  at  Rome,  and  also 
breves  and  rescriptos  jn  indulgences  and  other  favors, 
the  president  decreed  in  1833  that  six  months  from 
date  no  buia  or  rescripto  should  be  received  which  did 
not  come  provided  with  the  visto  bueno  of  the  Mexi- 
can consul  at  Rome. 

The  Angeles  ayuntamiento  in  1845  resolved  that 
the  present  ecclesiastical  authorities  should  set  aside 
a  place  for  Indians  to  hear  mass,  because  they  were 
too  dirty  to  mix  with  gente  de  razon. 

Says  Alvarado :  "  In  California  we  have  never  had  a 
bishop,  and  consequently  the  people  do  not  desire  one. 
Here  the  friars  are  in  general  looked  upon  with  indif- 
ference, because  every  one  is  poor  and  devoted  to 
agriculture.  That  is,  there  is  no  fanaticism,  such  tvS 
I  have  been  told  exists  in  other  parts  of  the  republic. 
Here  we  have  no  religious  establishments." 

Father  Mercado,  of  mission  San  Antonio,  being 
called  on,  March  10,  183G,  to  ratify  on  oath  what  he 
had  on  the  28th  of  December,  1835,  represented  to 
the  diputacion  against  the  treatment  of  the  Indians 
of  San  Antonio  by  the  administrator,  Ramirez,  refused 
to  do  so,  pleading  his  privilege  as  a  priest,  and  his 
position  as  ecclesiastical  authority  in  San  Antonio ;  he 
denied  that  the  fiscal  had  any  authority  to  demand 
testimony  from  him.  The  fiscal  quoted  the  law  of 
the  nth  of  September,  1820,  under  which  he  claimed 
the  right  to  interrogate  the  padre,  and  allowed  him 
fiv(>  liours  within  wiiich  to  come  and  testify. 

The  five  hours  having  elapsed  without  the  padre 
appearing,  the  fiscal  wrote  him  that  for  tlie  last  time 
lie  suinmoned  him  to  appear  forthwith;  otherwise,  ho 
Would  at  once  declare  the  charge  against  Ramirez 
false  and  calumnious. 

Still  Mercado  did  not  come;  but  on  the  same  day 
he  answered  in  writin*;  that  he  would  like  the  fiscal 
to  show  him  the  law  under  which  he  could  declare 


558 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,  AND  RELIGION. 


|}l! 


1  id 


M 


his  charges  false  and  calumnious,  and  that  he  pro- 
tested beforehand  ajjainst  such  an  illejjal  action  on 
tile  fiscal's  part. 

]\Iercado  finally  appeared  in  person  before  the  fis- 
cal, and  took  tlie  oath  'in  verbo  saecrdotis,'  and 
stated  that  the  church  canons  forbid  ecclesiastics  to 
appear  before  secular  judges,  unless  in  self-defence,  or 
in  defence  of  the  church,  or  of  such  persons  as  could 
not  act  for  themselves.  Ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil 
laws,  and  the  holy  father's  conmiand,  and  even  under 
the  ponalty  of  mortal  sin,  impose  upon  all  the  literate, 
and  also  upon  the  priests  of  Indians  (pdrrocos  de 
indios),  to  defend  these  unfortunate  beings  against 
any  abuses  they  may  be  subjected  to. 

There  may  be  those  who  would  like  to  know  what 
the  San  Francisco  chapel  contained  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  18;51.  There  were  six  images  on  canvas  of  the 
virgin,  San  Diego,  and  St  Dominick,  one  statue  of 
St  Francis,  five  complete  ornaujents,  two  pluvials  or 
ct)pes,  rose  and  black,  six  stoles,  five  sets  of  altar  limn 
(on  which  the  conmmnion  bread  and  wine  are  put  to 
be  consecrated),  one  set  of  embroidered  linen,  five 
ornaments  of  the  altar,  six  albs,  one  surplice,  one  con- 
secrated stone  of  the  altar,  one  silver  chalice  with 
patine  and  little  spoon,  one  large  silver  cup,  one  pair 
of  vessels  for  wine  and  water,  silver  saucer  and  tum- 
bler, one  silver  and  one  copper  small  bell,  two  incen- 
sories, two  gilt  wooden  stands  for  the  missal,  one 
old  wooden  palabrer,  two  covers  for  the  altar,  two 
amices,  one  manotejo,  thirteen  purificatories,  six  silli 
embroidered  blue  ribbons  for  amices,  two  missals, 
one  of  them  old,  one  ritual,  one  Christ  crucified  of 
wood  with  the  inri  of  silver,  one  Christ  crucified  of 
copper,  one  old  gilt  niche,  six  copper  candlesticks  for 
wax  tapers,  one  copper  candlestick  in  pieces,  two  large 
bells,  one  copper  letter,  one  tin  box  for  commuiii"!! 
wafers,  two  small  candlesticks,  two  parvapalias  of 
front  ornaments,  one  white  linen  cloth,  two  long  cas- 


■;! 


SOUL-SAVIXG   MACniXERY. 


socks,  one  old  useless  carpet,  one  wooden  bench,  one 
arm-chair,  two  sets  of  red  curtains  in  windows,  one 
iiise  for  the  ornaments,  one  wooden  confessional,  two 
old  gilt  screens,  one  small  vial  for  the  holy  oil,  one 
old  trunk  for  the  dry  goods  of  the  church,  one  old 
breviary,  one  old  via  crucis,  and  one  iron  implement 
for  making  communion  wafers — machinery  enough,  if 
l)roperly  fed  with  money,  to  save  a  hundred  thousand 
souls. 

It  was  too  much  the  fashion  with  foreigners  to  ma- 
lign all  classes.  The  priests,  they  said,  possessed  little 
Karning  or  intelligejice,  and  this  little  they  devoted  to 
the  crushing  and  plundering  of  their  people.  They  were 
dissolute  and  unscriptural,  fatherly  in  a  too  literal  st'nse, 
briimiiigf  too  much  of  heaven  to  earth  if  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven;  and  loving  eau-de-vie,  the  water 
of  life,  more  than  the  bread  of  life.  For  the  laity, 
they  were  the  largest  order  of  animals  then  known, 
as  well  as  the  dirtiest ;  a  people  wholly  l^'ing  in  wicked- 
ness, and  lacking  soap.  They  were  supercilious,  yet 
ignorant  and  superstitious,  and  full  of  beastly  habits. 
That  they  were  over-ridden  by  their  clergy  they  con- 
sidered a  benefit,  if  not  to  themselves,  at  least  to  their 
neighbors,  for  when  the  blind  lead  the  blind  both  fall 
into  the  ditch.  The  Indians  wore  as  wild  and  timid 
as  the  beasts  of  chase  among  which  the}'  existed,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  slightly  advanced  by  becomiiig 
^Mexicans  by  connection  with  the  missions.  The  ap- 
pearance of  an  inunigrant  for  the  first  time  in  a  ranche- 
rfa  of  the  natives  produced  an  effect  sickening  and  [)itiful, 
as  intlicative  of  their  treatment  by  the  Californians. 
All  capable  of  flight  escaped,  while  the  women  a[»p(>ai'ed 
uailing  for  njercy,  and  endeavoring  to  a})pease  sui»[)osed 
ferocity  by  otlerings  of  such  food  as  they  possessed. 
On  the  departure  of  the  stranger,  they  made  the  place 
echo  again  with  cries  of  surprise  and  joy.  The  gov- 
ernment was  a  rotten  military  despotism;  and  the 
eouits  of  so-called  justice  were  run  by  hard  bribery 
and  hard  swearing,  legal  and  profane. 


560 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,  AND  REUOION. 


Sunday  was  the  great  gala-day,  devoted  to  religion 
and  amusement.  After  mass  the  young  and  fashion- 
able belle  returned  home  and  dressed  for  the  ball-room. 
The  waltz  which  followed  so  closely  their  worsliij) 
was  all  the  more  fantastic  from  the  previous  soml)r(j 
solemnities.  The  mind  for  the  present  was  fretil 
from  further  anxiety,  and  the  heart,  relieved  of  its 
burden  of  sin,  bounded  lightly  forth,  a  new  creature 
Aboriginals,  those  who  could  obtain  it,  resorted  to 
liquor  as  a  panacea  for  their  troubles. 

The  ideal  of  the  time  and  place  was  pleasure.  Re- 
ligion was  a  power,  wealth  a  blessing,  and  chastity 
comely;  but  religion,  wealth,  and  chastity  were  made 
secondary  to  pleasure.  The  fathers  saw  this,  and  so 
made  religion  pleasurable;  the  rich  men  felt  it,  and 
so  opened  their  houses  to  festive  throngs;  the  humble, 
the  poor,  the  good,  and  the  wicked,  whatever  else  might 
befall  them,  were  not  to  be  cheated  of  their  round  of 
pleasure. 

On  Christmas  night,  1837,  while  the  families  of  San 
Diego  were  gathered  at  Pio  Pico's  house,  the  religious 
comedy  of  El  diablo  en  la  pastorela  was  performed. 
In  the  play  appeared  an  angel,  the  devil,  a  hermit, 
and  a  Bartolo,  in  the  persons  of  Guadalupe  Estu- 
dillo,  Felipe  ^larron,  Isidora  Pico,  and  other  girls. 
On  each  side  of  the  scene  were  six  little  girls  dressrd 
in  white  with  red  head-gear.  During  the  represen- 
tation the  women  sauij  hvmns  of  adoration  to  Jesus. 

The  government  demanded  of  all  the  fulfilment  ot 
church  precepts.  All  except  the  disabled  had  to  as.sist 
at  mass  on  Sundays  and  ordained  days.  If  any  one  was 
noticed  to  fail  in  attendance  for  some  time  witliout  just 
cause,  the  authorities  sought  him  out  and  reprimanded 
him. 

In  eastcr  (pascua  florida)  all  had  to  confess  and 
take  sacrament,  and  assist  at  doctrina.  Each  received 
a  paper  from  the  padre  to  show  that  he  had  compH(  d 
with  church  duties  that  year.  When  one  reached  tlie 
age  for  confession,  this  was  no  'onger  requisite,  or  at 


INST^VNT  IN  PRAYER. 


50 1 


least  was  not  compulsory.  Still,  they  performed  their 
duties  in  obedience  to  the  wish  of  their  parents,  al- 
though the  government  did  not  meddle. 

Keligious  education  was  carefully  attended  to.  In 
every  house,  before  dawn, an  alal)ado  was  said  and  sung 
by  the  united  family.  At  noon,  prayers  were  again 
( (tiered  up.  At  the  oracion— about  6  p.  m. — and  at 
night,  before  retiring,  a  rosarlo  was  recited,  and  an- 
other alabudo  chanted  in  chorus.  At  a  fandango  (^r 
a  ball,  at  8  o'clock,  the  head  of  the  fan;ily  has  l)een 
known  to  cause  the  diversion  to  cease  while  he  recited 
the  rosario,  which  occupies  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
ill  which  all  present  were  obliged  to  join,  after  which 
tlie  festivities  were  resumed.  Many  times  at  rodeos, 
at  the  wonted  hour  for  i)rayer,  old  men  would  cause 
labor  to  be  suspended  while  they,  and  with  them  all 
the  bystanders,  offered  up  a  prayer.  Indeed,  among 
the  more  pious  life  was  one  continuous  petition,  or 
series  of  petitions,  to  the  almighty  powers  for  favors 
desired,  and  calamities  to  be  averti'd.  The  most  insig- 
nifieantof  every  day  affairs  were  n  ferred  to  the  man- 
agir  of  the  universe,  to  be  passed  u[)oii  and  adjusted. 

It  was  an  altoo-ether  abnormal  condition  of  all'ah's, 
so  far  as  law,  government,  and  religionwerecoiiec  rm  <'. 
Tin'  natives,  when  let  alone,  were  wholly  natural; 
\\]\r\i  imder  the  domination  of  foreign  missionaiies,  it 
was  worse  than  artificial.  There  were  no  other  ap[iH- 
ances  for  the  debasement  of  intellect  which  Wt)uld 
c(iual  these.  For  though  the  mind  when  left  alone 
may  fall  into  a  thousand  fantastic  fanaticisms,  win  n 
lila\  ed  U}»on  and  impressed  by  more  skilled  minds,  the 
result  is  an  intimidation  of  intellect  painful  to  see.  If 
missionaries,  or  others  who  Mould  convert  tlie  whoh- 
World  to  one  way  of  thinking  in  religious  affairs,  would 
hut  observe  how  qui(dvly  both  body  and  mind  wither 
uiidtr  the  malign  influence  of  superiority,  sa^■agesalld 
fliildren  would  be  more  let  alone,  wocld  be  less  under 
rrstraint  in  tlic  application  of  ancient  traditions  and 
meaningless  formulas  to  the  training  of  intellect. 


r.w..  Past.    36 


502 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,  AND  RELIGION. 


A  godchilil,  wherever  ami  whenever  lie  met  his 
godfather  or  godmother,  was  obliged  to  take  oti'  his 
hat  and  offer  a  brief  j)rayer,  after  which  a  benethctioii 
was  bostowed  by  the  sponsor.  The  obligations  of  the 
sponsors  were  such  that  in  case  of  the  godcliild  be 
coming  an  orphan,  the  sponsors  took  the  place  of 
parents,  and  provided  him  with  food  and  education. 
At  all  times  it  was  the  duty  of  the  sponsor  to  give 
salutiirv  counsels  to  the  {godchild. 

The  conipadrazgo  was  a  bond  of  afHnity  existing 
between  the  parents  of  the  child  on  the  one  sidi',  and 
the  sponsors  of  the  child  on  the  other — that  is,  it  was 
so  lield  by  the  church,  but  not  by  civil  law.  At  a 
baptism  the  officiating  })riest  alwavs  ex|)lai»ied  tlif 
relations  thus  contracted.  Compadro  and  c-omadre  wtic 
the  words  used  '\\\  speaking  to  or  of  the  s[)onsors  ot 
one's  child — the  same  words  being  by  them  ai)plied  to 
the  parents  of  the  child.  The  words  menu  literally 
co-father  and  co-mother.  We  have  no  kindred  tciiii 
in  English,  unless  it  be  the  now  obsolete— in  that  sense 
— gossip,  a  perfectly  well-formed  Saxon  word,  against 
the  Retaining  of  which  no  ol>jection  could  be  reasonably 
urged. 

About  September  1847,  two  Indians  wore  con- 
demned to  be  hanged  for  murdering  a  foreigner.  Tl:r 
cords  were  adjusted  by  the  attending  padres,  but  both 
knots  slipped,  and  excej)t  a  slight  choking  they  wcrr 
both  uninjured.  In  a  m(»ment  one  of  the  priests 
moujited  a  horse  and  galloped  to  the  governor's,  urg- 
ing a  re[)rieve  on  the  plea  of  a  special  disi)ensation 
of  providence.  Governor  Mason  refused,  and  tlio 
Indians  were  hanged. 

The  robes  of  the  paores  were  deemed  by  the  In- 
dians sacred  things,  precious  relics.  In  1833  at  the 
death  of  Padre  Sanchez  the  women  took  fraj^ments 
of  his  dross,  sewed  them  up  in  little  silk  or  velvet 
bokillas,  and  wore  them  round  their  necks  as  bles-ed 
relics. 

It  was  the  custom  in  California  to  give  thanks  to 


THE  MILL  OF  TIIK  C;ODS. 


r.03 


riod  at  break  of  day,  in  a  loud  V(»i(o.  One  jravc  tlie 
thread  of  till'  prayer,  the  rest  responding'.  Men,  wo- 
men, ehildren,  all  wei'e  yood  ( 'hiistiaiis  at  heart,  .-d- 
iliout^di  most  knew  nt)tiiing  of  the  rudinieiits  of  their 
reii,t,non. 

It  seemed  hard  on  the  poor  j»adres  in  California, 
tliat  after  spending  their  whole  lives  to  gain  heaven, 
thev  should  he  left  to  Hounder  about  in  puriiatorv 
p>'rha]>s  for  a  year  or  more,  and  all  beeausi>  there  were 
iiono  in  certain  times  and  jtlaees  to  give  pronijit  sufia- 
gies.  Finally,  it  was  agreed  that  for  lack  of  (piality 
there  should  be  <|uantity,  every  mission  padre  eele- 
hiating  twentv  masses  everv  time  a  brother  piiest 
(hed.  As  there  were  then  twentv-one  missions,  there 
would  be  420  masses  for  every  priest  dying. 

Says  Friar  Juan  Saneho,  guardian  of  the  college  of 
S;tii  Fernando  de  Mexico,  writing  to  the  vicenty,  the 
Conde  de  (ialvez,  in  answer  to  tlu^  viceroy's  despatch 
covering  general  royal  order  of  Januaiy  \\\,  I7S4: 
"  From  the  reports  of  the  jtndns  in  chari;e  of  the  ( 'ali- 
f  iniia  missions,  which  owe  their  being  and  advance 
tliii'tly  to  the  efforts  of  Don  dost'f  \\v  (lalvez  each 
ft'  the  nine  missions  has  its  churcii  well  sui)plied  with 
ornaments,  vessels,  etc.,  the  .31.000  givt'u  by  the  vici'- 
roy  for  the  founding  of  each  having  been  augmented 
liy  what  the  padres  have  been  able  to  economizi'  in 
tlu'ir  yearly  stipends. 

'■  l*]ach  mission  has  tlu^  buildings  necessary  for  tlie 
padres' <lwelling,  storehouses,  and  the  like.  Fach  has 
a  liuilding  for  youths,  and  another  f  )r  maidens,  pre- 
siiK'd  over  by  ])ersons  detailed  for  that  [>ur])osc  by  the 
j'riest.  Each  has  barracks  for  the  escolta.  These 
Imildings,  together  with  tlu'  houses  for  married  Indians, 
ci»inj)riso  the  pueblo,  or  mission.  At  each  mission  live 
its.  children,  at  least  the  adults,  for  many  little  ones  by 
re.ison  of  tender  age  live  with  their  pagan  parents, 
who  take  them  almost  everv  day  to  the  mission  that 
II 10  priest  may  see  them,  and  in  order  to  receive  food 


664 


LAW,  COVKTINMKXT,  AN'D   KKIJMION'. 


for  tlu'iii,  until  tin-  age  of  four  or  Hvl-,  after  wliioli  tlic 
child  rciDuiiis  at  the  misKioii. 

"At  tlu'  sound  of  the  nioniiiiLC  IhU,  the  IndiauH  ljo  to 
the  church,  where  the  priest  recites  prayers  and  doc- 
trina  in  Spanish.  After  hearing  mass,  they  goto  hr(;ak- 
fast.  The  same  religious  exercises  ai'e  repeated  every 
al'ternoou.  Although  at  almost  each  mission  the  na- 
tive dialect  is  ditl'erent,  hy  the  padres'  exertions  most 
(»f  the  Indians  speak  Spanish,  and  some  confess  in  this 
language.  At  the  same  time  the  j»riests  have  learned 
the  liulian  tongues.  The  chiUlren  learn  Spanisli 
easily.  The  efforts  of  the  padres  for  the  s])ii"itu;d 
amelioration  of  the  natives  are  ceaseless.  As  the 
jtadres  also  look  after  the  temjxti'al  welfare  of  the 
natives,  they  instruct  them  in  what  jiertains  to  social 
and  political  life,  and  in  all  o[)erations  connected  with 
the  cultivation  of  the  land,  the  padres  actually  |)er- 
i'orming  all  these  opei'ations  that  thiy  may  learn. 
Thus  they  have  cli'ai'ed  the  best  land  near  the  mission>, 
and  have  hrou-'ht  water  to  irri<«ate  it.  Each  vear 
there  is  planted  as  much  as  is  possible.  Tlu'  new 
('hristians  learn  also  to  lie  caipeiiteiN,  masons,  smiths. 
(piaiTymen,  and  the  like,  under  the  direction  of  tin 
])adres.  The  Indians  ])roduce  everything  that  is  pm- 
duced,  and  consume  it.  The  ])agans  that  visit  the 
nussions  are  given  what  then;  is  to  give,  the  ])a(liv 
knowiiiix  that  thus  thev  are  moreieadilv  attra(,-ted  te 
ii  Christian  mode  of  life.  The  padres  also  are  j)hysi- 
cians  and  surgeons,  making  use  of  remedies  sent  from 
the  college,  and  of  hei'hs  the  virtues  of  which  expe 
rience  has  shown  thenj, 

"  One  affliction  tlu'  jKidres  suffer — they  cannot.  a< 
they  desire,  clothe  their  neophytes.  Of  liis  stipend 
of  .$400,  each  padre  spends  the  half  in  his  own  dress, 
chocolate,  wine  and  wax  for  the  church;  and  other 
things  of  less  import — -such  as  medicines,  triidvets  lor 
the  Indians,  etc.  It  costs  nearly  $100  to  conduct 
these  things  from  Mexico  to  San  Bias.  The  otlnr 
$100  is  spent  on  blankets  and  coarse  stuffs  for  clotli- 


SAINTS    AM)   SAVACKS. 


r,r>5 


iiiLf — tliJit  is,  tlic  balance  Irt't  ui'tvv  tlir  lu^rcssary  jmr 
cliiistTs  of  tliiii'^s  tor  till'  cliurcli  and   iiiipltim'iits  ot" 
liushaiidrv.     So  there   is  not  ciioul:;!!  to  liaif  riot  lie 


till- 


liul 


laMs. 


Alt: 


lou'jli  iiearlv  evei'v  vcai-  tlu-re  is  a 


^ii|tcrai)mulaiu-e  ot"  grain  and  cattle,  no  advanta'^e  can 


!)('  taken  ot"  it,  lor  there 


are  no  imvi'rs. 


Jt'th 


le  i)a(lres 


Sell  anything',  it  is  (»nly  losin^j  it  and  nctt  ri'ceiviny-  its 
valut',  the  jtiirehase!'  asserting"  whin  payment  is  asked 
that  he  Las  no  niont'V. 

Throii'^li  the  instruction  of  the  padres,  the  Indians 


S(  M  ) 


n  become  skilled    in  tlu;   jneehanic  art.- 


Tl 


lev  are 


(|uick  at  learning,  and  are  docile,  Though  they  woi'k 
AVi  II  when  tho  })adr(>  is  pri'sent,  they  will  not  other- 
wise apply  tliemscKcs,  which,  considering  the  new- 
ness ot'  <'ivilized  lite  to  tlii-m,  is  not  to  he  wondered 
at.  Without  tlu'  continual  care  o['  the  padres,  they 
would  rela[)se  into  harhaiism.  'I'his  is  the  reason 
why  the  lands  ha\  e  not  heen  assigiuMl  hy  families,  and 
why  all  cultivate  them  in  common,  and  live  ami  cat 
tiigether.  .\t  present  tlu^y  are  not  capahle  of  living  in 
any  other  way;  many  years  must  ela[tsi;  hefore  they 
will  he.  They  are  like  children,  and  have  yet  to  learn 
liow  to  live  a  political  and  civil  life  in  ( 'hristiaii  society. 
"At  these  missions,  there  arc  no  cofrailias,  nor  lier- 


n  1:1  IK 


lad 


es,  nor  an 


y 


)ran( 


■h  of 


commerce. 


ne 


<lu   not   even   think   of  reci^iviii!^-  anv  obvencioi 


IMid 


res 


li 


hccemher  of  the  past  year,  an  order  of  the  king  was 
iiilimated  to  the  padres  of  thivse  missions,  and  its 
|uiiictual  observance  I'xacted,  Paragraph  I'J  of  that 
'ider  provides  that  only  at  missions  near  presidios,  or 


at  those  near  the  pagan  frontier,  shall  there  be  tw 
padres.  All  these  nine  missions  are  on  the  pagan 
fioiitier,  and  almost  every  night  many  |)agans  sleei>  at 
eiie  or  all  of  them,  so  it  would  seem  that  none  are 
ehjigeil  to  go  on  with  oidy  one  padre.  Tiie  king 
<U(1(  rs  that  the  statutes,  which  in  1780  the  comisario 
general  de  Indias  framed  i>v  roval  order,  shall  be  ob- 
Served  punctually,  J*aragraph  (5,  number  3,  of  these 
statutes,  orders  that  no  minister  shall  reside  alone  at 


LAW,  GOVKRNMKNT,  AND  REI,niON. 


tho  new  missions.  As  the  missions  an;  distant  oni'  from 
anotlior,  anil  the  assaults  of  Siivai^vs  may  tak»'  jtlacr 
at  any  time,  a  padn;  livin;^  alono  is  ox|>oseil  to  lii-atli 
witliout  receiving  the  saeraments — a  contiiiij^cncy 
wiiich  should  l»y  all  means  be  avoided.  Thereftnc, 
these  padres  bi'seieh  tlu'  vieeroy  not  to  allow  them  to 
live  alone,  Imt  to  in()vide  that  they  shall  continue  to 
reside  two  at  a  mission." 

(Jovcrnor  !Nrirheltorena, in  ]\i^  interview  witli  Hishop 
Diei^o,  said  that  the  eler;^y  of  California  swam  in 
luxury  and  lasciviousness,  iiuvin*;  al)andont!d  tlu^  ways 
of  the  missionaries  of  old.  The  early  |tadrcs  slept  on 
tlu^  jj^rouml  with  an  adobe  for  a  pillow,  and  a  hide  for 
a  blanket;  while  nt)W  tlu^  padiis  ileal,  Jimeno.  Quijas, 
^[ereado,  Santillan,  an.d  others  had  luxurious  beds 
adorned  with  curtains,  and  provided  with  good  niat- 
tnsses.  Formerly  they  punislu'd  the  padre  who  car- 
lied  a  silver  watch,  but  to-ilay  all  the  priests  go  with 
gold  watches  and  chains.  They  engage  in  all  maniu  r 
of  illicit  pleasures,  and  all  without  hindrance  from 
their  bishop.  The  scandalous  conduct  of  the  clergy 
impelled  all  who  cijuld  afford  it  to  send  their  childrt  n 
abroad  to  be  educated,  and  keep  them  from  the  per- 
nicious example  of  unchaste  priests.  So  said  the  gov- 
ernor to  the  bishop. 

The  Senoi-a  Padilla  once  complained  indignantly 
to  the  juez  de  paz,  for  herself,  and  in  the  name  of 
other  religiously  inclined  females  accustomed  to  go 
to  the  chapel  to  say  their  prayers.  On  this  occasion, 
they  were  about  to  commence  their  novenas  and  via 
crucis,  when  the  sacristan,  Mariano  Quarte,  would  not 
serve  them  in  the  via  crucis,  saying  that  he  diil  not 
know  how  to  luay  the  same,  but  he  did  know  the 
novena,  always  supposing  they  would  give  him  fivr 
reales  ajnece,  as  jiad  be»>n  done  formerly  after  finishing 
the  novena  by  those  women  whom  he  had  accom- 
panied in  this  exercise;  and  that  coniplainant  and  tlu' 
others  were  also  obliged  to  do  this.  No  one  woukl 
object  to  this  were  the  sacristan  not  paid  by  the  peo[ilc 


I'AY  AND   I'RAY. 


r.iiT 


tt>  servo  in  all  tlnnjnrs  iHM'cssarv.  Thoy  lu'liovc  tlwit 
tlit'v  should  \r.\y  iiotliiiitj;,  tor  the  puMic  |>ays  tho  sac- 
ristan a  salaiv,  aiul  Iir  iloiH  not  do  his  duty  as  lie 
.should. 

Mr  Hood  of  Yciha  Hutiia,  wlio.sc  laniily  had  ln-eu 
insulted  l)V  a  drunki'ii  i>rii'st,  Uv'uwx  asked  whv  ho  liad 
nut  kntH'kod  tlu'  «lrunkard  thnvii.  answiMi'd  that  undrr 
tin-  law  if  a  liiynian  struck  a  jnicst  ho  luul  to  sutl'or 
amputation  of  Iiis  rii;ht  luind  in  punishnn'nt. 


Tl 


10  rai 


ly  fatl 


lors  W( 


ri'  not   rmiiirkahK'   for  their 


inti'llii^once.oj'  thoir  faculties  for  rcast)ninuf.    "  J -.a  vcrito 
ot  (|U(>  cos  hons  poi'cs  n'octaiont  pas  tU'  grands  ci-i- 


tl(|U 


I'S, 


avs  liO  CK-ro;  and  the  niorf  thev  were  like  tlu 


i|iostles  t]u>  more  siinph-  were  tluy  Their  writin^js 
Were  like  those  of  men  who  had  nevei  seen  davliiiht, 
or  lu'ard  the  roar  of  ocean,  or  smelt  a  violet.  They 
conid  neither  receive  nor  conim  .'.Icate  striHi_;e  truths, 
and  childish  crodulitv  characterized  their  thoULihts 
Mid  actions. 

Till'  (  ulifornians,  says  (Jomez,  had  hoon  led  to  ho- 
litxe  that  the  fathei's  (»t  Zacatt'cas  wen;  trno  apt)stK's, 
livinij^  models  of  virtue  and  t;oodness.  Hut  what  w;'s 
their  surprise  when  tlu\y  canu^  hitlu^r  to  Had  them 
(huiikards,  advt'uturors,  who  saHie<l  forth  at  nin'ht  in 
Starch  of  fun,  with  women  at  thoir  aim,  with  whom 
tliev  livtd  more  or  less  oponlv.  For  them  it  was  a 
\  ice  to  ahstain  from  pleasui'o.  Amonij^  those  pK'asure- 
i\in;,^  j)riests  wiM'o  Father  Ordaz,  Father  Ileal,  also 


M 


cii'iKlo  am 


1  Anza.     Ordaz,  however,  was  a  Fernan- 


(lllio. 


('aptain  Pholi)s  tells  a  story  of  Krmitin^-er,  the 
trapper,  and  a  padre  of  San  J^afaol  mission,  'i'iie 
SI  riie  occurred  at  a  small  nartv  u'iven  l)v(»len  l^jo, 
uiider-factor  of  the  Hudson's  l^av  (\>mpanv  in  chariio 
at  Verha  Huena  Cove.  The  priest,  who  had  heeii 
tliinkin,i>-  rather  freely,  diselosi'd  a  penchant  for  kiss- 
in.;  the  men  after  the  fashion  of  the  Latin  lace. 
lliiiiitingor,  who  was  a  stranij^or,  a  rou_i;h  man,  and  a 
iiLiid  woinan-kisser,  dech'u>d  the  fraternal  embrace. 
'Ju  vam,"  says  the  captain,  "wo  tried  to  keep   the 


6G8 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,  AND  RELIGION. 


priest  quiet;  but  as  he  increased  liis  libations,  so  fvrcw 
his  foolish  persistence.  Alaking  a  desperate  etibrt  to 
accomplish  his  purpose,  most  unexpectedly  he  came  in 
C(>ntact  with  the  back  of  the  hunter's  hand,  which  sent 
him  sprawling  across  the  room.  'Stranger,'  said  Er- 
mitinger,  'when  I  was  in  the  llocky  Mountains  I  swoic 
that  I  would  never  allow  mvself  to  be  hunifed  l)y  a 
Blackfoot  Indian  or  a  grizzly  bear;  but  I  would  sull'cr 
the  embraces  of  either  in  jireference  to  those  of  a 
drunken  priest.'" 

In  robbing  the  church,  the  government  required 
no  more  plausible  pretext  than  did  the  church  in  rol)- 
bing  the  people.  War  was  a  standing  excuse;  and 
here  the  people  must  not  oidy  pay,  but  come  up  and 
be  shot.  They  are  fine  tilings,  civilization,  religion, 
and  well  worth  paying  and  dying  for,  and  all  so  neces- 
sary, for  so  religions  and  civilizations  are  establislied. 

It  is  interesting  to  follow  the  manipulations  of  the 
fondo  piadoso  in  California.  So  firmly  establislied  in 
the  Peninsula  were  the  ramparts  of  Satan  that  thi^ 
hosts  of  the  Lord  could  not  ])revail  against  them  - 
without  money;  with  money  all  things  are  possible, 
the  devil  himself,  from  the  earliest  times  in  these 
regions  to  tlie  present  day,  whether  in  legislative  or 
cathedral  halls,  being  unable  to  withstand  its  influenee. 
A  royal  junta,  a})pointed  in  1(581  to  consider  the  mat- 
ter, ottered  money,  but  not  enough;  even  the  Jesuits 
were  not  tempted  by  the  advances  of  the  government. 

Finally,  in  1()1)7,  fathers  Salvatierra  and  Ugarte 
olfeied  to  undertake  the  work  on  their  own  account 
if  the  government  would  give  them  their  own  way, 
which  it  was  very  glad  to  do,  for  it  was  a  shame  tti 
give  over  to  Beelzebub  any  portion  of  Christ's  kin-4- 
dom,  even  so  God-forsaken  a  sjiot  as  the  Peninsula. 
But  even  these  priests,  ri[)e  as  they  were  for  martyr- 
dom, and  depending  chiefly  on  s|)iritual  weapons,  must 
have  money.  It  is  wonderful  how  spirits  even  are 
wooed  and  won  by  the  cold,  impassive  metal. 


THE  PIOUS  FUND. 


5G9 


,  SO  grew 
ett'ort  to 
I  came  ill 
liich  sent 
said  Er- 

S  I  SWOl'C 

[red  V)y  a 
uld  suffer 
losc  of  a 


required 

ch  iu  r«'^'- 
cuse;  aii<l 
lie  up  untl 
I,  reli*;'ion, 
I  so  neees- 
itablislied. 
ons  ot"  tilt- 
iblished  iu 
I  tiiat  the 
it  tlieui    - 
possible, 
ill  tlu'so 
hslative  or 
iutlucnce. 
|r  the  iiiat- 
10  Jesuits 
vorniut'iit. 
lid  Ug-artt" 
Ml  account 
own  way, 
shame  to 
[ist's  kiu'j;- 
E*eninsula. 
tor  martx  1- 
l^ons,  must 
even  aic 
II. 


The  priests  began  to  borrow  and  beg,  and  the  peo- 
ple gave  willingly  enough,  security  being  well  assuretl 
iu  heaven  if  all  were  lost  on  earth.  One  man,  (\iba- 
llcro  y  Ozio,  gave  ^20,000;  another,  Puente  y  Pena, 
(lcsirin<j  somethin<>"  more  than  a  hut  in  heaven  such 
as  this  sum  would  buy,  with  his  wealthy  wife  put  up 
liiilf  a  million  dollars  in  lands  and  cattle.  Others 
gave,  until  the  pious  fund  aggregated  a  million  dollars, 
and  a  board  was  a|)})oiiited  to  take  cluirge  of  it,  the 
government  meanwhile  eyeing  it  closely.  Ten  thou- 
sand dollars  would  found  a  mission  in  those  days,  and 
the  establishments  of  Upper  California  were  not  with- 
out participation  in  the  pious  fund. 

From  the  Jesuits  the  pious  fund  passed  to  the  junta 
(le  temporalidades,  and  when  this  board  was  extin- 
guished, to  the  ministerio  do  hacienda,  after  which  it 
went  to  the  minister  of  relaciones.  It  was  invested 
at  this  time  in  buildintjs  occuiiied  mostlv  by  the  oov- 
trunient  and  paying  no  rent,  which  was  equivalent  to 
conHscation  by  the  government. 

The  gvjvernment  divided  the  fund  into  three  branches 
for  its  better  administration:  <uie  eml)raciiig  the  city 
estates  and  the  interest  of  the  capital;  the  second, 
enil)racino;  the  hacienda  Cieneya  del  Pastor,  in  Jali.sco; 
and  tlie  third,  the  otiier  country  estates  in  Guanajuato, 
Potosf,  and  Tamauli[)as.  All  these  branches  de[»end 
directly  on  the  secretary  f)f  affairs. 

The  secretary  of  state  gives  a  review  of  the  condition 
of  the  pious  fund  'v\  18;)0,  and  calls  the  attention  of 
congress  to  the  fact  that  not  only  had  the  missions  of 
Aita  (;'alifornia  sustained  themselves  during  the  with- 
(h'awal  of  the  pious  fund  stipends  from  ISIl  to  18  IH 
and  \H-2:\  to  18:30,  but  actually  provided  .^271, .'Ul  for 
the  troops  there,  which  had  been  also  neglected  by  the 
t!;overnnieiit.  Hence  some  modifications  in  the  admin- 
istrative system  should  be  entertained,  reserving  the 
funds  for  the  poorer  establishments,  both  for  sui>[>ort 
of  tlieir  missionaries  and  for  their  exterior  pr-ogre.ss. 
ile  foresees  the  most  glowing  results  to  the  C'alifor- 


570 


LAW,  GOVERNMENT,  AND  RELIGION. 


niaus  in  applying  to  its  development  the  yearly  fund 
revenue  of  30,000  pesos  or  more. 

Says  Carrillo:  'The  people  of  California  are  well 
convinced  that  to  the  missions  is  due  the  little  pros- 
perity hitherto  attained  by  their  country.  They  be- 
lieve that  the  government  is  bound  to  protect  am! 
develop  the  missions.  They  well  know  that  the  in- 
come of  the  pious  fund  ought  to  be  expended  for  that 
purpose,  and  that  the  missionaries  have  not  been  paid 
for  years— and  that  the  government  treasury  is  in- 
debted to  that  fund  some  $500,000  principal  and  inter- 
est." In  1836  the  Mexican  government  obtained  from 
the  pope  the  establishment  of  a  bishopric  in  California, 
and  gave  the  administration  of  the  pious  fund  to  the 
bishop.  But  this  functionary  was  soc^n  bankru})t,  and 
the  fund  turned  over  to  a  government  director  to 
manage.  The  amount,  yielding  six  per  cent,  was  rujw 
$1,G98,745. 

That  black  angel,  Santa  Anna,  pretending  to  a  bet- 
ter care  of  these  gifts  of  piety  and  charity,  in  1842 
ordered  the  fund,  now  amounting  to  a  million  and  a 
half,  to  be  swept  into  the  government  treasury-,  or 
tliieves'  strong-box.  Upper  California's  declared  jxtr- 
tion,  after  passing  the  ordeal  of  a  joint  commission, 
being  finally  declared  to  be  $900,000. 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

CRIMES  AND  COURTS, 
Li's  rupubliquea  fiuissent  ][>ar  le  luxe;  lea  monarchies  par  la  pauvret^. — 

It  is  not  among  a  lazy,  improvident  people  that  we 
^'o  to  look  either  for  the  greatest  criminals  or  the 
strictest  administration  of  justice.  Few  desired  to 
kill:  there  was  but  little  to  steal;  it  was  easier  and 
iiKiii!  ])rofitable  to  be  satisfied  with  poverty  on  a  full 
l)tlly  than  to  enjoy  a  lean  and  hungry  higher  spiiere. 
Illicit  hate  was  thus  reduced  to  a  minimum ;  while 
illicit  love  was  not  driven  into  the  thorny  path  marked 
out  for  it  b}'  the  saintly  and  sentimental  of  the  more 
fiiuid  moralities.  Governor  Alvarado  affirms,  with 
pcriiaps  a  slight  stretch  of  truth,  and  himself  the 
lather  of  children  born  out  of  wedlock,  that  in  pro- 
Aiiicrican  times  there  were  wo  jirostitutes.  Some 
women,  indeed,  may  have  given  themselves  up  to 
their  heart's  desire,  but  it  was  through  the  heart's 
impulse,  and  not  base  passion,  ^[oneyhad  nothing  to 
di)  with  it,  until  the  Americans  came —which  would 
seem  to  say  that  the  wicked  ones  from  the  United 
States  paid  the  women  tlu^y  prostituted,  while  tlie 
j;tio{|  Mexicans  did  not.  The  truth  is,  in  lotos-eating 
lands  lovi>s  licit  or  illicit  are  not  harshly  denominatetl 
criiin's,  but  rather  the  effect  of  the  weather. 

So  with  cattle-stealing,  pn)l)al)ly  the  next  great 
wickedness,  it  was  rather  a  manly  occupation,  some- 
times a  war  measure,  unlucky  on  the  part  of  the 
pel  soil  caught  at  it,  but  not  specially  disgraceful  even 
tlioii'^li  it  might  be  death. 

(W) 


X 


572 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


Slciiuler  was  an  offence.  On  the  r2tli  of  ^raivli, 
18-8.  tlie  governor,  writing  to  the  comandaiite  at 
^Monterey,  orclerecl  liini  to  exact  reparation  from  ^faiia 
A'as(|nez  for  cahmiiiiating  the  honor  of  the  wife  <  I' 
Ca})tain  (Jonzalez.  But  hack  in  1785  I  find  in  tlu' 
state  })a[)ers  (Governor  Fages  writing  from  Monteirv 
to  Diego  (Jonzalez,  desiring  him  to  warn  tlie  heads  of 
faniiHes  to  he  i>erupuk)usly  mindful  to  correct  anum^- 
tliemselves  all  excess  of  hickering  and  discord,  and  to 
hold  each  responsihle  for  any  disturhance  they  canst. 

In  the  archives  of  Santa  Cruz,  I  find  written  in  Alay 
1835  that  it  is  notorious  that  vagrancy  is  excessive  in 
the  puehlos.  And  the  governor  ordered  that  alcaldes 
should  estahlish  trihunales  de  vagos,  or  vagrants" 
courts,  to  hear  and  determine  casrs  against  vagrants. 
conforming  proceedings  to  the  law  of  the  3d  of  March, 
18-28. 

In  Xovemher  1833,  Governor  Figueroa  issued  cii- 
culars  to  the  comantiantes  of  the  four  presidios,  tliat 
from  each  jn-esidio  there  should  every  month  he  sent 
out  a  military  expedition  wliich  should  visit  the  places 
of  refuge  and  deposit  of  horse-thieves.  Tlie  missions 
and  neighhors  nearest  at  hand  should  suj)ply  tlic 
necessary  horses.  Expetlitions  should  he  made  at  any 
time  during  the  month,  to  he  commanded  hv  an  otliit  r. 
sergeant,  or  corporal,  who  should  conform  to  the  oidcis 
of  the  comandante  of  tlie  presidio.  All  horses  fcund 
in  the  possession  of  any  one  without  the  roita,  that 
is  to  sav,  sale  mark,  or  other  leLjal  formalitv  sho\\  inLi 
rightful  possession,  should  he  restored  to  the  owiicis. 
Cattle  Ibund  at  the  tulares,  and  in  other  waste  places. 
should  he  considered  as  stolen,  and  the  actual  posses- 
sors thieves;  and  they  should  he  held  rcsponsihle  t'er 
damage  done  hv  the  jj^entiles  whom  they  incite  to 
steal  the  cattle.  Alcaldes,  comandantes,  propiittois. 
owners  of  ranchos  and  estates,  and  their  mavordonies, 
should  aid  in  pursuing  cattle-thieves,  arresting  those 
caught  in  the  act,  or  where  there  might  he  proofs  ol 
crime,  and  delivering  them  to  the  proper  authority. 


CATTLE-STEALINOt. 


SfW 


Tlio  monthly  expedition  slioukl  take  ])laco  at  tlio 
tiiiu-  most  convenient,  and  any  liunters  encountered, 
it'  joreigners,  were  to  be  told  tluit  luii^ting  is  proliil)- 
itnl:  and  if  Mexicans  or  naturali/.ed,  that  tliey  must 
have  jiermission  from  the  government. 

All  commerce  should  he  carried  on  in  tlie  civilized 
districts,  and  on  no  account  with  the  wild  Inchans.  who 
possess  no  property  whatever;  any  one  found  carrying 
(HI  a  clandestine  traftic  should  he  deemed  a  snuiggler, 
lii>  goods  confiscated,  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
indue,  who  should  decide  whether  thev  are  to  he  for- 
fcitcd  or  not. 

The  Inchans  should  i)e  well  treated,  and  he  made 
to  understand  that  if  thev  .stole  stock  they  will  in  fu- 
tuic  he  brought  by  force  to  the  ])residios  for  punisli- 
iiicnt;  that  all  were  under  the  obligation  to  inform 
a'iaiiist  robbers,  and  if  thev  did  not,  thev  too  would 
111'  |iunished. 

Alcaldes  as  well  as  comandantes  militares.  proprie- 
tnr>  of  ranchos,  haciendas,  anditheii*  mayordomos,  wrre 
til  pursue  all  stock-thieves,  apprehen<hng  them  when 
rauulit  in  the  act,  or  having  proof  of  their  (n'inu'.  and 
t(i  liaud  them  over  to  the  iudi>(\  who  as  (luicklv  as 
jKissihle  should  sentence  and  punish. 

There  were  laws  against  gand)ling  and  against 
di inking:  no  special  increase  in  the  vices  seems  to 
have  been  noticed  after  the  passages  of  these  r(\gula- 
ti'iiis.  The  gente  de  razon,  or  jteople  of  reason,  wei(> 
the  oidy  class  the  law  allowed  to  drink  at  all,  the  wild 
u'ciitiK^s  not  havijio'  anv  reason  to  be  affected  bv  fire- 
water,  it  were  a  waste  oivinu"  it  to  them.  A  wauer 
III!  a  game  not  forbidden  by  law  was  a  K'gal  contract 
ill  ls.'!:{.  On  all  the  ranchos  where  there  were  shops, 
lie  vanchero  encouraged  gambling  among  his  labf)rei's. 
The  games  were  of  cards,  and  the  plavei-s  would 
lift  hides,  u\oney,  and  any  article  of  (dothing.  to 
their  shirts.  The  nionev  and  hides  sjeneralK'  f\dl  to 
the  raiudiero,  in  exchange  for  aguardiente  and  other 
UKicJumdiso.     Later,  store-keepers  allowing  gambling 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


were  fined  $6  for  the  first  offence,  $12  for  the  socoiid. 
antl  for  the  third  offence  according  to  the  decision  of 
the  judge.  Bankers  of  games  and  monteros  paid  the 
same  penalties,  and  those  assisting  $1  each. 

Echeandia,  writing  to  tlie  minister  of  justice  in 
Mexico,  in  June  1829,  says:  "Formerly  San  Francisco, 
Monterey,  San  Diego,  and  Santa  Biirbara  were  the 
four  heads  of  departments,  and  the  respective  conian- 
dantes  had  cognizance  of  government  and  the  admin- 
istration of  justice  according  to  the  formulario  do 
Colon,  and  in  the  graver  cases  sent  the  expedient's, 
or  information,  to  the  governor  for  his  decision,  or  that 
of  a  court-martial,  or  for  him  to  send  to  the  viceroy. 
Since  the  independence,  things  have  changed.  The 
government,  in  order  to  have  a  rental,  has  opened 
commerce  to  foreigners,  and  there  are  many  in  tlie 
country.  Civil  population  has  increased,  and  the  num- 
ber of  military  officers  decreased.  The  alcalde  of  An- 
geles within  liis  limits,  and  on  the  neighboring  farnis 
to  a  distance  of  nine  or  more  loaijues,  and  the  alcahK-  of 
San  Josd  in  liis  jurisdiction,  deteiinine  civil  causes  nut 
exceeding  $100  in  value,  and  criminal  matters  wliere 
only  reparation  is  to  be  made,  or  a  light  punishment 
inflicted."  In  matters  of  greater  importance,  they 
take  the  first  depositions,  which  they  remit  to  Echean- 
dia, who,  according  to  the  military  system,  determines 
the  matter,  or  consults  the  nearest  asesor,  or  hi^al 
adviser,  who  is  at  Sonora,  or  calls  a  court-martial,  or 
sends  the  matter  to  the  minister  of  justice,  or  war,  or 
of  the  navv,  as  the  case  mav  be.  In  his  small  juris- 
diction,  the  alcalde  of  Branciforte  determines  matters 
verbally,  and  in  graver  affairs  sends  the  expediente 
to  the  comandante  of  Monterey,  who  proceeds  in  a 
military  manner.  The  alcaldes  of  Monterey  and 
Santa  Biirbara,  as  well  as  the  respective  comandantes, 
take  cognizance  of  civil  matters  not  in  excess  of  3 1 00, 
and  act — criminally — as  the  alcalde  of  Angeles,  ex- 
cept that  they  refer  proceedings  to  the  comandantes. 

At  the  presidios  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego. 


THE  ALCALDE'S  AUTHORITY. 


tliG  comandantes  proceed  in  a  military  manner  in 
minor  matters,  and  in  graver  cases  as  the  others. 
Tliere  are  therefore  six  districts  for  the  administra- 
tion of  justice.  This  itself  is  in  a  lamentable  condition 
for  want  of  a  letrado,  or  ler^al  adviser,  which  makes 
it  impossible  to  proceed  properly  in  military  or  other 
dt'i>ositions. 

Savage  says  that  in  1826  there  were  no  competent 
courts  of  law  to  try  civil  or  criminal  cases.  The 
alcaldes  of  the  towns  were  authorized  to  act  as  jueces 
coiiiisionados,  or  fiscales,  in  criminal  cases,  to  make 
investigations,  and  suggest  release  or  punishment  of 
the  accused ;  but  being  ignorant  of  law,  they  could  not 
even  do  this  properly,  and  they  often  acknowledged 
tliiir  ignorance  in  the  dictamen  fiscal.  And  as  late 
as  1847  Bryant  found  no  written  statute  law,  the  only 
law  books  being  a  digested  code  entitled  Laws  of 
^^paiu  and  the  Indies,  published  in  Spain,  a  century 
before,  and  a  small  pamphlet  defining  the  powers  of 
various  judicial  officers,  emanating  from  the  Mexican 
noverinnent  since  the  revolution.  A  late  governor 
of  California  told  a  niafjistrate  U  administer  the  law 
"in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  natural  right 
and  justice;"  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  Califor- 
nia jurisprudence — the  true  foundation,  indeeil,  of  all 
justice.  The  local  bandos  or  laws  were  enacted, 
adjudicated,  and  executed  by  the  alcaldes.  The 
altalde  had  jurisdiction  in  all  nmnicipal  matters,  and 
ill  cases  for  minor  offences,  and  for  debt  in  sums  not 
over  one  hundred  dollars.  In  cases  of  capital  offences, 
the  alcalde  had  simply  power  to  examine,  testimony 
being  taken  down  in  writing  and  transmitted  to  the 
jui'Z  de  primera  instancia,  or  first  judge  of  district 
before  whom  the  case  was  tried.  The  trial  by  hom- 
bies  buenos,  to  which  any  one  that  might  demand  it 
was  entitled,  differed  from  our  trial  by  iurv  onlv  in 
tlk'  number  of  the  jurors,  they  having  three  or  five,  as 
ordered  by  the  magistrate.  With  honest  magistrates, 
the  system  of  law  in  California  operated  well;  but 


R7rt 


CRIMKS  AXn  COURTS. 


V'>. 


with  corrupt  mid  isjriioraiit  inaiijiHtniti^H,  too  frequently 
ill  power,  the  <'ons('(|iU'ii<'('S  were  had. 

I  find  uinonuf  tlie  arcliives  of  the  adiniiii.stration  of 
justice,  of  IH-J4,  th(^  foIh)\viii<jf  instructions  for  the  tri- 
hunides  (»f  T'instancia  of  California  compiled  hy  tliu 
asesoi"  thereof 

"As  tlw!  alcaldiis  constitucionales  exercise  the  func- 
tions of  jueces  de  I"  instancia— in  conformity  with 
articles  I  and  .'{,  cha|)ter  IV.,  dei^n-.'e  of  ( )ctoher  1),  I  S  I  '2, 
.still  in  force  hi  tlu^  i'epul>lic  -and  as  no  distrilnition  of 
jiiirtidos  has  heen  made,  nor  jueces  de  h^tras  ajtpointcd 
for  tlieni,  as  the  alcaldes  have  no  escrihanos,  or  otln  r 
suhalicins,  wlio  miolit  advise  them,  as  it  would  not  lie 
easv  for  tlieni  in  a  short  time  to  solve  doubts  arisin<>-  - 
I  have  ileenied  this  cartilla  necessaiT,  in  oi'dt-r  that  it 
he  of'  service  to  them,  it  heiuij;  understood  that  my 
lahoi'  has  h(>en  unollicial,  and  that  as  asesor  of  Cali- 
fornia I  am  not  ohliu;ed  to  do  it  —whence  it  follows 
that  it  has  the  same  autliority  as  would  tlie  |»roduc- 
tion  of  any  individual  lawyer  who  ilesirt's  unifoiuiity 
of  j)roceediii<4",  and  who  has  Jiekl  strictly  to  the  practico 


df 


and  tornui 


he  o- 


i>ni>ra,liv  m  use 


I.  llavinoheen  informed  that  an  offence  has  heen 
connnit.ti'd,  the  jue/  shall  di'aw  up  a  docun<ent  calhil 
<-aheza«K>proce.so,  which  must  set  forth  theinformat'dii, 
andorderan  in(juiry  into  the  alleged  offence.  This  must 
he  si<j;ned  hy  the  alcalde  and  two  test  igosde  asisteiicia, 
who  act  insti'ad  of  an  escrihano  [)ul)lico — of  this  |»i(i- 
ceedin^-  it  heing"  said  that  they  ai'tuaron  por  n'ceptona. 

'J.  The  alcalde  will  tlu'ii  proceed  to  verity  in  pi'isuii 
the  fact  of  an  otfence  having  heen  committed:  in  ;i 
case  of  homicide,  he  will  inform  himself  as  to  wlu'ie  the 
body  is.  of  the  wounds  and  theh"  dimensions;  shall  m.iki' 
a  drawing  of  the  weapon,  as  ]>art  of  the  aumaria,  in 
order  that  twt>  experts  may  verity  its  liaving  caused 
the  wounds;  if  the  ak'alde  be  alone,  he  shoukl  inako 
an  examination  of  the  locality  where  the  crime  was 
coiumitted 


f'OURT  OP  FIRST  INSTANCE  I'ROCEDURE. 


577 


n.  After  tukiiij^  declarations  concerning  the  crime, 
111-  hIuiII  talce  that  of  tlie  criminal  liimHch,  and  there- 
art(;r  take  such  proceedings  as  tlie  case  dem  nd. 

[.  Sliould  the  crime  he  proven  even  by  circumstan- 
ces, the  alcalde  shall  draw  up  the  document  called  de 
l>i(  H  preso  (that  culprit  is  well  held),  endeavoring  to  do 
tills  within  the  GO  hours  stipulated  by  article  I'Jl  of  the 
irciural  constitution.  This  he  shall  make  known  to  the 
accused,  and  shall  send  a  copy  to  him  who  acts  as  alcaide 
(jiiilcr),  that  he  may  comprehend  his  responsibility, 
if  It  be  manifest  that  the  accused  be  not  delinquent, 
or  that  the  crime  is  unimportant,  the  alcalde  shall  set 
him  at  liberty,  or  order  the  proceedings  to  be  quaslied. 

0.  In  case  the  prisoner  should  be  guilty,  and  tliere 
lie  no  further  documents  to  be  made  out,  he  shall  be  no- 
tified to  name  a  defensor — or  having  none,  or  refusing 
to  do  so,  the  juez  shall  do  so.  In  tlie  presence  of  this 
(lel'eiisor,  the  culprit's  confession  shall  be  taken  as  to 
all  of  which  he  is  in  the  sumaria  accused,  and  he  siiall 
be  confronted  with  any  or  all  of  the  witnesses,  if  this  be 
considered  convenient. 

G.  At  this  stage,  the  sumaria  is  to  be  sent  to  the 
otl'ended  party — if  there  be  one — as  is  his  right,  and 
to  till!  defensor,  that  he  may  answer  the  charges  made. 
The  alcalde  shall  wait  for  this  such  time  as  appears 
well  to  him — even  for  the  80  days  prescribed  by  law; 
the  witn(;sses,  except  those  who  have  been  confronted 
with  the  accused  and  qualifying  as  acceptable,  those 
of  deceased  witnesses  or  those  who  live  at  a  distance, 

7.  The  proofs  or  allegations  of  the  offended  party 
and  of  the  defensor — or  of  tins  latter  alone  when  the 
proceeding  has  been  do  ofieio — having  been  rec(>ived, 
the  same  shall  be  made  public,  and  after  the  prosecu- 
tion and  the  defence  have  pleaded  de  bien  probado, 
the  case  shall  bo  sent  to  the  asesor  in  order  that  he 
may  pass  upon  the  matter  definitively,  and  i)ronounce 
sentence. 

S.  The  decision  of  the  asesor  being  received,  and 
being  in  conformity  with  the  alcalde'^  opinion,  sentence 


Cal.  Past.    37 


S78 


CRIMEA  AND  COURTS. 


must  bo  passed  within  t'i<jflit  days — accordiniv  to 
article  18,  cijaptcr  ii.,  ot'tlio  (Urrco  of  October  1),  1812. 
U.  The  seiitenee  pronouHf'ed  shall  be  notified  to  the 
acusador,  and  to  tlie  reo.  If  either  appeal,  the  orijj^inal 
cause  shall  be  sent  to  the  supreme  court  of  justice,  in 
order  that  in  its  (piality  as  audiencia  the  sentence  he 
approved  or  modified. 

10.  Should  accuser  and  accused  conform  to  the 
sentence,  and  the  crime  be  a  trillinjjf  one  for  which  tlie 
law  do(>s  not  prescribe  cori)oral  punishment,  sentence 
shall  be  executed  by  the  alcalde;  but  if  it  be  i(rave,  the 
cause  and  the  customary  official  connnunication  si  mil 
bo  sent  to  tho  supreme  court  after  the  time  forapjxal 
lias  jvissed,  althou;^h  neither  party,  being  cited,  ile- 
mands  such  nroceedin*;. 

11.  Jf  tiie  delinciuent  bo  an  ecclesiastic,  at  what- 
ever sta<^e  of  the  proceedings  this  fact  appear,  the 
matter  nmst  be  transferred  to  his  proper  judge,  ex- 
cept the  crime  be  atrocious,  in  which  case  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  judges  shall  sit  jointly. 

1 'J.  If  the  criminal  be  a  military  man,  ho  nuiy  i)o 
a|)prehen(led  at  once,  the  first  steps  in  the  sumaria  he 
taken,  and  an  account  of  the  same,  together  with  the 
testim»)nv,  be  ijiven  to  tho  officer  under  whose  cnm- 
inand  the  criminal  is,  and  this  latter  placed  at  the  dis- 
position of  said  officer — except  that  tho  offences  liavo 
been  committed  while  the  perpetrator  was  a  deserter, 
in  which  case,  or  should  delinquent  be  of  that  class 
which  has  K)st  the  fuero  militar,  tho  alcaklo  shall  coii- 
tinuo  to  manaiio  the  case  until  difinito  sonteiicf  ho 
pronounced — this  in  accordance  with  decrees  of  Octo- 
ber 14,  1823,  February  13  and  April  12,  1824. 

13.  Should  the  criminal  take  sanctuar}',  his  delivery 
shall  bo  demanded  of  the  ecclesiastical  judge  -  this 
having  been  preceded  by  the  caucion  juratoria  (Itoiul 
that  ho  be  returned  on  demand)  that  no  capital  jmii- 
ishmcnt  bo  infiicted — and  the  case  properly  pre[iarotl 
shall  1)0  sent  to  the  asesor. 

14.  Should  tho  asesor  declare  that  the  ofience  is 


COURT  OF  FIRST  INSTANCE  PROCEDURK. 


Iffb 


not  an  cxccptetl  ouo,  or  tluit  tho  proof  is  iiisuftlriont 
to  take  awjiy  tlie  immunity  of  tl»o  culprit,  lie  shall  l>t) 
coinK'mni'U  por  providencia  (tt'm|H)rary  rtsolution  of 
jiu'z)  as  tlio  ast'sor  may  rule — iK-lorc  its  I'xrcutioii  the 
matter  hv'i\\<f  rep()rto*l  to  the  supremo  court  of  justice, 
sintcnco  being  executed  when  tho  otience  is  such  as 
liai's  the  ri<jfht  of  asylum  to  the  criminal. 

I.').  Should  tho  supreme  court  of  justice  riturn  tho 
case  to  the  court  of  first  instance,  as  comiiiLj  within 
the  exce{)tion  treated  of  in  the  latter  part  of  article 
1  },  this  latter  trihunal  shall  present  a  ci-rtitied  copy 
of  the  delito,  and  a  conununication  on  ordinary  paper 
to  the  eccU'siastical  judije  of  the  district,  and  demand 
tlie  full  and  cotnplete  ilelivery  of  the  culprit  where- 
upon the  trial  shall  proceed  in  the  usual  manner. 

10.  In  case  of  a  refusal  to  comply,  on  the  part  of 
tlie  ecclesiastical  judge,  the  alcalde  shall  report  tho 
same  to  the  supreme  court  of  justice,  in  older  that  the 
col  it'sponding  recourse  to  force  may  be  justified. 

17.  In  case  a  criminal  cannot  be  found,  there  shall 
issue  an  exhorto  giving  his  description;  and  the<lesired 
result  not  being  obtained  in  this  manner,  \\v  shall  bo 
summoned  hv  thret;  edicts,  issued  at  intervals  of  nine 
(lays,  which  biiall  be  posted  in  public  })hu'es,  and  his 
laiiiilv  shall  he  notified — it  beinj;  stated  whether  it  be 
the  first,  second,  or  third  edict. 

IS.  Tho  alcalde  shall  make  the  general  and  weekly 
visits  to  tho  ctircel  in  the  maimer  prescribed  by  law, 
and  shall  make  a  monthly  report  of  the  result  to  the 
supremo  court  of  justice,  accompanying  the  same  with 
a  list  of  causes  pending,  with  a  specification  of  the  day 
(»f  tho  conimonccment  of  the  proceetlings,  and  tho 
stage  these  have  reachotl. 

Here  follow  various  foi'ms  for  the  use  of  alcaldes  in 
tlie  heforo-nientioned  proceedinus.  Thev  are  the  fol- 
lowing:  For  the  caboza  do  proceso  of  tho  iinjuiry  into 
ft  Clime;  certification  of  the  cuorjio  del  deliti>;  decla- 
ration of  the  surgeon  or  surgeons;  declaration  of  tho 
experts;    declaration   of  the   culprit;   tho    document 


i 


ERRATIC  JrSTICE. 


called  do  bien  preso;  acccptauce  of  position  by  the 
di'fenaor,  and  his  oath;  contosion  con  cargos,  of  tlic 
criniiiuil ;  confronting  of  witnesses  and  criminal ;  docu- 
niont  culled  dc  pnieba;  ratification  of  his  testimony  hy 
witness;  formality  in  case  of  dead  or  absent  witness: 
definite  sentence;  form  of  edict  for  summoning  absent 
culprits. 

Whenever  a  person  was  arrested  for  an}'  offence  of 
a  serious  character,  he  was  imprisoned  and  fettered, 
and  so  held  until  his  trial  was  concluded. 

SirShnpson  thought  the  judicial  system  "rotten  to 
the  core."  "In  cases  of  real  or  fictitious  importance," 
he  says,  "the  alcalde  reports  to  the  prefect  of  his  dis- 
trict, the  prefect  to  the  governor  of  the  province,  and 
the  govenior  to  the  central  authorities  of  Mexico.'' 
Meanwhile,  the  accused  endures  in  a  dungeon  a  men- 
tal torture  in  most  cases  more  than  adequate  to  his 
alleged  guilt.  The  ordinary  result  after  the  delay  "is 
a  receipt  either  for  dismissing  or  for  punishhig  without 
trial — perhaps  for  punishing  the  innocent  and  for  dis- 
missing the  guilty.  .  .  Frequently,  however,  the  sult- 
ordinate  functionaries,  under  the  infiuence  of  jiersonal 
feelings,  such  as  caprice,  or  vhidictiveness,  or  indigna- 
tion, or  love  of  popularity,  pronounce  and  execute 
jutlgment  on  their  own  responsibility.  Thus,  a  j)refi ct 
of  the  name  of  Castro,  being  informed  that  a  man  liatl 
nmrdered  his  wife  in  a  fit  of  jealousy,  caused  the  of- 
fender to  be  instantly  destroyed  under  this  sentence: 
*  Let  him  be  taken  out  and  shot  before  my  blood  cools.' 
A  commandant  named  Garvaleta  similarly  disposed  of 
a  suspected  murder,  on  the  principle  that  he  had  before 
baen  accused  of  a  similar  crime.  Occasionally,  the 
^  ^vernment  is  unable  to  carry  into  effect  its  ideas  of 

itice.  In  1837,  when  the  foreigners  of  Los  Angiles 
ried  before  Alvarado  some  wretches  who  confessed 


c 


tc  the  murder  of  a  German,  they  were  told:  'I  liave 
nc  sufficient  force  to  carry  the  law  into  execution 
ag  Inst  them,  but  if  you  have  evidence  of  their  crime. 
do  as  you  consider  right.' " 


SiRANCiEST  OF  STIlANlJE  PLACES. 


A81 


Tlio  alcaUle  c^PTUTally  walked  with  a  silver  headed 
taiK',  with  it  suiniiioiied  partioa  into  court.  Or  a  man 
hrariug  the  cane  summoned  a  person;  if  ho  disobeyed 
lie  was  sure  to  be  fined.  When  the  ])arties  appeared 
ill  court,  each,  if  he  wished,  could  sel  ct  a  iiombre 
liuciio,  arbitrator,  or  juryman.  Then  the  alcalde  made 
tlio  parties  tell  their  story  and  heard  the  witnesses, 
11'  any;  after  which  the  alcalde  and  arbitrators  would 
(li'citle.  Sometimes  the  alcalde  decided  the  cases  him- 
st'lf  r4,t  once." 

(Governor  Chico,  writing  to  the  alcalde  of  Angeles 
on  the  4th  of  May,  183(),  orders  him  to  arrest  crimi- 
nals, for  alcaldes  priraeros  are  as  jefes  politicos  in  their 
jurisdiction.  Thieves  and  murderers  are  to  be  given 
up  to  the  comandr...Ge  militar,  according  to  the  law  of 
Uctol^er  29,  1835,  which  orders  them  to  be  tried  by  a 
military  court;  or  he  may  try  them  himself,  as  sub- 
(Ick  «;atc,  which  the  law  declares  him  to  be. 

"  As  an  instance  of  the  way  civil  cases  are  disposed 
of  in  this  strangest  of  strange  places,"  writes  the 
Huilsou's  Bay  Company's  Dtmglas,  in  his  journal,  in 
1S4(),  "I  may  cite  the  example  of  a  Mr.  Stokes,  who 
!>ununoned  a  farmer  before  the  alcalde,  to  compel  the 
payment  of  a  debt  which  had  been  two  years  out- 
stamling,  contrary  to  the  previous  stipulation  between 
tliu  }»arties.  The  justice,  instead  of  meeting  the  case, 
rt'trrred  it  to  arbitration.  The  case  was  going  against 
tlitj  farmer,  who  entreated  for  a  further  indulgence,  as, 
if  ODiiipelled  to  pay  at  that  moment,  he  would  be  com- 
pelled to  sell  his  cattle  at  a  heavy  sacrifice.  'Well,' 
says  the  justice,  'how  long  do  you  ask?'  'Why,'  sa}'^ 
the  farmer,  *  I  promise  to  make  the  first  instalment  in 
twelve  months  hence.'  'Very  well,'  replied  the  jus- 
tice, with  the  utmost  indifference,  that  will  do;'  and 
the  case  was  dismissed  without  further  proceedings." 

In  1834,  Governor  Figueroa  published  the  text  of 
the  law  passed  by  the  Mexican  congress,  and  approved 
by  President  Santa  Anna,  regulating  the  judiciary 
system  of  the  republic.     The  parts  particularly  refer- 


582 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


ring  to  California  were  that  the  state  of  Sonora  and 
territory  of  Alta  Cahfornia  should  form  one  circuit. 
Until  a  convenient  division  of  the  republic  into  tlis- 
tricts  should  be  made,  each  of  the  twenty  states 
should  be  considered  one  district.  District  jud«ris 
should  have  cognizance  of  causes  and  affairs  aftectiiii,' 
the  federation.  There  should  be  one  district  judge  in 
the  territory  of  the  Californias.  The  seat  of  the  dis- 
trict courts  should  be  in  the  capitals  of  the  states  ami 
territories  not  on  sea-coast,  or  in  the  principal  port 
of  those  which  are;  the  government  might  change 
tlie  place  when  deemed  expedient  for  the  benefit  of 
the  federation.  The  district  court  should  have  a 
notary  appointed  by  the  government  with  a  salary 
not  exceeding  $1,200,  and  no  fees.  In  the  absence  of 
a  notary,  the  judge  should  appoint  one — if  there  wero 
none,  the  judge  should  collect  the  pay  to  reniunerato 
attorneys,  witnesses,  and  a  clerk.  The  district  court 
should  have  a  sheritf  appointed  by  the  judge,  witli 
a  salary  of  $200  or  $300,  and  no  fees.  Flscals  sliouki 
have  a  salary  of  $1,500,  and  no  fees.  The  district 
judge  of  the  Californias  should  have  a  salary  of 
$3,000.      His  promotor  fiscal's  salary  should  be  $2,000. 

As  in  the  case  of  wages  of  common  and  skilkd 
labor,  so  with  regard  to  salaries,  they  were  about  where 
they  arc  to-day  in  many  parts  of  the  United  States. 

Hall  states  that  "according  to  the  leyes  constitu- 
tional of  December  30,  1836,  each  department  was  to 
bo  provided  with  a  superior  tribunal.  On  the  23(1  of 
May,  1837,  the  Mexican  congress  }iassed  a  law  mak- 
ing provisions  for  such  a  tribunal  for  California,  out 
of  which  two  courts  were  to  be  formed.  This  triliu- 
nal  was  to  be  ct)mposed  of  four  ministros,  or  judyis. 
and  one  fiscal,  or  attorney-general.  The  three  senior 
judges  were  to  compose  the  first  sala,  or  bench,  and 
the  junior  one  the  second.  The  second  bench  was 
known  as  the  court  of  the  second  instance,  wliirli 
took  cognizance  of  appeals  from  the  court  of  first  in- 
stance, and  also  original  jurisdiction  in  certain  cases. 


THE  ALCALDES  FUNCTIONS. 


583 


Tlie  first  bench  was  the  court  of  third  instance,  with 
appellate  powers.  These  courts  were  to  sit  at  the 
capital  of  the  department.  There  was  to  be  a  court 
of  first  instance  at  the  chief  town  in  each  district, 
with  original  jTjeneral  jurisdiction  of  all  sums  over  one 
hundred  dollars.  No  superior  tribunal  was  ever  es- 
tablished under  this  law  in  California;  nor  were  there 
any  judges  of  the  court  of  first  instance;  certainly 
none  in  San  Josd  until  1841),  when  they  were  appointed 
by  United  States  authority."  The  governor  of  the 
department,  in  his  message  to  the  assembly  in  1840, 
expresses  his  regret  that  no  superior  tribunal  existed, 
and  that  there  were  no  judges  <if  first  instance,  adding 
that  the  justices  of  the  peace  in  the  towns  had  begun 
to  exercise  the  judicial  functions  in  the  first  instance. 
The  governor  also  informed  tliat  body  that  they  liad 
jiower  by  the  act  of  July  15,  18,']1),  to  ai)point  judges 
lof  the  interior;  but  they  failed  to  use  their  faculties 
in  this  respect. 

In  the  decree  of  the  Mexican  congress  of  March  2, 
1 843,  it  is  stated  that  in  the  ( 'alifornias  there  had  been 
no  courts  of  second  and  third  instance  established; 
and  by  act  28th,  the  governors  of  these  departments 
WHie  ordered  "to  take  care  that  justice  is  punctu- 
ally and  completely  administered  in  first  instance,  by 
judges  of  that  giatle,  if  there  be  such,  or  by  alcaldes, 
or  justices  of  tlie  peace." 

The  supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
casr  of  the  United  States  against  Castillero,  held  that 
the  alcalde  in  San  Jose  could  not  perform  the  func- 
tions of  judge  of  first  instance,  under  the  mining  laws, 
as  provided  by  the  Mexican  decree  of  the  2d  of  l)e- 
orniber,  1842;  and  that  his  acts  relating  to  perfecting 
title  to  the  Almaden  mines  were  void.  The  judicial 
olHccTS  then  known  at  San  Josi5  were  first  and  second 
alcaldes  and  justices  of  the  peace. 

Tlio  alcalde's  court  had  ai)peal  to  courts  of  first 
instance,  which  had  original  jurisdiction  in  cases  over 
$100.     If  a  single  judge  was  in  commission,  he  took 


'M 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


cognizance  of  civil  and  criminal  cases.  If  two  were 
appointed,  their  jurisdictions  were  divided,  one  judge 
only  constituting  the  court.  The  court  of  second  in- 
stance was  an  appellative  tribunal,  consisting  of  as 
many  judges,  not  exceeding  three,  as  corresponded 
witli  the  districts  in  the  department.  These  judges 
were  the  court  of  second  instance  for  the  districts 
tliey  represented,  and  they  entertained  appeals  from 
all  judgments  of  the  court  of  first  instance  in  tliat 
district.  The  court  of  third  instance  was  the  last 
resort,  except  to  the  supreme  tribunal  at  Mexico.  All 
the  judges  of  second  instance  in  the  department,  or  a 
majority,  constituted  this  court.  It  entertained  ap- 
peals only  in  cases  involving  more  than  $4,000.  Its 
review  of  cases  was  general,  not  being  confined  to  tlie 
questions  raised  below,  but  it  could  not  review  thoh>e 
on  which  the  two  inferior  courts  had  concurred. 

In  a  letter  from  Monterey,  in  May  1845,  Larkiii 
writes  of  the  condition  of  the  laws  as  follows :  "  In 
California  there  is  a  large  allowance  of  laws  sent  on 
by  the  supreme  government,  and  as  the  paper  is  not 
very  good  to  make  paper  segars,  the  law-books  are 
laid  on  the  shelf  To  make  a  thousand-dollar  obliga- 
tion good,  it  is  necessary  to  purchase  from  government 
an  $8  stamped  paper;  and  I  have  never  seen  an  al- 
calde enforce  the  payment  of  the  debt,  although  88 
was  paid  to  make  it  legal.  Sometimes  the  debtor 
pleads  too  much  rain  for  his  crops,  at  other  times  the 
Season  is  too  dry,  or  he's  too  busy  to  attend  to  the 
debt;  as  the  alcalde  has  neither  sheriff  nor  constable, 
foes  nor  commission,  and  is  forced  to  serve  for  one 
vear,  nolens  volens,  collectin(>;  debts  is  at  the  lowest 
stage.  If  a  person  with  stolen  property  was  brounjlit 
forward,  and  said  he  purchased  the  article  from  an 
Indian  who  had  left  for  some  other  place,  the  trial 
might  be  put  off  until  the  Indian  returned,  or  the  sup- 
posed sheriff  had  time  to  look  for  him.  Some  people 
dislike  prosecuting  a  man  for  stealing  his  horse,  for 
fear  he  should  be  told  that  the  man  was  only  bringing 


UNCOMFORTABLE  JAILS. 


S8S 


him  home  by  a  roundabout  road,  and  demand  a  dol- 
lar for  his  trouble.  If  a  person  is  really  convicted  of 
a  crime,  he  is  ordered  to  some  other  town,  and  is  sure 
to  go  when  he  gets  ready,  and  return  when  he  has 
occasion.  As  some  of  the  jails  are  uncomfortable,  the 
prisoners  are  often  kept  outside;  as  the  food  is  bad, 
they  go  home  to  get  better,  and  always  return  to  the 
prison  door  when  ordered.  There  was  one  day  a  com- 
j)laint  made  to  the  alcalde  by  the  person  who  lost  tlie 
})roperty  stolen,  that  the  thief  was  every  day  out  of 
prison  and  every  day  passed  his  house.  The  alcalde 
said  he  was  very  sorry,  and  in  extenuation  remarked 
that  he  had  told  the  prisoner  to  take  his  forenoon 
and  afternoon  pasear  on  the  other  side  of  the  town. 
On  another  complaint  of  the  prisoner,  after  his  trial, 
reaching  the  store  where  he  had  been  stealing,  before  the 
merchant,  the  alcalde  said :  To-day  is  Saturday,  to-mor- 
row is  the  sabbath,  Monday  is  a  feast-day,  but  on  Tues- 
day or  Wednesday  the  man  sliall  be  informed  that  he 
is  a  prisoner,  and  dealt  with  accordingly.  Sometimes 
the  alcalde  puts  a  few  of  the  Indian  prisoners  to  work 
on  his  own  farm.  When  they  become  tired  of  the 
fare,  they  run  away  on  his  worship's  horses,  if  they 
are  fat;  as  the  Indians  eat  these  horses,  they  never 
steal  poor  ones. 

"The  alcaldes  pick  up  the  drunken  Indian  cooks  and 
stewards  in  the  afternoons  of  feast-days,  and  discharge 
tliiin  next  morning  in  time  to  cook  their  masters' 
breakfasts.  Some  of  the  Monterey  prisoners  are 
lianished  to  San  Diego;  those  of  San  Diego  to  Mon- 
terey— that's  fair.  If  they  commit  a  second  offence, 
tli(  V  may  be  banished  back  again,  and  find  their  own 
horses  on  the  road,  which  are  easily  borrowed  with  a 
lasso.  So  that  the  owners  of  a  Monterey  horse,  which 
lias  been  stolen  near  home  and  then  again  at  Sau 
Diego,  may  see  the  animal  again,  in  bad  condition  it 
is  true,  but  then  he  gets  his  horse,  by  giving  the 
iiian  who  says  he  found  him  at  San  Diego  a  dollar  or 
two;  and  that's  cheap  for  bringing  a  broken-down 
horse  500  miles. " 


i  1 


ii 


m 


686 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


During  Echeandfa's  time,  1825-31,  robberies  were 
frequent.  His  successor,  Victoria,  made  a  vow  that 
during  his  rule  property  should  be  safe  left  unguarded 
on  the  public  highway.  He  published  an  edict  that 
larceny  to  the  value  of  two  and  a  half  dollars  and 
upwards  would  be  punished  with  death.  It  was  not 
h  >ng  before  he  had  occasion  to  put  his  sincerity  to  the 
test.  Two  servants  of  the  San  Cdrlos  mission  ob- 
tained the  kej^s  of  the  warehouse  from  an  Indian  boy 
who  acted  as  a  page  of  the  priests,  and  robbed  it. 
The  men  were  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  deatli. 
The  missionary  came  to  Monterey,  threw  himself  at 
Victoria's  feet,  and  implored  him  to  spare  their  lives; 
but  he  was  inflexible,  and  the  two  men  were  shot. 
The  boy  was  flogged  almost  to  death. 

A  little  later,  an  Indian  boy,  of  less  than  20  years 
of  age,  stf)lc  some  buttons  from  the  military  stores, 
wliicli  he  gambled  away.  They  were  picked  up,  and 
valued  at  $2.50.  The  boy  was  tried,  convicted,  and  shot. 

In  that  same  year,  1831,  one  evening,  at  about  six 
o'clock,  an  Indian  entered  the  house  of  Venancio  (ia- 
llndo  and  his  wife,  Romana  Sanchez,  and  seized  tluir 
two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  The  former  managed 
to  escape.  The  Indian  ravished  the  girl,  and  after- 
ward killed  her.  The  little  boy  said  that  the  coyote 
had  seized  his  sister.  On  the  strength  of  this,  tlic 
soldier,  Francisco  Rubio,  nicknamed  Coyote,  was  ar- 
rested, i  ried  by  court-martial,  and  sentenced  to  death. 
The  evidence,  it  was  alleged  by  many,  did  not  justify 
such  a  finding;  nevertheless,  Victoria  approved  the 
sentence.  The  officers,  M.  G.  Vallejo  and  Jose  An- 
tonio Sanchez,  and  several  others,  including  the  priest 
who  prepared  him  for  the  awful  change,  believiii*,' 
Rubio  innocent,  exerted  themselves  to  save  him,  l)ut 
nothing  availed,  and  he  was  shot.  His  innocence  is 
said  to  have, been  made  evident  some  time  after.  Tlie 
Indian  perpetrator  of  the  crimes  was  captured,  aiul 
being  in  a  miserable  condition  from  venereal  disease, 
died  in  the  prison  before  his  trial  was  ended. 


MEXICAN  MISCREANTS. 


m 


A  fellow  named  Mariano  Duarte,  whose  mother  or 
grandmother  was  an  Indian  of  the  mission  San  An- 
tonio, was  placed  in  charge  of  the  public  school  of  the 
town  of  San  Jose.  Some  of  the  school-girls  accused 
him  of  having  assaulted  them.  He  was  taken  to  San 
Francisco,  tried,  and  sentenced  to  hard  labor  in  tlie 
public  works.  He  was  accordingly  kept  fettered,  and 
put  to  breaking  stones,  sweeping  the  plaza,  etc.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  sentence  he  was  released,  and 
died  shortly  after. 

Another  man,  named  Cornelio  Rosalcs,  for  violat- 
ing his  step-daughter,  was  kept  a  close  prisoner  in 
hons  at  the  guard-house  in  San  Francisco,  working  as 
a  tailor,  but  he  died  after  a  little  more  than  a  year's 
imprisonment. 

An  ex-soldier,  named  Diego  Felix,  who  lived  at  the 
Huerta  Vieja,  about  half  a  mile  from  Monterey,  in 
IS 40,  murdered  his  wife,  inflictin<r  most  horrible 
wounds  on  the  head  and  body  of  his  victim.  The 
most  heartrending  part  of  the  case  was  that  tlio  wo- 
man being  enceinte,  he  cut  her  open,  and  dragged  out 
the  child,  which  also  exhibited  evidences  of  having 
been  killed  with  blows.  It  seems  that  Ft31ix  went  to 
the  house  of  his  mother-in-law,  where  his  wife  was, 
and  asked  her  to  go  home,  as  he  wanted  her.  On  the 
way,  he  ke[)t  pricking  her  in  the  back  with  a  poniard. 
After  committing  the  nmrders,  he  coolly  walked  up 
and  down  a  distance  of  70  paces  outside  of  his  house, 
but  when  he  saw  a  military  guard  coming  to  arrest 
him,  made  an  attempt  to  escape,  which  jiroved  unsuc- 
cessful.    He  was  secured,  and  taken  to  Monterey. 

A  superstition  prevailed  at  the  time  in  California 
that  if  a  person  killed  another,  and  the  corpse  fell  face 
downwards,  the  slayer  could  not  escape,  but  would 
hover  around  the  spot  to  his  final  undohig.  Several 
cases  occurred  to  confirm  this  idea.  The  priscjner  at 
his  trial  pleaded  that  he  had  done  his  duty,  as  he 
wi»uld  not  be  a  willing  cuckold,  or  assent  to  infamies. 
But  the  evidence  proved  that  his  wife's  frailties  had 


589 


CRIMES  AND  COXJRTS. 


been  with  hia  own  knowledge  and  consent,  and  his 
displeasure  had  been  caused  by  her  failing  to  give 
him  the  amount  of  money  she  had  formerly  supplied 
him  with.  It  was  true  that  he  had  unsuccessfully  at- 
tempted to  kiL  one  of  the  men  with  whom  she  had 
committed  adultery.  As  martial  law  was  then  in 
force,  Governor  Alvarado  had  the  murderer  tried  by 
court-martial,  aided  by  the  civil  judge,  and  he  was 
sentenced  to  be  shot  at  7  p.  m.,  just  12  hours  from  tlio 
commission  of  the  crimes.  Just  after  the  reading  of 
the  sentence,  an  edict  was  published,  embodying  the 
law  prohibiting,  under  the  penalty  of  death,  that  any 
one  should  crave  mercy  for  the  criminal. 

The  body  of  an  Indian  woman  being  found  eaten 
by  coyotes  at  San  Gabriel,  and  a  man  accusing  Ikt 
husband  of  having  murdered  her,  the  matter  was 
duly  investigated,  and  the  charge  proved  to  be  a 
calumny.  Whereupon  the  false  accuser  was  sentenced 
to  imprisonment,  and  to  receive  35  lashes,  twelve 
lashes  a  day  for  the  first  two  days,  and  eleven  on  the 
third  day. 

One  Albitre  for  having  illicit  intercourse  with  an 
Indian  married  woman  was  put  to  hard  labor  for  two 
months  at  a  presidio,  after  which  he  was  forced  to 
live  at  a  great  distance  from  his  home.  The  woman 
was  also  exiled.  Wives  were  not  to  be  abused.  One 
Garcia  was  sentenced  foi  maltreating  his  wife,  and 
one  Higuera  likewise  for  cutting  off  his  wife's  hair 
out  of  jealousy.  A  soldier  who  had  ruined  a  girl, 
and  refused  to  make  her  his  wife,  was  confined  in  a 
fort  in  irons,  and  forced  to  pay  her  $50  out  of  his  sav- 
ings in  the  fondo  de  retencion.  In  March  1841  Uril)o 
was  fined  $5  for  challenging  to  a  duel  with  a  "bone," 
and  Ibarra  was  fined  $1.50  for  accepting  the  chal- 
lenge. 

Pastoral  California  never  had  a  hangman  or  pul)lic 
executioner.  An  order  of  the  Mexican  government, 
in  1835,  to  organize  a  force  of  from  five  to  ten  nun 
in  places  where  no  executioner  could  be  obtained,  was 


ESBHKai] 


DEATH  PENALTIES. 


689 


not  carried  out   here,  and   the   few  executions  that 
oiturred  were  done  by  the  regular  tnjops. 

Among  the  crimes  connnittod  in  California,  prior 
to  the  American  annexation,  which  were  expiated 
Nvitli  the  death  penalty,  were  the  following  : 

In  1840  a  German  named  Fink,  who  owned  a  shop 
ill  Los  Angeles,  was  assassinated  and  his  goods  stolen. 
Tlio  perpetrators  left  the  corpse  in  a  locked  room,  the 
key  of  which  they  threw  out  on  the  hill,  and  carried 
iiway  the  effects.  The  body  remained  four  days  in 
the  room,  until,  after  some  hesitation,  the  alcalde 
foircd  the  street  door.  Inside  everything  betokenetl 
violence  and  death.  The  body  was  found  with  a  large 
cut  in  the  forehead,  already  in  a  state  of  putrifaction. 

After  some  inquiry  it  was  discovered,  a  few  days 
afttr,  that  Eugenia  Valencia,  mistress  of  Santiago 
Linares,  had  carried  a  bundle  to  San  Gabriel,  and 
was  engaged  in  making  for  herself  petticoats  trinuned 
with  ijreen  ribbons.  She  was  forthwith  arrested  and 
tlic  goods  were  secured.  Linares  was  also  arrested  at 
tilt'  same  time.  He  confessed  the  crime  and  gave  the 
iiaiiK'S  of  his  two  accomplices.  All  three  were  secured, 
convicted,  sentenced  to  death,  and  shot  on  the  spot 
wtre  the  crimes  were  committed. 

Antonio  Valencia,  in  1842,  stabbed  Aguila  in  the 
l)iuk  and  killed  him.  The  cause  was  that  Aguila,  a 
1ai'j,(',  [)owerfully  built  man,  was  beating  Valencia's 
siiiiiU  brother.  Valencia  was  tried  and  shot.  This 
fseeiiis  somewhat  severe. 

Li  1842  Manuel  Gonzalez,  a  Peruvian  shoemaker, 
while  at  work  in  the  San  Isidro  rancho,  was  threat- 
c'litd  with  violence  by  a  drunken  Englishman,  who 
liad  a  hatchet  in  his  hand.  Manuel  had  no  means  of 
escape,  and  so  he  stabbed  the  Englishman  in  the 
licait  with  his  knife.  The  Englishman  fell  dead.  The 
slayer  was  tried  in  Monterey  for  nmrder,  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  shot.  While  in  the  chapel  he  was 
slirived  by  Father  Antonio  Anzar,  who  was  noted  for 


his 


Ignorance. 


The  prisoner  complauied  of  the  iu- 


690 


CRIMFS  AND  COURTS. 


justice  of  his  sentence,  claiming  that  he  had  IcllL d 
the  man  hi  self-defence.  Anzar  wanted  him  to  ac- 
cept his  fate  with  resignation,  and  as  Manuel  refused. 
the  priest  burst  out,  "Be  resigned,  be  resigned,  you 
beast,  for  whether  you  are  or  not  you  must  di( .'" 
Manuel  still  persisted  in  denying  that  he  was  a 
criminal,  "pues  alld  te  las  compongas,"  said  Anz;ii\ 
The  man  was  shot  on  the  27th  of  July  1842.  Public 
opinion  very  properly  disapproved  of  this  execution. 
Alvarado  was  accused  of  permitting  it  because  the 
slain  man  was  an  Englishman,  though  the  latter  had 
deliberately  and  from  a  spirit  of  jealousy  gone  to 
assail  the  Peruvian  at  his  house. 

One  Sunday  in  July  1845,  three  females,  motlior. 
daughter,  and  granddaughter,  the  latter  a  girl  of 
about  eleven  years,  together  with  some  small  children 
were  bathing  near  the  beach  at  Monterey,  in  a  little 
stream  where  there  was  a  strove  of  willows.  An 
Indian  rushed  out  of  the  grove  armed  with  a  knile. 
and  a  club,  seized  the  girl  and  tried  to  violate  her  in 
the  presence  of  the  other  women,  who  endeavored  to 
protect  her.  He  struck  with  the  club  on  the  lieud 
the  elder  woman,  and  felled  her  to  the  ground  sense- 
less. He  then  began  to  beat  the  other  woman,  neailv 
killing  her;  the  children  ran  away  and  reported  what 
was  occurring.  A  friendly  Indian  named  Sel)astian, 
and  other  men  rushed  to  the  spot — the  first  to  ri  acli 
the  arroyo  was  Sebastian,  who  seized  the  malefactor, 
but  received  a  perpendicular  stab  from  the  shoulder. 
The  wretch  was  finally  overpowered,  disarmed,  and 
bound.  Colonel  Alvarado,  connnanding  at  Monterey, 
had  the  criminal  forthwith  shot  without  the  formality 
of  a  trial. 

In  pastoral  days  in  California,  it  was  customary  te 
take  boys  to  see  executions  and  public  punishnu  iits. 
to  Serve  as  a  warning;.  Rafael  Pinto  relates  that  he 
was  present  at  the  execution  of  two  robbers  at  ^loii- 
terey.  The  minister  of  mission  San  C;lrlos  addressed 
the    parents    on    the   necessity    of  watching    their 


HOW  TO  FILL  AN  ORDER. 


591 


children.  His  brother-in-law,  Bonifacio,  an  Italian 
witli  whom  he  lived,  then  held  him  tight  with  one 
liaiul,  and  with  the  other  gave  him  a  severe  flogging. 
Pinto  pleaded  that  he  had  done  nothing  to  deserve 
piinislnnent,  but  it  did  not  avail  him.  Bonifacio  an- 
swered that  it  was  true  that  he  had  done  no  wrong, 
that  lie  was  a  good  boy;  but  the  flogging  was  in- 
flicted so  tliat  he  should  remember  that  day  tlirough- 
oiit  his  life — and  as  Pinto  said,  "No  se  me  ha  olvi- 
dado,  por  cierto." 

It  was  related  of  a  certain  person  who  had  occu- 
jiied  a  prominent  position  in  California,  and  was  the 
owner  of  a  rancho  in  tlie  district  of  Monterey,  tliat 
one  day  in  the  thirties  he  lacked  a  few  liides  to  com- 
plete a  contract,  and  employed  a  man  to  furnish  them 
on  that  same  day.  Now,  it  was  well  known  to  all 
that  the  man  was  a  sort  of  vagrant  vaquero,  not  over- 
s('rni>ulous  how  he  obtained  his  hides,  and  for  this 
reason,  and  l)ecause  he  nuist  have  them  ((uickly.  and 
at  no  advanced  price,  that  the  contractor  ap[)lied  to 
that  particular  man.  "I  cannot  bring  them  in  to-day," 
remonstrated  the  va(|uero. 

"I  said  to  day,"  the  ranchero  replied. 
"But  I  have  not  the  hides,  and  the  nearest  herd, 
exce])t  your  own,  is  four  or  five  k'agues  away." 

"Before  12  o'clock  to-niiiht,  bring  me  the  hides  I 
need.     Now  go." 

The  job  was  done.  The  vaquero  was  praised  and 
paid.  But  next  day  when  the  ranchero's  Indian  went 
for  his  master's  cows,  he  found  many  of  them  missing. 
A  chilling  suspicion  crept  upon  the  owner  of  the 
raiieho.  He  mounted  a  hoi-se,  rodi;  forth,  and  after 
due  s(>arch  found  the  carcasses  of  his  cows  in  the 
cha[)arral,  in  the  upper  end  of  a  canon.  }lv  rode 
slowly  back,  his  wrath  rising  meanwhile. 

"You  villain,  you  slew  my  cows!"  exclaimed  the 
now  furious  owner  t)f  the  rancho. 

"Certainly,  sir,  it  was  my  only  chance  to  fill  your 
peremptory  order." 


502 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


The  tricked  ranchero  was  too  shrewd  not  to  know 
that  lie  had  himself  laid  the  trap  in  which  he  was 
causj;ht.  He  had  to  be  content  with  cursiiiL^  aiul 
kicking  the  wily  vaquero,  the  latter  being  only  t<»(» 
hai)py  to  escape  with  such  a  mild  punishment. 

(lovernor  Alvarado,  who  was  in  Angeles  in  18.'?7, 
fell  in  with  a  girl,  and  took  a  house  for  her  use.  Cas- 
tro,  on  observing  him  enter,  ordered  artillery  salvos 
during  his  visit.  Those  who  inquired  why  tln-o 
salvos  were  fired,  were  answered:  "In  honor  of  tlu; 
act  of  the  governor."  When  this  girl  bore  her  Hist 
child,  there  was  a  <xreat  demonstration  i.i  the  town: 
a  dnnking  bout  of  fifteen  days  enssued,  and  a  sum  of 
money  was  taken  from  the  public  funds  and  scatteicd 
among  the  people,  "The  birth  of  this  bastard  cost 
$5,000,"  growls  the  alcalde. 

Thus  we  see  that  in  niatters  of  morality,  private  or 
political,  it  was  among  the  pastoral  Californians  niudi 
as  it  is  with  us  to-day  :  vice  in  the  high  circles  was 
winked  at.  while  the  poor  were  severely  punished,  too 
severely  in  many  instances. 

In  going  over  the  matter  of  the  murder  of  Pailre 
Quhitana,  there  is  something  to  be  learned  of  ciiiiiiiial 
procedure.  In  the  registry  of  deaths,  at  Santa  C^ruz, 
October  14,  1812,  Padre  Marquinez  certifies  to  tlic 
burial  of  Padre  Andres  Quintana,  who  was  found 
dead  in  his  bed,  having  died  a  natural  death,  it  was 
said  by  Surgeon  Manuel  Quijano,  who  made  a  ]>ost- 
mortem  examination.  There  is  a  maririnal  iiott'  to 
the  entry,  written  by  Padre  Marquinez  at  some  later 
Jme,  stating  that  the  circumstances  attending  the 
death  were  aijjain  investiijated,  when  it  was  discovered 
that  he  was  murdered  by  Christian  Indians  ot  tins 
and  Santa  Clara  missions.  Inveigled  into  the  gaidm 
to  administer  the  sacrament  to  a  dying  man,  he  was 
thereupon  smothered. 

Writing  to  Padre  Marquinez  on  the  15th  of  Octo- 
ber, Don  Josd  Maria  Estudillo  says;  "It  is  absolutely 


THE  AFFAIR  OF  PADRE  QUINTANA. 


593 


essential  that  Surgeon  Manuel  Quijanci  make  a  |)Ost- 
iiitnteni  examination  of  the  body  of  J*atlre  Quintana, 
who,  according  to  coinnion  report,  died  on  the  morn- 
ing of  tlie  12th — the  circumstances  of  his  death  Ite- 
iiig  very  suspicious.  Estudillo  has  been  ordered  by 
Governor  Arrillaga  to  make  this  inquiry,  and  be- 
seeches and  enjoins  the  padre  to  permit  the  exhuma- 
tion of  the  body,  which  after  examination  sliall  l)e 
reiiiterred."  On  the  same  date  Padre  jSIarquincz 
gives  the  desired  permission. 

Oil  the  23d,  Lieutenant  Estudillo  rei)orts  to  (iov- 
triiur  Arrillaga  "that  the  j)ost-mortem  examination  of 
the  body,  and  the  investigations  in  relation  to  the 
death  of  Padre  Quintana,  were  commenced  on  the 
Utli  and  terminated  on  the  22d.  No  evidence  of 
violence  was  found.  The  padre  was  a  valetudinarian, 
and  unable  even  to  dress  himself" 

Time  passes.  In  volume  xliv.  of  the  Provincial 
State  Papers,  we  find  recorded,  under  date  of  March 
10,  IBIG,  that  Governor  Sola  orders  the  murderers  of 
Father  Quintana,  the  Indians  Lino,  Antonino,  Qufrico, 
Julian,  and  Fulgencio,  of  Santa  Cruz,  to  receive  each 
200  lashes,  azotes,  except  the  one  last  named.  The 
two  Hrst  are  also  to  suffer  ten  years  of  presidio  im- 
prisonment, the  two  next  six,  the  last  seven.  On  the 
2ytli  it  was  determined  that  they  should  suffer  their 
sentence  at  Santa  Bdrbara. 

Ivelerring  again  to  the  State  Papers,  we  find  that 
oil  tlie  21st  of  March,  1820,  at  San  Francisco,  Ignacio 
Martinez,  juez  fiscal,  certifies,  "that  by  order  of  Co- 
inandante  Arguello  he  took  the  declaration  of  the  neo- 
phyte Alberto,  of  the  mission  of  Santa  Cruz,  accused  of 
Ijcing  concerned,  with  seven  other  neophytes,  in  the 
murder  of  Father  Quintana  in  1 8  1 2.  Alberto,  being 
sworn,  said  that  Qufrico  invited  him  to  join  in  the  nmr- 
dir.  (Jne  night  about  dark  Quirico  called  him  into 
the  garden,  lie  supposed  to  steal  fruit,  but  was  told  by 
Quirie( )  that  they  were  going  to  kill  the  padre.  Alberto 
asked  why.     They  went  to  the  gardener's  house  and 

Cal.  Pait^T.    3S 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


found  the  others  outsldo  in  a  groiij).  Andres  tlun 
hpciko  to  Alberto,  and  told  him  they  were  going  to 
kill  the  |)jidre.  Alherto  said  ho  would  have  nothinj,'  to 
do  with  it;  he  left  th(>ni  at  once,  and  went  to  his  hoiiso 
ami  to  hed.  On  the  foljowiii};  dav  he  heard  tliat  tliu 
padre  was  dead,  and  supposed  that  they  killed  liini. 

Alherto  confessed  that  ho  had  done  wronj^"  in  not 
jjjiviiiij^  notice  to  the  guard  or  the  luayordonio.  He  did 
wrong  in  running  away  to  the  woods,  he  said,  l)ut  did 
so  Ijccause  Jiis  son  told  him  that  the  others  were  Iniiig 
taken.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  until  Quirico 
spoke  to  him  as  related. 

After  a  long  interval,  wo  find  again  a  relation  given 
by  Jjorenzo  Asisara,  ex-cantor  of  the  mission  of  Santa 
Cruz,  given  at  Watsonville,  July  10,  1877. 

"The  story  I  am  about  to  tell,"  says  the  narrator. 
"was  told  to  mc  in  1818  by  my  fiithcr,  who  was  a 
neophyte  of  Santa  Cruz,  one  of  its  founders,  and  (Uic 
of  the  first  who  were  baptized.  His  name  was  W- 
nancio  Azar,  and  he  was  the  gardener  of  the  missidii. 
He  witnessed  all  that  hap[)ened  at  the  time  of  tlu; 
death  of  Father  Quintana. 

"The  Indians  came  to<;ethcr  at  the  house  of  Julian, 
also  a  gardener,  and  agreed  to  kill  tlie  padre.  Doiiato. 
who  worked  inside  the  mission,  had  by  the  })<i(lit"> 
onlcr  been  chastised  with  a  dlsciplina,  the  thongs  o\ 
which  had  wire  points,  each  blow  cutting  into  tlir 
fiesli.  Donato  determined  to  revenge  himself,  and  lie 
it  was  who  called  together  the  party  of  fourteen  iikii, 
among  them  the  padre's  cook,  Antonino,  and  his  sir- 
van  ts,  Vicente  and  Miguel  Antonio. 

"The  fo'uteon  Indians  met  at  the  house  of  Jul'ui, 
to  consider  in  what  way  they  might  avoid  the  cruil 
punish mevii  they  suffered  at  the  hand  of  Padre  Quin- 
tana. Lino,  the  brightest  of  all,  said  that  in  his  ser- 
mons the  padre  taught  that  God  did  not  do  that  way. 
He  asked  what  should  be  dime  with  him,  since  he 
could  neither  be  driven  away  nor  accused  before^  the 
judge.     Andres,  father  of  Lino,  said:  'Let  us  kill  the 


fin(h-o, 
•Julian 
itf  ' 
feign  i 
Jiiiii,  a 
wlieret 
vnvvv  ii 
"  J' a 

tdgethc 
Jiew  ciKi 

ef  wire, 

'light  \V( 

living. 

two  tree 

must  pa 

\vli(»  app( 

and  retu; 

■'Jgi'  tiiilec 

'''Ilowed 

-WitJ, 

tin'  pudi 
lit'f  t(»  til 
ing  jior  I 
''lit  tbuiK 
'liin.  II 
ft  the  J 


ic 


1( 

allowed  ]) 
tin;  coiispi; 
Julian  all( 
^vith  wl'ic 

tJ'i'  <"iuse  ( 
^'"^'J'  did  n<. 
"""lice  tlie] 
tlit-'i'e  sJiou 
["•'^■■>^t.  Sh 
'"'f'"inpaniei 
terns  precec 


ASISARA'S  STORY. 


r.o:> 


jiiulio,  unknown  to  any  oxcopt  those  lioro  pivscnt.' 
.lulian,  the  <i^ai<lener,  then  .said:  *lIo\v  can  wv  niana^r 
it  '.'  This  man's  wife  tlien  suii^jjjestetl  that  lie  should 
fi  it;n  ilhiess,  and  that  then  tlie  padre  would  come  to 
liiiii,  and  it  could  he  done.  Thi.s  Lin(»  appioxcd; 
w  lHieu[>on  all  asscntetl  to  the  ph.tu,  anil  jijj^recd  to 
(•;uiv  it  into  execution  tlu'  next  Saturday  ni<;ht. 

"  Father  Quintana  had  proposed  t()  hrinj;  tht'  people 
together  in  the  }>laza  on  Sunday,  in  onler  to  tiy  the 
]\iW  viiartahc  had  made,  the  })oints  of  the  la.shcs  hriui;' 
of  wire.  Accordingly,  ahout  (5  o'clock  on  Satunlay 
iiio'lit  word  was  sent  to  the  padre  that  the  gardener  >vns 
(l\  iiiLj.  The  Indians  wvn)  already  in  ainhusii  hrhiiid 
two  trees  at  tlie  sides  of  the  path  hy  which  the  padic 
iiuist  pass.  The  padre  went  to  the  house  of  Julian, 
wlio  apj)eared  to  he  dyinuf,  administered  the  .sacrament, 
jiiid  returned  to  tlie  mission  unharmed,  for  their  cour- 
age failed  those  in  and)ush.  The  sup))osed  dyini^  man 
l'n|li)\ved  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  [)i'iest. 

■■  Within  an  hour  the  wile  of  .Julian  went  to  sunmiou 
tlie  ])adre  to  her  dying'  hushand.  lie  accomjjanied 
liei-  to  the  house  in  the  fjarden,  she  crying  and  wriiit;- 
iiiu;  her  hands.  The  ])adre  examined  the  man's  pulse, 
l)Ut  found  he  had  ap))arently  nothing'  the  matter  with 
liim.  However,  he  anointed  him.  When  the  jiadre 
lift  the  house,  Julian  rose,  and  washing  off  the  sacred 
nil,  followed  the  ])riest,  but  those  in  amhush  again 
allowed  him  to  pass.  Wliile  tlu?  ])adre  sat  at  sui)per, 
tilt!  conspirators  came  togetlnT  again  at  Julian's  house, 
Julian  alleged  that  the  padre  had  poisoned  the  oil 
with  which  he  had  anointed  him,  'echado  yerha  en 
Insoleos,'  and  that  their  faint-heartedness  woukl  pi'ovo 
tlio  cause  of  his  death.  The  wonian  averred  that  if 
they  did  not  carry  out  their  agreement,  she  would  de- 
nounce them.  Thereupon,  they  all  saiu  that  this  time 
there  should  be  no  failure,  and  bade  her  fetch  the 
priest.  She  found  the  padre  at  su{)j)er,  and  he  at  once 
n'vonipanied  her.  This  time  three  servants  with  lan- 
terns preceded,  and  Lino  came  behind  the  priest.      He 


606 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


found  Julian  apparently  very  fur  gone,  and  speechless. 
He  recited  the  prayers  for  the  dying,  but  did  not  aj>- 
ply  the  sacrament,  and  said  to  the  woman:  *Thy  hus- 
band is  now  prepared  to  live  or  die;  do  not  summon 
mo  again.'  The  priest  left  the  house,  Julian  foUow- 
minf  I'.im. 

"As  the  padre  reached  the  two  trees  where  tlie 
cons[)irators  were  in  hiding,  Lino  threw  his  anus 
around  him,  and  said,  'Stop,  padre!  thou  must  con- 
verse a  while.'  The  lantern-bearers  turned  around, 
and  seeing  the  people  sallying  from  behind  the  trees, 
turned  and  tied.  The  padre  said  to  Lino,  '  What  art 
thou  about  to  do  to  me,  my  son?'  Lino  replied, 
'Those  who  wish  to  kill  thee  will  answer.'  'What 
have  I  done  to  you,  my  children,  that  you  should 
murder  me?'  Andres  said,  'Why  hast  thou  had  a 
cuarta  of  iron  made?'  The  priest  said,  'My  sons,  un- 
hand me,  for  I  nmst  go  this  moment.'  Andres  then 
asked  him  why  he  had  made  the  cuarta,  and  the  priest 
said  it  was  for  those  who  were  bad.  Then  several 
exclaimed,  '  Well,  thou  art  in  the  })ower  of  the  !)ad 
ones.     Remember  thy  God  I' 

"Many  of  those  present  wept,  and  commiserated  tlie 
priest,  but  cr)uld  do  nothing  for  him,  as  they  Averc 
compromised.  The  padre  begged  for  his  life  for  some 
time,  promising  to  leave  the  mission.  One  said,  'Th(»u 
art  going  to  no  part  of  the  earth,  padre;  thou  art  i^o- 
inu"  to  heaven.'     This  was  tlie  end  of  the  coIUkiuv. 

O  It 

Those  who  had  not  been  able  to  seize  the  padre  found 
fault  with  the  others,  saying  that  the  conversation 
had  gone  far  enough  ;  that  he  should  be  killed  at  onee. 
They  then  umtiled  the  priest's  head  with  his  gown, 
and  after  he  was  smothered,  in  order  that  no  siuiis  (tf 
violence  should  be  apparent,  the}'  squeezed  one  of  liis 
testicles  until  he  had  apparently  expired.  Then  tluv 
took  him  into  his  house  and  })ut  him  to  bed.  One  of 
the  two  lantern-bearers  who  had  run  away  wanted  to 
inform  the  guard,  but  the  other  dissuaded  him,  say- 
insjf  that  it  would  bo  the  cause  of  their  own  death. 


all  tilt 
Andrt 
savino 
party 

WaMt€'( 

i\\^'  st 
took  a 
I  know 
"Th. 
quarter 
witJi  ti 
Tliose  r 

to     the     ]: 

there  t( 


ASISARA'S  STORY. 


597 


"When  the  priest  was  undrossetl  and  put  to  hvd, 
all  the  evil-doers,  indudinij;  Julian's  wife,  were  present. 
Ainircs  asked  Lino  for  the  kevs  of  the  wareliouso, 
saying  that  tluy  wanted  money  and  beads.  In  tlu' 
party  were  three  Indians  from  Santa  Clara,  who 
wanted  to  know  wliat  money  there  was.  Lino  opened 
the  strong-box  and  showed  tlieni.  These  Indians 
took  a  considerable  sum ;  what  they  could  want  it  for, 
I  know  not.     All  the  others  took  some  of  the  moncv. 

"They  then  demanded  the  keys  of  the  single  women's 
(jiuuters,  monjcrio,  which  Lino  gave  them,  together 
with  the  key  of  the  single  men's  quarters,  ayunte. 
Tliose  of  both  sexes  went,  without  making  any  noise, 
to  the  lower  part  of  the  garden,  and  passed  the  night 
there  together,  until  2  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Lino 
had  a  girl  in  the  sala  of  the  mission. 

"  During  the  night  Lino  went  into  the  padre's 
roiini,  and  found  him  coming  to  his  senses.  He  called 
his  accomplices,  and  they  destroyed  the  other  testicle. 
This  was  done  by  Donato,  and  had  the  desired  ett'ect. 
Dduato  told  Lino  to  close  the  chest  containing  the 
plata  colorada,  as  the  Indians  called  gold,  and  eight  of 
tiiein,  taking  it  to  the  garden,  buried  it  there.  The 
(itluTS  knew  nothing  of  this.  After  the  men  and 
women  had  retired  to  their  quarters,  the  assassins 
assembled  in  order  to  receive  instructions  from  jjino 
and  Donato  as  to  their  future  conduct.  Some  wanted 
to  run  away,  but  were  dissuaded  by  the  rest,  who  held 
tliat  the  matter  would  never  come  to  light,  as  no  one 
knew  of  it  save  tb* mselves.  As  Donato  proposed,  in 
order  to  be  sure  that  the  padre  was  dead  the}'  w«'nt 
into  his  room,  when  they  found  him  cold  and  stitK 
Lino  showed  tliem  the  iron  cuarta  which  was  to  liaxc 
hi'cii  tried  the  next  day,  and  assured  them  that  it 
Would  not  now  be  used.  Lino  then  <jave  them  some 
suuar  and  panocha,  and  sent  them  to  their  houses, 
bino  arranged  the  padre's  room,  placed  his  l)ook  at  his 
''(■dside,  all  as  the  priest  himself  was  wont  to  do.  He 
.old  the  others  that  in  the  momiuLr  he  would  not  rin<r 


698 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


tlie  bell,  an  omission  wliicli  would  briny:  the  niavoi'- 
donio  and  the  corporal  of  the  escort  to  see  what  was 
the  matter. 

"  It  was  Sunday  iiiornin*^,  and  the  bell  was  always 
rung  at  8  o'clock,  because  at  that  hour  the  Brancituitc 
people  began  to  come  in  to  be  present  at  mass.     Tlir 
mayordomo,  noticing'   this,  went  to  in(juire   into  thf 
matter.     Lino  was  in  the  sala,  and  when  ask  d  wliy 
he  luid  not  rung  the  bell,  said  that  the  padre  was  still 
within,  sleeping  or  praying,  and  that  he,  Lino,  did  not 
like  to  disturb  him.     The  mayordomo  went  away,  and 
the  corporal  of  the  cscolta  came  on  a  like  errand.    The 
mavordomo  returned,  and  they  resolved  to  wait  a  lit- 
tie  while.     At  length  Lino  said  that  they  being  pres- 
ent, ho  would  knock  at  the  door,  piovided  that  sh  uild 
the  i)adre  be  angry  they  would  shield  him,       i'lii    i    "V 
agreed  to,  and  Jjino  knocked  at  the  door  anil  <  iil'       ..t 
tlie  priest.     There  was  no  sound  from  within,  ■,\V:[  Jie 
other  two  wanted  Lino  to  ring  the  bell,   which  he 
ri'fused  to  do.      They  then  retired,  charging  Lino  tn 
call  the  priest  again  presently,  as  it  was  very  late.     All 
the  servants  were  about  their  daily  tasks  as  usual,  mi 
that   no  suspicion   was  created.     At   10   o'clock   tin 
mayordomo  returned,  and  asked  Lino  to  call  out  to  tlie 
]>riest  and  leai'n  what  ailed  him.      Lini>  calli'd  loiully 
but  ineffectually,  and  the  mayordomo,  Carlos  Ca^tin, 
told  him  to  o})en  the  door.      Lino  excused  himself  t'miu 
entering.      At    this  juncture    the    cori)oral,    Xa/,;  .le 
( Jalindo,  arrived,  and  they  t»rdered  liino  to  open  tlh 
door.      Although  he  had  the  kiy  in  his  j)ocket,  '  iii" 
went  out  to  look  lor  a  key;  brought  in  a  large  hunt';, 
none  of  whii'h  would  o[)en  the  door;  pretended  tli;u 
the  key  he  had  belonged  to  the  kitchen,  and  with  it 
o[)en(>d  tlie  door  of  the  jiriest's  room,  which  opeunl 
into  the  plaza.      l£e  ojtem'cl  the  door  into  the  sala  ainl 
(  ame  out  sobbing,  saying  that  the  [irii-st  was  dead,  ainl 
that  he  would  uo  and  toll  the  bell.      Only  the  corimia! 
and  the  mayordomo  entered  the  room  to  satisfy  t Imn- 
selvos  that  the  padre  was  dead.     The  otlicr  nii>si(  i 


<e'!i'|(|() 


ASISARA'S  STORY. 


>    tn 

All 

1.  >.. 

tlu' 

t  till' 

uaiy 

Volll 

■..10 

111. 

■  llir 

llluii 
li  it 

■linl 
UIl'l 

ami 
Itdial 
liciu- 


w.rc  written  to,  and  Father  Marquinez,  who  was  at 
Montei(!y,  was  summoned.  Some  ot'the  old  neopliytes, 
and  others,  who  suspected  nothing,  wept  bitterly; 
Lino,  within  the  house,  bellowed  above  them  all. 

"  The  priests  came  from  Santa  Clara  and  other 
missitms  to  bury  Father  Quintana.  All  believed  that 
he  had  died  a  natural  death,  but  not  until  the  body 
had  been  opened  anil  the  stomach  examined  with 
ri'i^ard  to  poison.  Finally,  by  chance  some  one  noticed 
tliac  the  testicles  hud  been  destroyed,  but  though  con- 
vinced tliat  their  conditit)n  had  somethinij:  to  do  with 
the  cause  of  his  death,  they  ke[)t  silence. 

"Several  years  after  Fatiier  Quintana's  death, 
Kniiliana,  wife  of  Lino,  and  Maria  Tata,  wife  of  An- 
tonino,  had  a  quarrel.  These  women  were  seamstresses 
of  the  mission,  and  were  at  work  behind  a  wall.  The 
inayordomo,  (Jarlos  Castro,  passing  by  overheard 
tluni,  he  understanding  the  Indian  tongue.  Each 
accused  the  husband  of  the  other  of  being  concerned 
ill  the  murder  of  the  ])riest.  Castro  told  Father 
Olbcs,  and  he  informed  Father  ^rarijuinez,  who  sent 
liis  servants  to  tell  Julian  and  his  accom[»lices  to  run 
away,  if  not  they  would  be  taken.  Father  Olbes  sent 
for  the  two  women,  separately,  and  pretending  that 
lie  wanted  them  to  cut  and  make  some  clothing,  shut 
tliein  nj)  in  separate  rooms.  The  mayordonio,  Castro, 
was  acting  in  unison  with  the  priest.  After  dinner 
tlu'  jtriest  examined  each  of  the  women  si'[)arately, 
Mid  apparently  without  nmch  questioning  each  ac- 
ducd  the  husband  of  the  other.  The  ])riest  dismissed 
tiieui  with  a  present;  and  then  onlered  Corporal 
(laiiMdo  1'>  ai'rest  the  assassins,  but  without  telling 
'l.t'in  why.  The  gardeners  and  the  cook  were  taki'U, 
Aiitonino  first,  lie,  when  asked,  denounced  one  of  his 
comrades,  who  in  turn  denounced  another,  and  so  on. 
Finally,  all  were  taken  except  Lino. 

"  Lino,  supposed  to  be  viiy  valiant  as  he  was  very 
]Hi\verful,  was  taken  by  stratagem,  by  C;irlos  ^  astro, 
liis  compadre.     Castro  gave  Lino  a  knife,  and  told 


m 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


him  to  cut  some  hair  from  white  mares  and  black 
mares,  in  order  to  make  a  gay  head-stall  for  tlio 
padre's  beast.  Lino  suspected  something,  and  tlictc 
were  hidoed  two  soldiers  hidden  behhid  the  conal. 
Lino  said:  'Compadre,  why  are  you  deceiving  iik  f 
I  know  you  are  going  to  take  me  prisoner.  Take 
j'our  knife,  compadre.  What  1  thought  would  bo  is 
already  done;  I'll  pay  you  for  it.  Had  I  so  wished 
on  the  night  I  killed  the  priest,  I  could  have  made  an 
end  of  mayordomo,  soldiers,  and  all.'  All  the  accused 
and  their  accomplices  were  taken  to  San  Francisco, 
mv  father  being  one.  The  actual  assassins  were  sen- 
tenced  to  receive  each  a  novenario  of  50  azotes,  tliat 
0  lashes  a  day  for  nine  days  in  succession,  and  to 
:.'■  n'  on  the  public  works  ar.  San  Diego.  The  others, 
ineluding  my  father,  were  set  at  liberty,  for  tliev 
served  as  witnesses,  and  were  not  shown  to  have 
taken  part  in  the  assassination." 

But  liowevcr  lax  may  have  been  Echcandfa,  or 
howsoever  to  the  other  extreme  may  have  gone  Yictoi  ia 
and  Alvarado,  there  was  always  present  that  gross 
favoritism  which  usually  attends  the  administration 
of  justice  at  the  hands  of  the  Lathi  race.  The  juior 
stood  little  chance  against  the  rich.  It  will  be  no- 
ticed that  the  severe  and  public  examples  were  made 
for  the  most  part  of  Llie  friendless  and  ignorant, 
Indians,  soldiers,  and  low  trash  of  various  shades 
of  color.  Within  certain  bounds,  and  with  due  regard 
to  certain  conventionalisms,  the  rich  and  intluential  of 
all  times  and  nations  may  commit  all  the  crimes  of 
the  decalogue  with  impunity.  As  a  rule,  it  was  in 
California  as  in  Mexico,  there  was  little  real  prineiiik', 
little  inherent  honesty  and  integrity  in  high  ])laees. 

And  however  primitive  may  have  been  the  eondi- 
tion  of  Pastoral  California  down  to  the  third  decade 
of  the  present  century,  from  that  time  for  a  brief 
period  matters  weie  worse.  Tho  natives  were  in  a 
state  of  insubordination;  robaeries  and  other  crimes 
were  ])revalent,  and  little    or  nothing  was  done  to 


CLASS  HATRED. 


601 


)i'ia 

■OSS 

"on 
luiol" 
Uli- 
!uK' 
lUlt, 
.(l.'S 

iud 
lot" 
of 
ill 

k. 

Ii\(li- 

|)n(t' 
n  a 

IllH'S 

to 


check  them,  there  was  ill-feeling  between  the  people 
of  the  north  and  south,  and  l)()th  hated  those  from 
Mexico.  The  worst  cancer  was  the  plundorin*;  and 
wasting  of  the  public  funds,  until  the  bottom  of  the 
treasury  chest  may  be  said  to  have  dropped  oif. 

Eusebio  Galindo,  a  pure  white  man  born  in  California, 
in  1802,  and  descended  from  the  first  founders  of  the 
country,  bewailing,in  1877,the  sad  conditi(m  his  country 
had  been  brought  to  by  disunion  and  misgovornmcnt 
on  the  part  of  the  men  who  ruled  its  destinies  under 
the  Mexican  flag,  said,  "  This  California  during  the 
time  she  was  ruled  ')y  the  Spaniards  was  a  perfect 
paradise,  where  all  lived  in  peace,  and  had  tlu>  where- 
witlial  r>r  his  or  her  support.  Ho  concluded  with 
tlie  folio  Vug  quotation: 

"  Liiido  })a(8,  California, 
Prinuipio  fue  de  mi  vida, 
Herinoso  paraiso  ameno, 
Jardia  de  gloria  eacoiulida." 

The  animosity  of  the  Hispano-Californians  toward 
their  Mexican  fellow-citizens  reached  a  climax  in  1844 
when  the  former  resorted  to  lampoons  couched  in 
scurrilous  language,  and  with  obscene  pictures,  anony- 
mously insulting  the  officers  of  the  Mexican  battalion, 
stationed  at  Monterey,  especially  those  who  ha<l 
wives  Their  authors  thus  manifested  the  spirit  of 
provincial  ism  prevailing  among  their  countrymen. 
The  abiised  officers,  not  knowing  their  op})onents, 
vented  their  wrath  upon  all  Californians  in  vulgar 
and  quixotic  expressions,  showing  themselves  to  be 
'ow-bred  braggarts.  This  mutual  abuse  contniued 
until  even  the  most  respectal)le  fan'ilies  of  the 
|)liU'e  were  not  spaxed.  The  hostility  became  so  in- 
tensified that  it  showed  itself  at  public  and  private 
gatherings,  and  even  at  church.  It  nmst  be  said  that 
the  conduct  pursued  by  both  sides  was  equally  re))re- 
heiisible.  At  last  the  Californians  abandoned  tliese 
vile  practices,  and  resorted  to  the  more  manly  course 
of  opiMi  rebellion  against  their  ruler,  who  too  often 
I'ichiy  deserved  it. 


bii 


G02 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


One  Limon,  in  1839,  was  accused  of  rape  uu  a  ^nrl 
at  San  Fernando  mission.  The  case  was  sent  to  tlie 
alcalde  of  Angeles,  January  12th.  A  lengthy  trial 
ensued,  owing  to  the  circumstantial  evidence.  At  one; 
time  it  was  proposed  to  send  the  case  to  the  governor 
for  military  trial,  but  it  was  concluded  in  Angeles 
after  all.  A  promotor  fiscal  was  appointed  ad  hoc, 
and  a  defensor.  The  latter  delayed  the  case  greatly 
to  bring  in  fresh  evidence.  It  was  passed  or  repassed 
from  fiscal  to  defensor  for  argument  and  answer,  and 
finally  the  alcalde  pronounced  sentence  of  two  years  in 
the  presidio  on  circumstantial  evidence,  the  want  of 
proper  medical  care  of  the  fatally  injured  girl  being 
taken  into  account.  On  Ma}'  2d  the  sentence  was 
read  to  the  culprit  in  presence  of  the  judge,  fiscal,  de- 
fensor, and  two  chief  witnesses  for  want  of  a  notar\'. 
All  signed  it,  including  the  prisoner. 

^lode  of  proceedings  in  the  adultery  case  of  Castu- 
nares  and  Herrera,  Monterey,  June  and  July  18.")(): 
The  written  arguments  of  each  was  presented  to  tlio 
alcalde  of  ^lonterey,  in  which  place  the  parties  resided. 
The  alcalde  ordered  the  argument  of  the  one  party  to 
be  presented  to  the  other  party  for  answer  within  a 
certain  number  of  days.  This  order  was  signed  by 
him  and  two  others,  one  a  secretary,  and  the  other  a 
regidor.  The  same  order  was  submitted  to  the  party 
who  prepared  the  argument,  and  he  signed  his  ap- 
proval, the  above  trio  signing  as  witnesses.  This 
order,  with  the  argument,  was  submitted  to  tlic 
party  who  had  to  ajiswer;  he  signed  his  name  iii 
acknowledgment,  and  this  was  countersigned  by  tlie 
trio.  The  party  who  prepared  the  argument  was 
notified  of  the  acknowledgment,  and  signatures  again 
affixed.  The  same  fornmla  was  used  in  regard  to  the 
answer. 


Diego  Lcyba  was  accused  of  having  killed  a  cow 
belon-riny  to  Rafaela  Serrano  at  San  Uieguito.  Tin; 
suit  was  begun  July  11,  1839,  at  San  Dieguito  hy 
Osuna,    alcalde  of  San  Diego.     The  head  of  the  cuw 


THE  CASE  OF  SURGEON  BAUJ. 


G03 


which  had  boen  buried  by  Leyba  was  dug  up  and 
found  to  bear  the  mark  of  Serrano.  Tlie  exiiuiination 
of  witnesses  concluded  July  15th.  The  results  were 
sent  July  IGth  to  the  prefect,  Tapia,  at  Los  Angules. 
July  2Gth,  the  prefect  sent  back  the  papers,  and  in- 
formed Osuna  that,  according  to  article  181  of  the 
law  of  Maich  20,  1837,  he  must  forward  the  accused 
with  sufficient  guard,  'per  Cordillera,'  from  mission  to 
mission  to  the  first  alcalde  of  Los  Angeles,  and  also 
tiic  papers.  August  1st,  Osuna  obeyed  this  order. 
August  5th,  Antonio  Machado,  senior  regidor,  in  the 
absence  of  the  alcalde,  sent  back  the  papers  ft )r  some 
corrections  in  form,  and  ordered  several  witnesses  to 
appear  at  Los  Angeles.  Two  of  the  witnesses  were 
found  to  have  gone  to  Los  Angeles,  and  another,  an 
Indian  alcalde,  was  sent  up.  August  'Jth,  Osuna  sent 
buck  the  papers.  Rafaela  made  a  deposition  August 
7tli  that  Leyba  had  a  right  to  kill  the  c(jw.  He  was 
finrd  $')  for  hiding  the  cow's  'remains,'  the  fine 
to  go  to  the  nmnicipal  fund.  The  pajjcrs  were  re- 
turned to  the  alcalde  at  Sun  Diego.  Two  additional 
(iffirial  comnmnications  between  the  prefect  and  the 
ulcalde  are  given,  dated  Xovember  2d  and  I4th.  The 
wliole  record  occupies  about  thirty  ])ages  of  the  records 
(if  San  ])iego.  Tliis  almost  parallels  some  cases  oeeur- 
riiig  in  English  and  American  courts. 

In  the  ease  of  Surgeon  Bale,  accused  in  1840  of  di-;- 
rcspuet  of  civil  authorities,  the  judge  arrested  Hale, 
liut  released  him,  as  he  enjoyed  the  'fuei'o  militar. ' 
Tilt'  judge  then  laid  the  matter  before  the  comun- 
(lantt!  de  armas,  who  ordered  tiie  avudaiite  de  la 
[ila/a  to  take  cognizance  as  juez  fiscal  of  the  mattei', 
wliicli  he  proceeded  to  do,  up[)oiiiting  a  suert'tary  for 
tliat  purpose.  When  sworn,  Bale  })la('ed  his  right 
liaiid  on  the  pommel  of  his  sword,  and  being  asked  if 
'liajoHU  palabra  de  honor  prometia  il  la  nacion  decir 
Vddajl,"  answered,  "Si'  juro.  "  The  judge  and  secre- 
tary then  went  to  Mrs  Larkin's  house  to  take  her  tes- 


604 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


timony.  They  also  went  to  Bale's  house,  ho  beiiior 
there  under  arrest,  in  order  to  take  his.  Stokes, 
another  witness,  was  summoned  to  appear  throuj^h  the 
civil  authority.  The  sworn  statement  of  the  aeoused 
was  taken.  The  judg;e  then  sent  the  papers  to  the 
comandante,  who  sent  them  to  the  comandante-gcii- 
eral,  who  gave  a  decision  to  the  effect  that,  althouL,di  it 
was  impossible  to  prove  that  the  civil  authorities  wei  e 
entitled  to  respect,  yet  they  must  be  respected.  Tiiis 
decision  was  sent  back  to  the  comandante  for  execu- 
tion. The  pajiers  were  then  to  be  returned  to  tli(^ 
comandante-general,  in  order  to  be  placed  in  the 
archives. 


II 


The  wisdom  of  the  Roman  law-givers  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  world,  but  it  pales  beside  that  of  the 
California  alcaldes.  A  man  named  Juan  lodged  n 
complaint  that  ho  had  loaned  Pedro  a  sum  of  moiicv 
which  the  latter  refused  to  pay,  although  he  was  rich 
in  horses  and  cattle. 

Pedro  was  summoned  before  the  alcalde,  when 
Juan  stated  the  case,  and  appealed  to  Pedro  for  tlic 
truth  of  what  he  said,  which  was  readily  acknowl- 
edged. 

"Then,"  said  the  alcalde,  "since  you  owe  this  debt, 
why  do  you  not  pay  it?" 

"  Because,  senor,"  re})lied  Pedro,  "  I  have  no 
money. " 

"But,"  interrupted  Juan,  "thou  hast  a  flock,  horses, 
oxen,  and  everything." 

"Well  said,  Juan,"  exclaimed  the  alcalde;  "and  lie 
shall  sell  them  and  pay  the  debt,  or  I  will  teach  him 
what  law  is,  and  what  is  justice." 

•'Your  worship  is  an  honest  and  a  wise  man,"  said 
Juan  with  a  bow. 

Pedro  looked  puzzled,  and  after  a  moment  remarked, 
"  But,  sir,  a  word  by  your  leave;"  then  turning  to  Juan, 
continued,  "Well,  Juan,  didst  thou  lend  the  money  to 
me,  or  didst  thou  lend  it  to  my  oxen,  or  to  my  hoi.ses, 
or  to  my  flock  ? " 


PHENOMENAL  WISDOM. 


60S 


"I  lent  it  to  you,  Pedro." 

"  Thou  sayest  well ;  if  thou  didst  lend  the  money  to 
ine,  then  of  course  I  am  responsible,  and  I  must  pay ; 
but  if  thou  didst  lend  it  to  my  oxen,  or  to  my  horses, 
or  to  ni}''  flock,  it  is  clear  they  are  responsible,  and 
tluy  must  pay."  And  he  looked  triumphantly  at  ttie 
alcalde. 

The  magistrate  had  listened  attentively,  then  after 
a  pause  drew  himself  up  and  said  with  nmcli  gravity, 
"Pedro,  thou  art  right,  and  thy  property  cannot  be 
sold. " 

"  And  what  then  am  I  to  do?"  asked  Juan. 

"Wait,"  said  Pedro,  "till  I  get  money  to  pay  you." 

"That  is  all  that  can  be  done  according  to  law  in 
the  case,"  said  the  alcalde,  and  dismissed  the  parties. 

The  jurisdiction  in  civil  suits  of  the  comandantos 
militares,  also  in  criminal  cases  not  purely  infractions 
of  military  discipline  or  violations  of  the  military  fuero, 
liad  by  virtue  of  law  ceased  prior  to  1832,  although 
(lining  Victoria's  time  these  officers  continued  arbi- 
trarily to  exercise  such  powers. 

This  is  what  Hastings  told  the  inmiigrants  of  184.3-6 
ill  regard  to  proceedings  in  alcalde's  courts,  in  Cali- 
fornia. One  wishing  to  recover  a  demand  applied  to 
tlu'  alcalde,  who  instead  of  issuing  a  written  summons, 
<l('si)atched  a  servant  to  the  residence  of  the  defendant, 
informing  him  that  his  attendance  at  the  alcalde's 
oflfice  would  be  required  on  a  certain  day,  to  answer 
till!  complaint  of  the  plaintiff";  and  that  if  ho  did  not 
appear  at  the  time  and  place  designated,  the  alcalde 
would  determine  the  case  ex  parte. 

When  the  parties  appeared,  the  alcalde  interrogated 
the  defendant,  whereupon  the  latter  proceeded  to  otter 
such  excuses  as  might  occur  to  him ;  or  he  would  curse 
his  opponent  vociferously,  declaring  that  he  would  not 
pay.  The  plaintiff"  would  then  take  the  floor,  and  reply 
to  the  defendant,  or  hurled  back  his  abuse,  answering 
his  insults  by  stronger  and  more  numerous  insults,  and 


m 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


more  volioniont  and  profane  cursing.  If  proceedinnfs 
took  tlio  latter  course,  his  honor  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  weigh  the  insult  and  profanity,  and  gi*  o  his 
judgment  according  to  the  preponderance;  if  the  for- 
tner  course  was  aclo]ited,  the  strength  and  validity  of 
the  excuses  were  weighed  against  the  justness  of  the 
demand.  Money,  however,  had  more  effect  than 
pleading  or  oaths,  and  was  usually  resorted  to  by  one 
party,  or  by  both. 

These  reports  of  foreigners,  however,  who  know 
little  or  nothing  of  what  they  were  saj'ing,  were  to  a 
<»reat  extent  cxagii^erated  and  false.  Justice  then  was 
plain  and  crude,  but  it  differed  not  so  much  after  all 
from  justice  now,  wliich  neither  in  America  nor  Eu- 
rope, nor  yet  in  Asia,  is  often  found  wholly  unadul- 
terated. 

The  old  form  of  oath  by  officers  on  rendering  ac- 
counts of  public  funds  was  still  observed  in  IS.Ii!: 
"I  certify  and  swear  by  God,  our  Lord,  and  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  that  the  amount  of  the  foregoing  account  is 
faithfully  and  lawfully  expended  for  the  articles  therein 
expressed."  The  oath  of  protestants  was  made  'poi' 
Dios  y  la  biblia.'  Catholics  were  sworn  on  a  cross, 
and  when  none  was  at  hand,  the  officer  administerinn 
the  same  held  up  the  right  hand  with  thumb  and 
forefinger  crossed.  In  a  certain  matrimonial  license, 
an  officer  testified  by  his  word  of  honor,  with  his  hand  on 
his  sword,  and  would  be  sworn  in  no  other  wav.  Tiio 
padre  says  that  therefore  he  was  fain  to  accept  the 
same. 

The  method  of  stamping  the  government  seal  on  pul)- 
lic  documents  at  one  time  was  bv  greasing  the  seal  and 
holdintr  it  in  the  blaze  of  a  candle  until  the  soot  served 
as  ink,  and  then  the  impression  was  made  by  hand. 

In  justices'  courts,  the  plaintiff  w^as  called  the  parte 
actora,  and  the  defendant  the  parte  demandada.  Ac- 
cording to  the  ordenanza,  where  several  soldiers  were 
tried  jointly  for  the  same  crime  of  robbery,  each  was 
obliged  to  name  a  separate  defensor. 


ESCRIBANOS, 


007 


It  was  the  practice  tliat  persons  called  to  act  in 
judicial  investigations  as  eserihanos,  or  as  testigos  de 
iisistencia.  were  sworn  liv  the  fiscal  or  iuez  coniisiona- 
do,  to  a  faithful  discharge  of  tlieir  duties,  one  of  wiiich 
was  to  keep  secret  everything  connected  with  the 
case. 

No  officer  in  any  way  concerned  as  a  party  in  a  case 
could  act  as  fiscal  or  judge  to  investigate  the  same. 
In  whatever  stage  the  proceedings  might  be,  so  soon 
as  he  was  named  in  any  document  or  deposition  as  a 
witness  or  party  interested,  his  functions  as  such  fiscal 
luid  to  cease. 

In  suits  before  jueces  do  paz,  for  less  amount  than 
$100,  the  judgment— el  juicio— was  verbal,  v.  ithout 
the  necessity  of  hombres  buenos,  although  sometimes 
these  were  brouLrht  in,  for  the  recoverv  of  $100  or 
upwards;  or  in  grave  cnses  of  injury  plaintiff  and  de- 
fendant each  a[)peared  with  their  hombres  bueniKs.  If 
the  parties  agreed,  the  case  went  no  farther;  in  case  of 
iii)U-agreement,then  testimony  was  taken, and  a  writ'  en 
judgment  entered  before  a  juez  de  primera  instancia. 

When  creditors  brought  claims  of  less  than  ten 
dollars  before  Judi^e  Castanares,  he  would  turn  to 
Ahrego,  his  clerk,  and  say,  "Pay  the  claimants,  so  that 
I  may  not  have  to  listen  to  their  talk." 

Abel  Stearns  was  addressing  the  old  burly,  rough, 
l)ut  <j;ood-natured  Alcalde  Antonio  Machado,  with  one 
loot  on  the  round  of  a  chair.  The  alcalde  endured  it 
I'dfa  while,  and  then  exclaimed,  "Senor,  be  kind  enough 
to  al)andon  the  chair;  this  court  objects  to  being  ad- 
(h'fssed  by  counsel  standing  on  one  foot,  like  a  crane." 

The  old  Spanish  proceeding  of  making  pi'isoners 
kneel  to  hear  their  sentence  when  notified  by  the 
judge  and  escribano  was  practised  in  Cal''  : 'ia,  to 
judge  from  the  proceeding  of  fiscal  Alfert!Z  Sancliez 
vvith  the  Indian  Luis.  In  this  case,  it  seems  that  the 
]iiisoner  had  to  kneel  when  notified  of  his  acquittal— a 
iiinre  pertinent  practice  than  the  other. 

Papel    sellado,  or  stamped  paper,  was  in  Spanish 


COS 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


countries  the  source  of  considerable  revenue,  ^eeds 
of  sales  of  land,  niort<(ages,  notes — all  docun  jS  re- 
latin*;  to  money  value  above  a  certain  amount,  powers 
of  attorney,  copies  of  marriage  and  baptism,  nearly  all 
kinds  of  contracts — had  to  be  written  on  such  papt  r. 
In  a  lawsuit,  the  costs  ran  up  enormously  by  reason  of 
the  f^reut  number  of  'pliegos'  of  stamped  paper  which 
the  lawyer  charged  for. 

Stamped  pa[)er  was  issued  in  periods  of  two  years. 
That  of  the  third  class  was  worth  two  reales,  and  was 
sufficient  Wtr  a  power  of  attorney  to  collect  soldiers'  pay. 

The  stamped  paper  used  in  1827 — in  one  instanci? 
at  least — bore  the  stamp  of  Carlos  IV.  for  1810  and 
1811;  that  of  Fernando  VII.  for  1814  and  1815;  ami 
the  Mexican  stamp  for  1827  and  1828 

The  sentences  in  criminal  cases  were  almost  always 
to  labor  on  public  works.  Most  of  the  offenders  were 
Indians,  and  the  hi^^hest  sentence  in  San  I3ieoo  in 
]835-()  was  a  year's  labor  for  stealing  a  barrel  of 
aguardiente. 

When  not  employed  on  public  works,  })'  )n  labor 
was  farmed  out  to  private  individuals.     A  re  were; 

no  good  jails,  it  was  customary  to  Hog  soui^  and  fine 
others.  Occasionally,  culprits  were  imprisoned  and 
worked  in  a  chain-gang. 

A  case  is  cited  of  one  Ramon  Soto  at  San  Jose, 
charged  by  Juan  Meresia  of  having  pawned  a  seivipc 
with  him  and  then  stealing  it.  The  case  was  tried  be- 
fore John  Burton,  alcalde,  who  adjudged  the  defendant 
guilty,  and  ordered  him  to  pay  a  fine  of  $5,  besides  Si'> 
for  the  scrape,  and  costs  of  court  $1.75,  or  labor  on  the 
public  works.  On  another  occasion,  Thomas  Joni.s 
complained  that  Pedro  Mesa  had  stolen  his  horse — the 
defendant  was  fined  $5,  "and  $9  for  saddling  the  horse ; 
and  costs  of  court,  taxed  at  $4.75;  $2  for  the  guard.  ' 

Pico,  in  1845,  ordered  it  published  by  bando  that  it 
was  connnon  to  see  delinquents  set  at  liberty,  which 
was  a  scandalous  outrage  on  private  interests,  and  the 
right  of  the  public  to  have  crime  punished — vindicta 


WORKSHOPS   RECOMMENDED. 


fion 


))ul»li('a — and  was  probably  owing  t(»  the  want  of  energy 
oil  the  part  of  the  local  authorities.  The  government 
jtn»|>(»se<l  to  put  an  end  to  it,  and  ordered  the  alcahle 
t,»  ste  that  crimes  were  punished  in  accordance  with 
tilt'  laws. 

in  IH'.U)  Cirovcrnor  Gutierrez  informed  the  alcalde 
of  Angeles  that  persons  imprisoned  for  petty  otlencis 
iiiigiit  go  out  and  seek  their  food,  others  must  ho  main- 
tiiiiicd  at  municii)al  expense.  To  i)revent  immorality 
and  misery  in  })risons,  the  g(»vernor  recommendeil 
wtiikshops  to  he  established  in  the  chief  California 
piisotis  by  means  of  private;  contract  which  should 
yield  something  to  the  prisoners. 

Juan  Malarin  conn)laine(l  to  the  judge  of  first 
instance  that  an  Indian  was  sentenced  to  the  chain- 
gang  for  having  been  drunk.  The  tribunal  reproved 
the  judge,  exi)ressing  surprise  at  his  conduct,  the  crime 
buing  one  not  subject  to  so  severe  a  punishment. 

To  the  j>iesident  of  the  tribunal  of  justice,  a  com- 
mission a[)[)ointed  to  visit  the  prisons  of  California 
n'[iorted  in  1842  :  That  the  Monterey  [nison  contained 
five  persons,  two  dc  razon  and  three  neophytes.  Tlu; 
cuiiiniission  j)ut  the  usual  questions  to  the  two,  and  tiiey 
answered  that  from  the  time  of  their  imprisomnent 
they  had  been  given  no  food;  the  authorities  did  not 
know  how  they  were  to  subsist.  One  of  them  during 
tlie  first  days  begged  of  certain  persons,  until  tiu; 
otlii'isat  length  jjave  him  some  food  that  was  brouirht 
from  their  house.  Often  thev  asked  for  water,  and  were 
told  there  was  no  one  to  fetch  it.  From  the  situation 
(if  the  prison  the  sun  could  not  enter  it;  and  there 
Were  other  uiatters  which  the  commission  wished  to 
mention,  but  there  was  no  space  for  them  in  the  report. 

Similar  (piestions  to  tlie  neopliytes  elicited  rei)lies 
tliat  they  were  sentenced  to  (juarry  stones  for  the  jetty  ; 
tliey  were  taken  out  to  work  at  8  a.  m.  and  stoi)ped 
at  .")  1'.  m;  the  only  food  they  got  in  the  twenty-four 
iioui-s  was  a  piece  of  raw  meat  at  9  a.  m.,  and  so  small 
a.s  to  leave  nothiijg  for  su})[)er. 


CVl..  I'AST.      3i) 


filO 


CRIMES  AND  COURTS. 


Tlie  commission  then  inspected  tlie  calabozo,  and 
were  surprised  at  tlic  picture  it  presented.  It  was 
without  any  iioor  but  the  bare  earth,  and  ho  wet  tliat 
a  stick  wouhl  slide  some  distance  into  it.  The  walls 
were  black,  and  so  dark  that  an  object  could  not  be 
seen  more  than  a  yard  ofF.  There  was  neither  liuht 
nor  ventilation,  except  through  two  small  skylights; 
it  was  very  unhealthy,  and  the  more  so  when  many 
peoj)le  had  to  sleep  there  in.  They  had  to  use  a  barrel 
as  a  privy,  and  the  whole  place  was  a  sink-hole  of  iilth. 
The  connnission  severely  denounced  the  condition  ot' 
the  prisons,  and  added  that  although  criminals  should 
be  punished,  they  should  still  be  afforded  the  accom- 
modations and  comforts  that  reason  and  hunumity 
dictate.  Sii-ned  by  Jose  Antonio  Estudiho,  Antonio 
Maria  Osio,  and  Jo  ;e  ^Earia  Castanares. 

In  reply,  Jose  Fernandez,  judge  of  first  instance, 
concerning  the  state  of  the  i)ris(ms,  ex])lains  tliat  the 
causes  complahied  of  arise  from  lack  of  funds  to  meet 
expenses.  The  ])risoners  can  only  be  given  meat  suHi- 
cient  fer  their  subsistence.  They  are  not,  however,  as 
has  been  reprogonted,  dying  of  hunger,  or  so  wasteil 
away  as  co  be  unable  to  work.  The  prison  has  no 
jailer,  nor  any  patio  for  the  [uusoners  to  sun  themstlvcs 
in;  and  it  has  not  been  deemed  prudent  to  take  tliem 
from  the  prison  and  ])lace  them  in  tlu;  plaza  under 
care  of  tlK>  troops,  I'rom  which  they  could  esca})e  jukI 
no  one  be  I'esponsible.  The  meat  is  sup[)lied  to  tin  in 
raw,  because  there  arc  not  a  sufficient  numbi'r  to  pay 
for  the  cooking,  neither  is  there  a  military  escort  to 
take  them  to  a  place  of  labor. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


A  VERY   HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


Lasst,  Vater,  geniig  seyn  das  grauaaiuo  Spiel! — Scldller. 

Said  Charon  to  Mercury,  to  whom  was  due  from  the 
Sty.x  Kiver  ferry-man  certain  monc}'  for  boat-tackle, 
following  Lucian :  "I  cannot  give  it  you  now,  but  if 
war  or  pestilence  should  send  souls  iiither  in  paying 
iiuuibers,  you  can  make  the  amount  and  more  by 
clii'ating  each  one  a  little  in  tlie  passage-money." 
Considering  that  California  never  had  a  war,  nor  any 
[K'stilcnce  to  speak  of,  there  seems  to  have  been  con- 
siderable sickness  for  such  a  very  healthy  country ;  and 
it  is  quite  certain  tb.at  Charon  found  business  better 
after  the  introduction  of  civilization  than  before. 

In  physical  appearance,  the  Californians  were  vastly 
superior  to  the  people  of  the  other  Mexican  states. 
Tall,  muscular,  and  well  favored,  their  complexion  was 
neither  sallow  like  that  of  some,  nor  swarthy  as  is  the 
case  of  others.  And  they  were  probably  as  healthy 
and  athletic  as  any  people  in  the  world. 

I'I'.ese  characteristics  were  theirs  by  iidieritance; 
for  in  the  instructions  of  the  viceroy  to  C'aptain  Rivera, 
it  was  ordered  that  the  head  of  each  family  desiring 
to  (migrate  to  California  should  be  a  hale  country 
laborer,  without  blemish,  physical  or  numd.  Recruits 
tor  the  presidios,  selected  with  (^ven  greater  care, 
Wire  to  bo  of  not  less  than  eighteen  nor  more  than 
tliiity  years  of  age,  at  least  two  varas  in  height,  and 
of  In  althy  color  and  good  presence,  without  marks  of 
any  kind  on  body  or  face. 

(«U1) 


C12 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


Like  Kentucky,  Missouri,  and  all  virgin  lands 
where  there  are  present  no  counteracting  causers, 
California  bred  a  fine  race,  notwithstanding  the  many 
race  intermixtures.  Says  Bayard  Taylor  in  184G: 
"The  Californians,  as  a  race,  are  vastly  suj)erior  to  the 
Mexicans.  Thev  have  laru;er  frames,  stronger  muscle, 
and  a  fresli,  ruddy  comple^^ion,  entirely  dift'erent  from 
the  sallow  skins  of  the  tierra  caliente,  or  the  swarthy 
features  of  those  Bedouins  of  the  west,  the  Sonorians. 
The  families  of  pure  Castilian  blood  resemble  in 
features  and  build  the  descendants  of  the  Valencians 
in  Chile  and  Mexico,  whose  original  |)hy^ical  superior- 
ity over  the  natives  of  the  other  provinces  of  Spain 
has  not  been  obliterated  by  two  hundred  years  of 
transplanting," 

The  first  settlers  were  generally — with  the  excep- 
tion t)f  the  governor,  the  missionaries,  and  a  few  of  tlie 
officers,  who  were  Spaniards — from  Sonora,  Sinaloa, 
and  Xueva  Vizcaya,  and  consequently  of  mixed  race, 
those  of  pure  Spanish  blood  being  comparatively  few. 

The  child  of  Spanish  blood  born  in  America  is  a 
criollo;  the  offspring  of  Si)aniard  and  Indian,  i\  mestizo ; 
that  of  Spaniard  and  negro,  a  mulato;  that  of  free 
negroes,  a  moreno,  and  of  free  mulatos,  a  pardo;  that 
of  negro  and  Indian,  a  zamhahitjo,  zamho,  or  camhujo; 
that  of  Spaniard  and  mestizo,  ficiiarteron;  that  of  Span- 
iard and  nmlato,  a  In}>o.  Coyote  is  a  generic  term  a|) 
})Iied,  when  human  beings  are  referred  to,  to  an  Indian 
born  in  New  Spain. 

Even  the  non-commissioned  officers  were,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  of  mixed  lineage,  and  the  wives  of  the 
soldieis  were  in  many  cases  Indinns.  Single  men  on 
arriving  in  the  country  took  to  themselves  wives  fnini 
among  the  neophytes,  in  the  absence  of  women  (f 
their  own  race,  and  their  descendants  continuing  ti» 
intermarry,  most  of  the  geiite  de  razon,  or  sentient 
beinys  -bv  which  liiuh-soundiniT  desiu:nation  tlit'^o 
people  of  mixed  lineage  loved  to  distinguish  tli'i'i 
selves  from  their  kinsmen  among  the  neoph}'tes  ami 


SMALL  WOMEN. 


613 


the  unconverted  savages,  even  in  the  third  generation — 
consisted  of  individuals  of  every  conceivable  gradation 
of  mingled  Spanish  and  Indian  blood,  at  the  same  time 
taking  great  pride  and  comfort  in  considering  them- 
selves of  pure  Spanish  descent. 

Later,  the  class  of  immigrants  from  Mexico  was,  to  a 
great  extent,  compi>sed  of  men  and  women  of  mixed 
race.  About  1830  there  began  to  arrive  Americans 
and  Europeans,  chiefly  from  Great  Britain,  who 
married  women  of  the  country;  the  mixture  of  races 
1)1  coming  in  this  way  still  more  complicated,  although 
the  traces  of  Indian  linea<;e  jrraduallv  became  less, 
until  at  the  time  of  the  American  conquest  they  were 
scarcely  {)erceptible. 

The  women  of  California  were  rather  small;  they 
were  brunettes  with  fine  black  hair,  good  teeth,  and 
generally  Avell  favored.  They  were  remarkably  fecund, 
and  marrying  as  they  did  at  an  early  age,  at  thirty  a 
woman  was  generally  the  mother  of  five  or  six  ehil- 
»hen,  while  families  of  twelve,  or  even  twenty,  were 
not  u  iconimon,  and  in  several  instances  this  latter 
number  was  exceeded.  In  1828  the  births  were  to 
tlio  dcatlis  as  three  to  one. 

Why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  All  else  was  fecund,  while 
still  the  missionaries  sanjjf  "and  onlv  man  is  vile." 
The  mothers  could  usually  count  their  children;  with 
tli(^  fathers  the  task  was  more  difficult.  Some  essayed 
to  distinguish  them  all ;  others  a  part.  Igna<io  Vallejo 
"oimted  12  chikh-en;  .Toaijuin  Carrillo,  12;  Jose  de 
la  Guerra,  10;  Jose  Argiiello,  1.3;  J.  M.  Pico,  D;  Fran- 
cisco Sepulvetla,  1 1 ;  J.  M,  Ortega,  1 1  ;  J.  Bandini,  10; 
y  H'rrevesa,  11:  ^I.  G.  Vallejo,  12;  Josefa  Vallejo, 
I  1  ;  Fel.  Sobcranes,  10;  J.  A.  Castro,  20.  Juana  Cota 
(lied  leaving  500  <leseen<lants. 

"A  native  was  pointed  out  to  mo  one  day,"  says 
Taylor,  "as  the  father  of  thirty-six  children,  twenty 
of  whom  were  the  product  of  his  fir.st  marriage,  and 
sixteen  of  his  last.  Another,  who  had  been  married 
twelve  years,  already  counted  as  many  heirs."    Secun- 


A  VERY   HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


dino  Robles  got  by  one  wife  twenty-nine  children. 
Jose  Maria  Martin  Ortega  was  the  oldest  of  twenty- 
one  children,  and  himself  the  father  of  twentv-one. 
One  of  his  sisters  had  twenty-two.  The  wife  of  J.  A. 
Castro  had  twenty-six  children;  Mrs  Hartnell  had 
twentv-five.  Lieutenant  Wise  met  at  Monterey  a 
woman  thirty-seven  years  old,  the  mother  of  nineteen 
children,  and  apparently  able  to  have  as  many  more. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Bdrbara  were  a  couple  of 
(jente  del  j)<^i^  ^^'ho  in  1850  had  seen  before  their 
eightieth  year  105  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren. During  the  journey  of  the  Hijar  colo- 
nists to  San  Juan  Bautista,  one  of  the  carts  contain- 
ing women  and  children  was  at  a  certain  point  upset; 
when  righted,  it  was  found  that  two  more  colonists 
had  been  added  to  the  number,  apparently  as  well  as 
any  of  them.  Since  the  conquest,  the  fecundity  «>f 
women  not  native  to  the  soil  has  been  the  subject  <»t' 
frequent  remark.  In  1848  there  were  born  in  Sono 
ma,  then  a  hamlet  consisting  of  some  forty  families, 
no  less  than  nine  pairs  of  twins  and  one  set  of  triplets. 

This  proliticness  was  by  every  one  attributed  to  the 
climate,  or  to  the  virtues  of  some  particular  spiing. 
Women  who  for  somt  years  had  borne  no  childixMi 
on  coming  to  California  regained  their  fecunditv,  and 
those  hitherto  childless  became  fruitful. 

W^hen  Mrs  Benjamin  Hayes,  who  was  an  invaliil, 
came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1850,  the  native  women  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  she  had  no  children.  "But 
never  mind,"  they  said  in  their  kind-hearted  efforts  to 
comfort  her,  "California  es  muy  fertil. "  And  so  the 
good  woman  soon  found  it  to  be. 

But  while  the  mixed  race  thus  multiplied,  the  abo- 
riginal lords  of  the  land  declined.  Here  as  elsewhere 
those  twin  gifts  of  civilization  to  the  red  man,  disca-e 
and  di.stilled  liquor,  wrought  their  wonted  ills;  more- 
over, the  Indian  women,  naturally  not  very  fecund, 
sought  to  prevent  childbirth  by  the  use  of  the  tlioi  n- 
appTe,  this  custom,  perhaps,  bein^'  also  of  comparatively 
recent  introduction. 


LONG  LIVED  PEOPLR 


615 


The  Californians  were  moreover  a  long-lived  people; 
woll-authentioutid  cases  of  great  longevity  were  not 
at  all  infrequent  among  the  Indians  as  well  as  among 
those  of  mixed  race.  Many  individuals  reached  tlie 
age  of  eight}  or  ninety,  while  the  years  of  not  a 
few  have  excei'dod  one  hundred.  Indeed,  Father 
Martinez  of  San  Miguel  wrote  that  there  were  at  that 
mission  several  Indian  women  of  more  tlian  one  hun- 
dred years  of  age.  At  Angeles  Antonio  Valdes  died 
in  18j1)  at  the  aire  of  ninetv-two,  and  in  1858  Guada- 
liipe  Romero  aged  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  Marfa 
Iiiiuioia,  an  Indian  woman,  reached  the  asje  of  ninetv- 
six;  Fernando  and  Placido,  Indians,  were  at  tlie  time 
of  their  deatli,  respectively,  one  hundred  and  two  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  years  old.  A  short  time 
before  his  decease,  the  latter  had  danced  at  a  fandango. 
Crisostoino  Galindo  was  livin«»;  in  1875  at  the  aije  of 
one  hundred  and  three.  ^laria  !Marcelina  Dominguez, 
on  whose  land  the  famous  grape-vine  of  Santa  Biir- 
liuia  grew,  died  in  1805  aged  one  hundred  and  seven. 
Ursula  Madariaga,  who  was  twelve  years  old  when  in 
1 7 (>7  the  Jesuits  were  expelled  from  Mexico,  died  at 
Monterey  in  185G.  Justiniano  Roxas,  an  Indian  who 
died  at  Santa  Cruz  in  1875,  was  ba[)tized  at  that 
mission  in  179"J;  and  in  the  entry  of  his  baptism,  it  is 
noted  by  the  ofHciating  jiriest  that  he  was  then  at  least 
forty  years  of  age.  Eulal  a  Perez,  who  died  in  1878, 
at  the  time  of  dictating  her  recollections  in  December 
ls77,  laid  claim  to  one  hundred  and  thirtv-nine  vears, 
but  did  not  present  any  proofs.  I  saw  her  in  1874, 
and  she  certaiidy  did  not  appear  so  aged.  From  my 
own  observation,  as  well  as  from  a  careful  consideration 
of  the  evidence,  I  ain  inclined  to  think  that  she  was 
born  not  before  17G0. 

On  the  other  hand,  diseases  of  many  kinds  pre- 
vented a  correspontling  increase  of  population  among 
the  gente  dt>  razon,  and  ran  riot  among  the  neophytes. 
Of  all  these  diseases,  syphilis,  in  its  many  varied  mani- 
testations,  was  the  most  wiiK'lv  disseminated  amonir 


GIG 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


all  (lasses  and  b^th  races.  It  is  inipossiblV>  to  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  in  17()i)  the  evil  already  existed 
here;  for  it  might  well  have  been  brought  hither  by 
the  sailors  of  Cabrillo  and  Vizcaino;  its  existence,  at 
sonic  of  the  missions  at  h^ast,  dates  fr«»m  the  arrival 
of  Anza's  expedition  in  177(5.  The  disease  sjmad 
with  frightful  rapidity,  and  as  early  as  1805,  sypliilis. 
together  with  its  legitimate  offspring,  scrofula  and 
consumption,  yearly  caused  the  death  of  hundreds  at 
the  several  missions,  while  the  subsequent  annual  re- 
ports of  the  friars  almost  invariably  give  these  diseases 
as  the  chief  causes  of  death.  "It  is  almost  universal, 
both  among  Spaniards  and  Indians,"  says  Langsdm  If, 
"and  occasions  so  much  the  greater  devastation  amoiitr 
them  as  they  themselves  resolutely  reject  all  medical 
assistance  for  it."  Karelv  did  a  neophvte  reach  thf 
age  of  sixteen  without  showing  signs  of  the  disease, 
while  frequently  the  symptoms  were  present  at  birth, 
in  such  children  as  mothers  did  not,  owing  to  tluir 
own  diseased  condition,  abort.  Manv  (»f  the  friars 
themselves,  notably  those  of  the  college  of  GuadahiiH'. 
were  contaminated,  and  many  men  of  respectable  jm^i- 
tion  died  of  the  effects  of  a  disease  by  some  considered 
incurable. 

Other  diseases,  never  entirely  absent  from  the  set- 
tlements and  the  missions,  and  frequently  vi'ry  fatal 
at  the  latter,  were  dvsenterv,  catarrhal  fevers,  ami 
pleurisy.  These  diseases,  which  seem  to  have  hiiii 
more  prevalent  at  the  begiiming  of  the  rainy  siasmi 
and  just  after  the  rains  ceased,  were  aggravati'd  ly 
the  want  of  cleaidiness  among  the  neojthytes,  as  well 
as  bv  their  gluttonv,  added  to  a  lack  of  care  on  tlio 
]>art  of  their  ignorant  associates,  and  the  dangerously 
slight  knt>wle(li'e  of  medicine  in  almost  all  instaiuvs 
possessed  by  the  friars,  their  only  physicians. 

Epidemic  diseases,  liovvever,  were  not  infrequent; 
and  of  these  the  most  dreaded,  although  by  no  means 
the  most  fatal,  was  the  small-pox.  which  on  several 
occasions  visited  the  country.     In  1781  this  disease  is 


ON  THE  ALERT. 


617 


Wild  to  have  made  its  appoaranoo  among  tlu;  fliildron 
(if  the  immisjfrants  who  came  with  Captain  Rivera  I'rom 
Lori'to.  Tlie  party  encamped  about  a  lea<:;iie  distant 
from  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel,  and  remained  tliere, 
presumably,  until  the  disappearance  of  the  symptoms, 
which,  as  they  were  confined  to  children,  may  have 
been  like  those  of  chicken-pox.  Certainly  the  disease 
could  not  have  been  of  an  alarming  type. 

But  early  in  17i)8  the  authorities  were  on  the  alert, 
and  on  the  i)th  of  ^fay  the  ship  (\»i('ej)cio>i,  with 
several  cases  of  small-pox  on  board,  arrived  at  Santa 
liiirbara.  The  governor  immediately  ordered  the  ves- 
sel to  be  disinfected,  and  the  passengers  placed  in 
(juarantine  for  fort}'  days.  As  the  five  sick  ])ersons 
recovered,  and  the  infection  did  not  spread,  the  com- 
iiKiiidant  of  the  town,  some  three  weeks  after  the  ves- 
srl's  arrival,  in  disregard  of  the  governor's  onh-rs, 
released  the  passengers  from  quarantine.  The  gov- 
ernor was  furious,  and  swore  tliat  shoukl  the  disease 
gain  footing  in  the  country  the  commandant  shouM 
hang  for  it,  and  that  the  representation  which,  signed 
Ity  tiie  friars  and  others  who  had  landed  from  the  sliip 
as  wtll  as  by  the  ofticers  of  the  garrison,  had  been  for- 
warded to  the  capital,  would  not  suftice  to  shield  him. 
llap|)ily  for  rJl,  the  infection  did  not  spread. 

Kaily  in  May  1838,  the  small-pox,  the  appearance 
of  wliieh  had  been  for  months  anticipated  with  chead, 
wa-^  i»rought  from  Ross  to  Sonoma  by  one  Miramontes, 
a  negro  corporal  of  cavalry,  and  spread  with  friglitful 
rajtidity  among  the  wihl  Indians,  thousands  of  whom 
cru'i.  It  is  estimated  that  fullv  three  fifths  of  tin; 
savage  population  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  were 
swipt  awav.  The  infection  does  not  seem  to  havi? 
«pnad  south  of  Monterev,  but  evervwhere  it  was  verv 
fatal  among  the  Indians,  while  sparing  the  gente  de 
razon. 

Again,  in  May  1844,  the  same  scourge  made  its 
apinarance,  brought  from  San  l^las  by  the  kanaka 
n\w  of  the  California.     One  man  was  put  ashore  at 


CIS 


A  VKRY  HEALTHY  COUNTUY. 


Capo  Sail  Lucas  and  died  there;  another  died  wliIlc 
tlie  vessel  lay  at  San  Pedro,  and  a  third  died  ut  sea 
before  reachintj  ^Monterey.  The  other  kanakas  wtiv 
nearly  well  when  the  schooner  arrived  at  tiie  latter 
place,  and  no  one  of  her  many  passengers  caujjjht  the 
infection.  But  the  disease  spread  among  the  Indians 
at  Monterey,  it  is  said,  from  the  clothing  which  Lai- 
kin,  one  of  the  passengers,  gave  to  his  servant  to  l)t' 
washed.  Ahout  one  hundred  Indians  died,  but  only 
one  ])erson  de  razon.  Considerable  alarm  was  felt 
throughout  the  southern  country,  particularly  at  San 
Gabriel,  owing  to  a  venereal  eruption,  and  at  other 
places  because  of  a  kind  of  itch;  but  the  disease  was 
confined  to  Monterey. 

A  curious  disease  was  that  which  afflicted  many  of 
the  carlv  missionaries.  It  was  characterized  by  niel- 
ancholy,  nervous  prostration,  and  finally  perturbatieii 
of  the  intellect.  In  1799  two  insane  friars  were 
allowed  to  retire  to  their  college;  and  within  a  few 
years  previous  to  that  time  there  had  been  S("\<  i;il 
similar  cases.  /  '  sence  from  the  country  invariahly 
worked  a  cure. 

As  late  as  1830  the  Californians  regard'  d  consump- 
tion as  contagious.  When  a  person  tlied  of  that  (lis 
ease,  his  clothing  and  effects  were  burned,  and  the 
walls  of  the  room  scraped  and  whitewashed.  On  one 
occasion,  while  governor  Pablo  Vicente  de  Sola  riileil 
the  Californians,  a  wealthy  Sj^aniard  died,  leaviuL;'  tin- 
whole  of  his  property  to  the  fondo  piad<*so  do  las  Cali- 
fornias;  but  as  he  had  been  a  consuujj)tive,  his  i'uriii- 
ture  and  clothing  were  consigned  to  the  flames,  and  in 
the  excitement  the  iewclry  and  nionev  which  he  had 
will(>d  to  the  fondo  piadoso  were  lost  or  stolen.  WIuii 
the  case  was  re[)orted  to  Mexico,  the  president  of  tin 
college  of  San  Fernando,  who  had  been  made  adminis- 
trator of  the  property,  began  suit  against  tiic  autiiori- 
ties  of  the  then  province  of  the  Californias,  from  whom 
he  claimed  the  full  value  of  the  property  destroyed 
and  stolen.     The  lawsuit  lasted  nearly  twenty  years, 


THK  1)I.SEASE  LATIDO. 


CIO 


Uiicl  was  finally  decided  auj'aitist  tho  priesthood  i;i  1843 
liy  (jiovtrnor  Micheltorena,  who  impiovrd  tlio  oppor- 
tunity for  the  purpose  of  giving  to  Bisliop  Garcia 
Diego,  the  first  ecclesiastic  who  held  that  high  office 
in  this  country,  a  lesson  as  to  the  loose  manner  in 
Avhicli  the  ministers  of  the  altar  .attended  to  their 
duties. 

In  IS02,  ahout  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  there 
ni)[)eared,  notably  at  Montere}*,  La  Soledad,  and  San 
Luis  Obispo,  an  epidemic,  of  whicli  tiie  symptoms  were 
a  cough,  pains  in  various  parts  of  the  body,  and  later 
fover,  accompanied  in  the  majority  of  cases  by  a  stric- 
ture of  the  throat.  This  disease,  very  fiital  at  La 
Siiledad  but  less  so  at  other  places,  was  attributed  to 
a  eiumge  of  temperature,  and  in  the  opinion  of  eccle- 
siastics and  laymen  alike,  yielded  to  prayer  rather 
than  to  human  remedies.  It  is  a  ])ity  that  all  di;;- 
lases  will  not  yield  to  prayer,  and  death  also,  and  all 
otlitr  infelicities;  but  how  then  would  heaven  be 
peopled  ? 

Langsdorff  heard  of  a  disease  at  San  Jose  called  the 
hitldo,  wliich  was  confined  to  adults.  It  bctjan  bv  a 
]iulsation  in  the  lower  belly,  which  constantly  in- 
civascd;  pains  were  fi>lt  in  that  region,  and  in  the 
neck,  as  thouHi  a  strinsj  were  drawn  ti<j:htlv  over  those 
parts;  loss  of  appetite  was  attended  by  sickness  and 
uu  indurated  condition  of  the  belly;  cram])s  were  fre- 
quent, and  even  in  male  patients  hysterical  afierlions. 
The  sulierer  misfht  liiiLier,  but  iiraduallv  wasted  awav 

and  tlied.      No  satisfactory  cause  was  assiy;ned  to  this 

r  " 

disease. 

In  1819,  no  supplies  having  arrived  from  Mexico 
during  a  period  of  several  months,  a  ])lague  of  lico 
came  upoti  the  troops  at  San  Francisco,  who  were  put 
ti)  great  shift  for  Wiint  of  clothing,  and  were  in  conse- 
quence unable  to  keep  themselves  clean.  Any  one 
pfssincr  the  door  of  the  guard-house  was  immediately 
<"v.  led  by  these  insects,  for  the  wind  eirried  them 
liitlicr  and  thither.     Bathing  in  the  sea  and  boiling 


620 


A  VERY   HEALTHY   COUNTRY. 


their  g.arinonts  gave  somo  relief,  or  ratlier  a  respite; 
but  the  annovaiu'e  continued  until  in  1820  trade  Mith 
the  Ilussiuns  op»'ned. 

Toward  the  close  of  Xovomher  1802,  an  epidemic,  the 
nature  of  whicli  is  not  specified,  a[>peared  at  Anj^i  l( s. 
and  although  not  fatal,  was  so  prevalent  tliat  it  wa; 
necessary  to  postpone  for  simio  three  weeks  a  priiiiaiv 
election  ordered  to  be  held  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
December;  for  meanwhile  not  only  were  the  Imu' 
judj]jes  of  election  unable  to  serve,  but  scarcely  a  vdti.r 
could  leave  his  house.  A  person  signing  hiiiisrlf 
Trapper  says  that  lie  was  in  the  Sacramento  and  San 
Joa(iuin  valleys  in  1832,  when  they  were  crowdid 
with  Indians,  and  again  in  the  following  year,  win  ii  a 
fearful  visitation  of  remittent  fever,  more  violent  than 
anv^  recorded  in  their  traditions,  had  caused  the  alnntst 
utter  annihilation  of  these  people. 

At  the  missions,  and  sometimes  among  the  geutc  dr 
razon,  the  greatest  devastation  was  caused  hy  tin 
nuasles.  In  180G  this  disease,  hitherto  unknown  in 
the  country,  raged  for  many  montiis,  and  carried  dtl 
the  neophytes  by  scores.  Almost  all  the  pregnant 
women  affected  by  it  miscarried,  and  nearly  all  tlio 
children  at  the  more  northern  missions  died.  Tlir 
gento  de  razon  who  fell  ill  on  this  occasion  alnmst 
invariably  recovered,  while  the  disease  did  not  sjiitad 
among  the  gentiles.  In  1827-8,  however,  the  havoc 
wrought  by  this  disease  was  more  wide-spread,  thonuh 
not  as  great.  On  this  occasion  many  childri  ii  tie 
razon  also  were  victims. 

At  tlie  missions,  a  variety  of  causes  contributed  t' 
a  mortality  among  the  Indians  about  this  tiiin  ,  pn- 
hapa  unecjualled  in  any  country.  The  followin;^  taUo 
of  the  death-rate  among  the  neophytes,  from  the 
first  occupation  of  the  country  until  the  secular! /.a timi 
of  the  missions,  has  been  carefully  made  up  fnun 
the  statistical  tables  printed  iu  another  part  v(  this 
series; 


V.ar  Ad'lt 


iTiiii  r>.rtr> 

177n  (J.l_> 
1771  8.11 
I77l'  8.0J 
I77;i  (i.M 
1771  7.03 
177.".  0.1)7 
177ii,'4.7L' 
1777,  (I.G.'i 
177s  ().!>:» 
J77li,().J.-) 
17 so  .j.L'.'J 
17>si  r>.84 
I7VJ  4.4-t 
17.S;i'4.46| 
17m  4.24 
17s.->  .•{..•}<) 

17m;  .■).l'o 

1787  .'{.85 

17vs  .-».(>;} 

17.S1I  (!.02 

I7!N)  s.isl 


Fur  GO  ye 

^Ttii  a; 

tilt'  India 

less  genei 

sily  1)0  re 

<d'  (juasi  i 

mission  n 

tiling    les 

it'ehli'd  ali 

at  tinic's  i 

tlicjr  uid): 

aile(|uateh 

tluy  fell  a 

liitliorto  1< 

urally  fijtii 

dvvvd    tlie 

I'/»lt    of  UK 

times  becc 
t'i'ea.sc  tht 
tliei'o  was, 
taldc  wani 
wliefc  ther 


THE  DEATH  RATE. 


021 


Y.ar'Aint<. 

ClilM. 

Both 

lYear 

Ad'lU 

ihlUl. 

Hoth 

!  Year 

AillLs 

Cl'iWi. 

lioth 

1    % 

% 

% 

% 

0/ 

% 

% 

~ir 

ITilli  .-..Tm 

20. 0() 

8.»)9 

1 791 

5.84 

10.00 

7.39 

1813 

r>.32 

14.80 

7.08 

177n  (J.  I-' 

14.28 

7.21 

IT'.hJ 

0.42 

10.01 

7.85 

1814 

5.43 

13.15     0.82 

1771  8.U 

V.i.Vd 

9.08 

1793 

3.99 

12.77 

0.77 

1815 

7.02 

15.77 

8.54 

177J;8.0J 

12.95 

9.48 

'1794 

4.20 

14.44 

0.5(1 

,1810 

0.10 

10. 00 

8.28 

177:'.  (5.11 

10.  G2 

7.53 

1795 

5.18 

19.41 

8.44 

,1817 

0.37 

14.98 

8.03 

1771  7.0J 

8.87 

7.01 

I7'.>0 

0.27 

19.74 

9.10 

1818 

0.28 

15.40 

8.00 

i:7.-.  CUT 

10. 57 

8.09 

1797 

4.97 

14.15 

7.05 

;1819 

5.37 

14.10 

7.13 

177i;:4.72 

0.13 

5.17 

1798 

5.40 

15.77 

7.80 

1820 

5.50 

12.07 

0.98 

1777  •>.(»."> 

14.25 

8.0() 

;i799 

5.15 

20.81 

9.05 

1821 

5.31 

14.23 

7.00 

177>  (l.'JL' 

i!).:i8 

7.52 

1800 

7.12 

l;i.82 

9.13 

1822 

0.17 

17.40 

8.39 

17711  »>.).■> 

10.19 

7.45 

|18;)I 

7.02 

14.0.1 

8.87 

11823 

5.01 

15.0) 

0.95 

17 so  r).'2;j 

9.12 

0.00 

1802 

8.97 

15.00 

10.45 

1824 

5.81 

11.18 

0.87 

17s  1   ->.84 

11.71 

7.79 

1803 

5.71 

15.46 

7.84 

1825 

0.83 

12.8.-. 

7.97 

17 v.-  4.44 

10. (M 

0.31 

;i804 

0.28 

20.00 

9.01 

1820 

5.70 

9.55 

0.57 

17«:i'4.4G 

9.0? 

0.10 

il805 

5.53 

10.09 

7.01 

1827 

0.05 

15.50 

7.95 

17>si  4.24 

7.12 

5.10 

,18;h> 

13.50 

32.34 

17.02 

1828 

7.17 

21.37 

9.87 

17S.-.  .S.3» 

0.74 

4.40 

1807 

5.91 

14.01 

7.54 

1829 

5.37 

9.08 

0.23 

17Ni  .■>.20 

9.2(i 

0.55 

1808 

5.05 

14.53 

7.31 

1830 

4.18 

7.54 

4.79 

17S7  .-{.SS 

8.14 

5.31 

1809 

4.90 

14.74 

0.70 

1831 

5.38 

7.48 

5.79 

17sN  .">.<)3 

9.41 

0.07 

;1810 

5.30 

12.41 

0.05 

1832 

7.10 

7.70 

7.23 

17S'.I  ti.O'J 

8.93 

7.05 

l.Sll 

5.92 

15.57 

7.04 

18.33 

0.01 

10.93 

7.07 

17'.H)  H.IS 

7.97 

8.09 

1812 

0.(H> 

14.59 

7.08 

1834 

5.02 

9.37 

5.98 

For  00  years,  average,  adults  5.93%,  c-liildruu  13.29%,  both  7.00%. 

^[eii  and  women,  even  of  a  people  so  aUjt^ct  as  were 
tilt'  Indians  of  (  iilifornla,  born  to  a  freedom  for  count- 
lis.s  L;'enerations  enjoyed  by  their  kindred,  eannot  ea- 
sily l)e  reduced,  without  sufteriny;  by  it,  to  a  eoiulition 
(if  (juasi  shivery,  such  as  was  in  eH'ect  tlie  lot  of  the 
mission  neophytes,  whose  very  children  were  some- 
tliiiiL;'  less  than  their  kinsmen  t)f  the  woods.  En- 
ftcl tied  also  by  unaccustomed  labor  and  unwonted  diet, 
at  times  insutticient,  but  not  infre(|uently,  because  of 
till  ir  unbriilled  gluttony,  exces.sive,  as  well  as  by  in- 
a(l(i|uately  ventilated  and  unclean  sU'i'[)ing  apartnu'iits, 
tlicy  fell  an  easy  prey  to  di.seascs  more  fatal  than  any 
liitliorto  known  amtiHg  them,  and  to  which  their  nat- 
urally filthy  personal  hal)its  and  mode  of  living  ren- 
iKii'd  them  highly  susce[)til>le.  Ign.>rance  on  the 
jKiit  of  mothers,  added  to  a  want  of  pro[H'r  cure,  at 
times  becoming  criminal  inhumanity,  tended  to  in- 
civase  the  mortality  among  children.  Moreover, 
tlirio  was,  throughout  the  entire  country,  a  lamen- 
taiilt'  waiiL  of  medical  aid,  especially  at  the  missions, 
while  there  was  available  only  the  empiric  skill  of  the 


622 


A  VERY   HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


fiiars,  or  the  equally  daiit^orous  practice  of  the  nativ*^ 
iiU!dit'ine-ineii.  Anioiig  the  iieophytt'S  there  Sfoiiis  to 
have  been  a  marked  failure  of  female  ottfs[)riiig,  dui-  t<< 
some  natural  law,  or  possibly,  in  great  part,  to  the  de- 
liberate intention  of  infanticidal  mothers.  At  all  tht- 
missions,  the  number  of  males  was  excessive,  and  raids 
similar  to  that  recorded  in  Koman  history  were  en- 
couraged by  the  ministers  themselves  for  the  purpose 
of  su}>plying  the  needed  wives.  From  the  earliest 
times,  the  frightful  mortality  at  the  missions,  esjK - 
cially  those  of  the  north,  and  notably  San  Francisco 
and  Santa  Clara,  attracted  the  attention  of.the  author- 
ities, civil  and  ecclesiastic.  The  excess  of  deaths  o>  <  r 
births  was  always  great,  and,  as  I  have  said,  the  (U  li- 
cit was  made  good  byconversions,  sometimes  by  I'oici- 
ble  abduction,  among  the  neighboring  free  Indians. 

It  is  true  that  a  surgeon  accompanied  an  early 
expedition  to  Monterey;  but  he  became  demented  on 
arriving,  and  was  unable  even  to  put  proper  labels  on 
the  packages  of  medicines  which  had  been  brought 
for  di.stribution  to  the  jifferent  missions.  Later  tin  i 
was  a  surgeon  almost  constantly  under  pa}',  as  <  II 
as  a  phlebotomist,  but  they  were  attached  to  iIk 
Monteiey  presidial  company,  and  rarely  absented 
themselves  from  the  capital,  at  times  absolutely  it 


fusing  to  do  so. 


Herewith  I  give  a  list  of  surgeons: 


Name. 

Uank. 

Term  of 
Service 

l-f.9-1771 

Pay. 

Kemark.-i. 

Pedro  Prat 

.Surgeon 

Demented  in  1770;  died  in  Jltx. 

Poflro  Castan.   

.Surtieon     . 

177;M774 

Ad  interim. 

Jdm'-  liavila 

Suriteon     .. 

1774-17«3 

Iti.-eharued. 

Klaniu'l  Moreno 

Suriieon 

178."i 

Ordered  to  Cnl. ;  did  not  rdiiiiv 

J'eiiro  Curbajal 

Surseou 

17NV1787 

.\<'ting  at  variouii  time^. 

Pablo  SoIiT. 

Surtjeoii 

171.1-lNOO 

11840 

i!;{tio 

Uesigued. 

Josi'  Ca.itillo 

Phlebotomist. 

17^'J-1W8 

Juan  de  l>io8  Moreluii. 

Surgeon 

180()-1.S02 

Kelieved. 

Manuel  lorres 

surseon 

IWl'J-l.HOJi 

Ifti.'H) 
*  iJlVH) 

Iiesi*;ned. 

Jose?  Maria  Itenites 

Surtreon  . 

1,S0:<-1807 

Kxelianged  with  Quijano. 

Manuel  ijuijano 

Surtieon. 

1S07-1824 

ifil.OOO 
l|(l,.')00 

J.  hvan.  Perez  de  ',eon 

Surtreon  . 

IH'iU 

A.  Uonz.  del  Castillo 

Surueon 

18;i0 

Ordered  to  Cal.;  did  noi  iniiu" 

Manuel  de  Alva.   . 

Surgeon  . 

IMl-1840 

Ijil.nOO 

Retired  ou  sick  certifieaio. 

tianuel  Crespo 

I'lilebiitomitit 

l'^12 

1  !*;o 

11840 

Kdward  hale 

Surgeon 

1840-1843 

Kesigned. 

Fuuatiuo  Muro  

1844 

4;i,4i3 

*  In  1S04  was  increased  to  ,f  l.OOO  per  annum.    From  1771  until  1773,  and  acain  from 
1783  to  178:>  there  wua  uo  surgeon  iu  the  service. 


NEED  OF  PHYSICIANS. 


623 


In  1804  tlic  vicoroy,  in  view  of  the  alarnrm«jf  nior- 
tiility  at  the  missions,  increased  tlie  pay  of  tiie  sur- 
ufon,  with  the  understanding^  tliat  he  should  each 
year  make  a  tour  of  tiie  country  for  the  purpose  of 
s('ii(iin'^  to  Mexico  a  report  concerning  the  diseases  of 
the  gente  de  razon,  as  well  as  those  of  the  neophytes, 
tluir  causes  and  treatment.  These  orders  were  re- 
jKtited  in  the  follo\vin«(  year,  the  bishop  of  Sonora 
also  interesting  himself  in  the  matter,  and  Surgeon 
l^enitez  made  a  tour  of  inspection  to  the  northward  of 
Monterey,  and  to  the  southward  as  far  as  San  Luis 
Obispo.  The  results  of  his  observations  he  eiid)odied 
ill  ;i  long  and  able  report.  No  other  extended  tour 
stcius  to  have  been  made,  cither  by  him  or  by  his 
siuct'ssors;  after  two  or  three  years,  the  custom  ap- 
jit  ars  to  h  tve  fallen  into  abeyance,  and  was  never 
revived  by  the  Mexican  government,  except  on  one 
occasion.  Indeed,  with  the  single  exception  of  IJenitez, 
tlic  surgeons  appear  to  have  possessed  but  little  pro- 
fessional skill,  while  some  of  them  lacked  jn-oper 
liKilcssional  titles.  No  man  of  parts  seemed  t»)  be 
williiio;  to  come  to  California,  notwithstanding  the 
jj^ovcinment's  oft'er  of  additional  pay,  while  not  even 
nil  increase  of  pay,  amounting  to  more  than  fifty  per 
cent,  proved  an  inducement  sufficient  to  retain  compe- 
tent men.  These  men,  moreover,  constantly  complained 
<if  the  denial  of  perquisites  and  privileges  which  they 
(leciiicd  their  due. 

Later,  the  country  was  still  without  medical  men, 
and  ill  l(S29,  Echeandia  reporteil  that  there  were  none 
ill  the  territoiy,  uidess  twi)  or  three  (juacks  migl.t  be 
se.  coiisiilered.  Afterward,  and  previous  to  1  4^5,  a 
liiniti'd  mnnber  of  quasi  jthysicians,  chiefly  foreigners, 
piiK  ti->ed  at  various  i)laces,  and  the  surgeons  of  for- 
eign war  vessels  were  frequently  called  upon.  Fr.n- 
cisco  Torres,  a  Mexican,  was  in  practice  at  Monterey 
ill  '  S;15  ;  John  Marsh  obtahied  a  license  to  practise 
iiKihcineat  Angeles,  February  25,  183G;  Nicholas  Den 
was  practising  at  Santa  Barbara;  Edward  Bale,  an 
Kiiglishman,  came  before   1837;    Robert   Mouey,  a 


esA 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


Scdtohman,  with  no  diploma  or  medical  knowlodofo, 
pnu^tised  medicine  at  Angeles  in  1844.  Hartnell,  in 
a  letter  to  Wyllie,  1844,  says  that  a  young  Irish  sur- 
geon had  just  settled  at  Angeles,  and  that  a  surgeon 
for  the  troops  was  about  to  arrive  from  Mexico,  luit 
that  tliere  were  no  physicians  or  even  apothecaries  in 
tlie  country.  At  Monterey,  in  March  184G,  John 
Townsi'ud  and  Andres  Castillero,  the  latter  not  a  med- 
ical man,  signed  a  certificate  of  ill  health  as  'profesons 
de  medicina.'  In  June  184(5,  Francisco  de  la  Gueria 
writes  from  Santa  Bilrbara  to  the  governor,  that  for 
want  of  good  medical  men  in  the  country  he  has  been 
obliged  to  employ  the  surgeon  of  a  British  war  vessel. 

The  results  of  the  practice  of  the  frii  rsat  their  mis- 
sions gave  greater  force  to  the  time-honored  cus- 
tom of  the  Indians,  who  almost  invariably  preferird 
their  own  medicine-men;  so  that  not  infrequently  tlu' 
missionaries,  with  politic  shrewdness,  comprehendiiii; 
their  own  wtxikness,  wisely  abandoned  their  field  to 
tlieir  more  successful  fellow-practitioners  whenover 
the  treatment  consisted  in  the  employment  of  simjdcs, 
as  was  usually  the  case,  severely  punishing  neverthe- 
less all  cases  of  sorcery  that  came  within  tiioir 
knowledge. 

As  late  as  1828  the  corporal  of  the  guard  at  Santa 
Ines  reported  to  his  counnanding  otticor  at  Santii 
liiirbara  that  three  of  the  neo{)hytes  of  that  mission 
mad(!  a  practice  of  danciiigin  one  of  the  houses  ottho 
ranchen'a,  and  t)f  bringing  thither  tho.se  of  their  com 
radcs  who  were  dangeriRisly  sick;  the  latter  Ikmml;  in- 
formed that  each  one  \vlu»  had  danced  should  contiihute 
beads  or  some  other  ottering,  in  order  tluit  the  (huuv 
mi«'Iit  find  favor  in  the  eves  of  the  devil,  and  thrv  in 
conse(pience  be  healed.  The  culprits  were  injpnsoned 
on  a  charge  of  sorcery,  and  admitting  the  cliaiyv, 
were  S'Mitenced  by  their  minister  to  be  whipped  and 
remolded  to  prison.  The  commandant  onh'riiig  an 
Investigation,  it  aj)peared  that  the  dancing  took  |ihur 
on  two  several  occasions,  and  that  the  sorcery  co!isi>t»il 
in  touching  the  sick  witii  feathers  as  our  [>riests  toncli 


SIMPLE  REMEDIES. 


623 


persons  with  holy  water,  the  medicine-men  meanwliilo 
(lancing.  On  the  second  occasion,  some  of  tlie  by- 
standers ridiculed  the  proceed injjf.s,  and  one  of  the 
prisoners  threatened  to  bring  about  the  deatli  of  the 
sko[)tic8  by  means  of  a  coni[)osition  of  herbs.  The 
prisoners  were  kept  closely  confined  for  some  fourteen 
months,  when  it  was  ordered  l)y  the  connnandant- 
gciicral,  to  whom  the  matter  had  been  refenvd,  that 
ill  consideration  of  this  fact,  one  of  theni  .should  be 
released,  while  the  others  should,  in  the  presence  of 
the  assembled  neophytes,  receive  twenty-five  blows 
each. 

In  certain  ca.ses,  especially  for  the  treatment  of 
arrow- wounds,  the  gente  de  lazon  depended  almost 
entirely  upon  the  skill  of  tluir  Indian  dependents. 
These  men,  conscious  of  their  power,  at  times  giving 
tluMr  services  only  after  n.uch  entreaty,  cured  or 
kilK'd  as  it  happened.  Even  as  late  as  1844  these 
Indian  practitioners  were  'k  great  demand,  and  were, 
no  (h)ubt,  for  the  most  part  as  good  as  any. 

Drugs  of  various  kindt^  for  distribution  amoni;  the 
uiissions  were  brought  by  the  surgeon  who  accom- 
piiiiied  the  first  expedition,  and  afterward  a  fresh 
sui)ply  was  from  time  to  time  sent  from  Mexico ;  some- 
times the  stock  on  hand  was  excessive,  but  much  more 
hvijuently  there  were  scant  supplies  or  none  at  all, 
wiiiio  generally  their  quality  was  none  of  the  best. 

The  remedies  most  in  vogue  were  the  simples  which 
grow  in  every  garden  in  tlie  land.  Upon  these  they 
depended  rather  than  upon  the  drugs  of  which  the  use 
was  not  well  understood.  A  decoction  of  borage 
leaves  was  very  efficacious  in  catarrh,  inHuenza,  and 
the  like.  In  1814  a  tree  resembling  the  cinchona  was 
touiul  in  abundance  at  Quiniado,  near  San  Antonio; 
the  bark  was  used  as  a  febrifuge,  but  being  sent  to 
Spain  for  examination,  was  found  not  to  contain  (pii- 
nino  sufficient  to  make  it  valuable.  For  the  itch,  baths 
were  given.  The  thermal  waters  of  San  Diego,  Santa 
Hilrbara,  and  San  Juan  Capistrano  w-jre  frequently 

Cal.  Past.    40 


626 


A  VERY  TfEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


resorted  to.  Until  they  saw  the  Spaniards  use  these 
baths  tlie  Indians  would  not  do  so;  for  having  seen  in 
them  dead  birds  and  the  like,  they  feared  their  effect. 
The  virtues  attributed  to  the  water  of  the  sprin;^ 
called  Polin  have  already  been  alluded  to,  and  are  also 
spoken  of  by  Sanchez.  In  various  diseases,  mint  was 
a  favorite  remedy.  Plenty  of  vegetable  food  was 
recommended  by  Surgeon  Benites,  In  1802,  after  an 
epidemic  had  raged  unchecked  for  three  months  at 
Monterey,  prayer  proved  an  eftective  remedy.  In 
1 8 GO  a  clove  of  garlic,  applied  by  Mrs  Estudillo  to 
the  third  finger  of  the  left  hand  of  Judge  Hayes, 
while  causing  pain  and  raising  a  blister,  cured  tlie 
toothach€\  In  1817  Father  Suner  had  satisfied  him- 
self that  the  chief  cause  of  death  among  the  neophytes 
was  the  weaving  of  woollen  garments,  for  the  sweat  of 
these  people,  being  very  viscid,  was  with  difficulty 
washed  from  them,  and  that  the  remedy  lay  in  the 
cultivation  of  hem[)  and  flax.  In  1823  Father  Oil 
opined,  with  considerable  reason,  if  the  reports  touch- 
ing his  own  condition  were  true,  that  for  galico  there 
was  no  other  remedy  than  the  providence  of  God. 
This  opinion  Father  Abella  supplemented  by  sayiiii^ 
that  the  Indians  did  not  care  for  their  health,  but  like 
every  son  of  Adam,  pined  for  freedom  and  women. 
Bleeding  was  resorted  to  in  cases  of  pleurisy. 

The  most  extrat)rdinary  remedies  are  those  men- 
tioned in  a  little  book  called  Jiotica  General  dc  los 
I\C)H((h'os  Kjrpcrimoitmlini,  reprinted  from  the  Ci'uliz 
eilition,  and  publi.shed,  in  all  seriousness,  by  M.  d. 
ValK'jo  at  Sonoma  in  1838.  Each  remedy  h.ad  luon 
catefnlly  tested  by  experience,  many  of  them  briiiui"g 
to  mind  those  of  the  Chinese  pharmacopa'ia,  ^vili^' 
some  apjuar  to  have  been  in  vogue  among  birds,  Tlif 
date  of  the  publication  is  a  sufficient  comment  on  the 
condition  of  medical  science  in  California  at  thattiiiK'. 
The  last  remedy  of  the  li.st  is  not  the  least  curious.  It 
reads  thus:  For  impaired  eye-sight,  do  as  the  swallow 
does — bruise  the  leaves  of  swallow-wort  and  anoint  tin' 


RED  WINE  AND  ROSEMARY. 


627 


2se 
I  ill 

3Ct. 

in;j; 

[ilso 

was 

was 

r  an 

.8  at 
111 

lo  to 

ayes, 

I  "the 
bim- 

hytes 

cat  of 

[iculty 

ill  the 

cr  Oil 

itouch- 

►  there 
(;o(l. 
ayiuii; 
ut  like 
^ouieii. 

mcn- 

dc  y 

CiUliz 

lI  in'on 
riiviiiig 

\vhiK' 
Tho 

on  tlio 
lit  tiuH". 
lus.  It 
l\vall"«' 

hint  til'- 


eyes  with  the  juice.     For  earache,  fill  the  ears  with 

'orines  propios  calientes. '     For  constipation,  imitate 

the  ibis,  and  use  a  clyster  of  salt  water.     An  agreeable 

renied}'^  was  a  decoction  of  red  wine  and  rosemary, 

which  was  prescribed  for  weakness,  and  was  said  to  be 

very  comforting,  while  as  a  wash,  it  preserved  beauty 

and  banished  wrinkles.     A  glassful  of  sugar  water, 

with  the  unimportant  addition  of  a  like  quantity  of 

aguardiente,  whenever  one  felt  inclined,  gladdened  the 

heart,  purified  the  blood,  was  exceedingly  good   for 

the  head  and  stomach,  cleansed  the  spleen,  and  opened 

the  appetite.     The  toothache  was  cured  by  canying 

ill  the  mouth  the  eye-tooth  of  a  man,  or  that  of  a 

black  dog.     Cancer  yielded  to  a  wash  distilled  from 

wine  in  which  rosemary  leaves  and  flowers  had   been 

boiled.     Pleurisy  was  cured  by  'excremento  del   ca- 

ballo  reciente,'  dissolved  in  wine,  and  well  strained  : 

and  the  same  liquor  taken   internally  aided  difficult 

j)arturition.      A  reme*^}'  that  should  be  recorded   in 

letters  of  gold  was  the  foHowing:  Take  a  ra<lisli  cut 

in  four  pieces,  and   two  drams  of  powdered    broom 

sec>d;  put  them  in  half  a  pint  of  white  wine  to  which 

a  few  drops  of  lime-juice  had  been  added,  and  leave 

tlicni   there    for  twenty-four    hours.      This    draught 

would  dissolve  a  stone  in  the  bladder,  though  it  were 

as  big  as  a  lemon.     Chicken  stewed   in  wine  cured 

catarrh,  and  CLTiis    boiled  in  vinegar  the   dvsentcrv. 

That  the  colic  may  never  return,  drink  for   several 

successive  davs  a  decoction  of  mint,  and   1)0   l>hd  at 

the  wane  of  the  moon   in  Mav,  or  drink  dailv  simie 

aguardiente  with  a  fresh  v<^[X  in  it.      For  the   bh»<i(Iv 

m\\,  use  a  clyster  of  the  blood  of  a  sucking  j)ig.      For 

kidney  complaints,  eat  four  ounces  of  fresh  butter,  and 

iuuiicdiatcly  afterward  drink  half  a  jiint  of  white  wine. 

Scorbutic  tumors  were  dissolved  by  the  a})|»lication  of 

cluths  moistened  in  a  liqt")r  distilled  from  vipers.      For 

erysipelas,  sprinkle  the  face  with  the  fresh  blood  of  a 

Mack  hen,  and  tie  to  the  neck  a  twig  of  broom.      For 

jiiundice,  eat  radishes  and  sugar,  and  place  over  the 


628 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


lieart  a  poultice  of  the  same  in  a  cloth  dyed  with  coclii- 
Ileal ;  this  is  also  a  cure  for  melancholy.  For  excessive 
vomiting  apply  to  the  pit  of  the  stomach  a  cataplasm 
of  roast  pork  and  veal.  Wasli  the  swellings  produced 
by  chilblains  with  water  in  which  sardines  have  been 
cooked.  Powdered  s(K)t,  sage,  and  salt,  mixed  with 
the  white  of  an  egg,  and  bound  around  tlie  wrists,  will 
prevent  a  continuance  of  fever  and  ague.  Powdered 
nmstard  seed,  well  sifted  and  used  as  snuff — in  mod- 
eration tliough,  for  the  habit  grows  upon  one — will 
enable  one  t<^  comprehend  more  in  an  hour  than  others 
who  do  not  know  the  remedy  can  in  a  day. 

As  may  readily  be  supposed,  no  judicious  system 
<»f  treatment  was  p<issible  among  a  rude  people  abhor- 
ring national  cures,  and  whose  diseases,  when  n<»t 
inevitable,  seemed  almost  to  be  sought.  And  as  to 
the  practitioners  of  medicine  themselves,  there  seemtd 
to  he  exercised  but  little  supervision.  In  early  times, 
milittjry  surgeons  were  by  royal  edict  compelled  to 
give  immediate  notice  to  the  civil  authorities  of  any 
ease  wherein  tlieir  services  were  required.  The  fii>t 
•  Moission  to  do  so  was  punished  by  a  fine  of  twenty- 
five  dollars;  a  second  offence  by  a  fine  of  double  that 
amount,  and  banishment  for  two  years  to  a  distance 
of  twenty  leagues;  a  third  transgression  by  a  fine  of 
one  hundred  dollars,  and  four  years  in  the  chain-gaiiLf. 
But  this  regulation  fell  into  disuse.  In  fact,  it  seenicci 
to  be  the  general  (►pinion  that  the  use  of  medicines 
was  injurious  rather  than  useful,  their  abuse  tending 
I'Vcn  to  retard  tlie  desired  increase  of  population.  Tlic 
alcalde  of  Santa  Barbara,  in  a  report  made  to  the  gov- 
ernor, in  July  l.S;]4,  thought  that  the  empirical  prac- 
tice of  such  physicians  as  were  then  in  the  country 
had  shown  that  they  were  not  i)nly  unnecessary,  hut 
prejudicial  to  the  propagation  of  the  human  race. 

As  is  to  this  day  generally  the  case  in  Spanish  Anicr- 
ica,  to  be  of  Anglo-Saxon  race  was  tantamount  to  l/ciiiLT 
a  physician,  and  much  evil  was  wrought  in  Califrouia 
by  American  and  British  prctendeis. 


A  CRYING  EVIL. 


C29 


So  prylnp^  an  evil  had  tlie  quackery  of  these  men 
become,  that  in  1844  the  governor  decreed  that  any 
one  pretending  to  practice  medicine  or  surgery  should, 
previous  to  receiving  a  license  from  an  ayuntamiento 
or  judge,  produce  documentary  proof  that  he  was  what 
lie  claimed  to  1k'.  The  decree  also  regulated  the  price 
of  the  medicines  furnished,  and  the  amount  of  the  fee 
which  might  be  demanded.  ])isobedience  wns  pun- 
ished b}^  fine,  and  continued  transgression  by  ex[)ul- 
sion  from  the  place  where  the  culprit  resided. 

From  the  earliest  times  the  neophytes,  seeing  that 
tlie  gente  do  razon  possessed  no  knowl(>dge  even  of 
the  diseases  introduced  by  themselves,  manifested 
great  repugnance  to  the  treatment  prescribed  at  the 
missions,  and  in  these  eases,  refusing  to  submit  thereto, 
held  to  their  ow!i  traditional  remedies  in  all  coini)iaints 
of  which  they  had  a  knowleilge.  Their  chief  remedy 
for  all  ills  was  the  temeseal,  to  the  use  of  which 
the  most  strenuous  objection  was  made  b}-  the  civil 
authorities,  as  well  as  the  missionarii'S,  who  often 
ordered  the  temescales  to  bi>  destroyed;  but  the  in- 
<hans  as  frequently  reconstructed  them  in  out-ot'-tlie- 
way  ]»laces,  so  that  finally  a  compromise  was  elKcted, 
by  which  the  neophytes  were  allowed  to  use  the  te- 
mescal  in  the  presence  of  a  watchman,  who  prevented 
the  subsequent  bathing  in  cold  water.  The  friars  also 
generally  adopted  the  use  of  the  simples  en)j)loved  by 
tlie  Indians,  from  motives  of  policy,  or  because  e.\j)i'- 
rieiice  showed  them  that  such  reme«lies  were  really 
serviceable.  In  cases  of  arnnv-wounds,  the  gente  de 
raz(»n  gladly  submittcKl  to  the  Indian  treatment. 

Jose  Maria  Amador,  a  noted  hidian-fighter.  had  dur- 
ing a  certain  exjiedition  received  four  arrow-wounds, 
which  were  both  dangerous  an<l  painful,  and  received 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  an  Indian,  who  brought 
from  the  woods  a  root,  red  in  coloi-  and  some  eight 
inches  long,  <-alled  yerba  de  jarazo;  another  of  about 
the  same  size,  and  althouuh  of  a  vellowish  coloi\  !)«•- 
heved  to  be  of  the  same  I'aniilv ;  and  a  third  root  which 


630 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


was  long,  delicate,  and  fragile.  After  chewing  the 
red  root,  the  Indian  applied  it  to  the  wounds,  at  the 
same  time  giving  to  Amador  the  third  root,  with  orders 
to  chew  it  and  swallow  the  juice.  He  did  so,  and  the 
blood  flowed  very  freely  from  the  wounds,  which 
had  been  opened  and  enlarged  by  the  application  re- 
ferred to.  The  Indian,  with  wooden  pinchers,  thcii 
removed  the  arrow-heads,  which  had  remained  in  tlu- 
flesh,  an  extremely  painful  operation,  causing  the 
wounded  man  to  swoon.  The  yellow  root  was  then 
applied  as  the  yerba  de  jarazo  had  been.  Amador 
was  then  carried  to  his  home,  and  receiving  no  furtlur 
treatment,  was  within  a  month  well  of  his  wounds, 
and  entirely  sound.  Perhaps  if  left  alone,  he  might 
have  been  well  in  a  fortnight.  Palomares,  in  like 
circumstances,  experienced  similar  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  an  Indian,  who  moreover,  in  order  to  aid  iii 
cleansing  the  wounds,  sucked  from  them  the  coagu- 
lated blood. 


Sanitary  precautions  were  from  time  to  time  ordered 
b}"  the  home  government,  and  later  by  the  local 
auth(»rities.  In  1785  the  viceregal  government  trans- 
mitted to  Monterey  twenty  copies  of  a  treatise  ou 
small-pox,  which  had  been  sent  from  Spain,  and  or- 
dered their  distribution  among  the  people  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  1797  the  viceroy  ordered  that  precau- 
tions against  that  disease,  then  i)revailing  in  Oajaca, 
should  be  enforced. 

These  instructions  were  of  the  following  tenor:  Each 
settlenjent  should  have  a  pest-house  at  a  sutticient  dis- 
tance from  all  dwellings,  and  taking  into  consideration 
the  prevailing  winds,  to  leeward.  Immediate  notice 
of  any  case  of  disease  to  be  given  t(j  the  nearest  magis- 
trate. Magistrates  were  to  divide  the  settlements  into 
districts,  a  strict  quarantine  to  be  maintained  as  to  those 
infected.  In  the  event  of  a  pest-house  being  occupied, 
the  atmospliere  in  its  neighborhood  was  to  be  j)uritic(.l 
by  means  of  bonfires.    Letters  from  such  a  district  were 


SMAIX-POX. 


631 


to  be  tlisinfcctod  with  fumes  of  sulpliur,  and  the  inail- 
rarrier  was  to  wear  Hiieii  clothing,  which  he  should  re- 
move before  enterin<^  a  ])lace  nr)t  infected.  When  it 
hud  been  found  impossible  to  jircvent  infection  by  other 
jiicans,  then  vacchiation  was  to  be  resorted  to.  If  the 
disease  became  general,  charitable  societit;s  were  to 
be  formed.  Th();;e  win)  died  of  small-]X)x  were  to  be 
buried  in  retired  places,  and  under  no  circumstances  in 
tlie  usual  cemeteries.  Prayers,  the  most  efficacious  of 
all  remedies,  were  to  be  addressed  to  God,  to  his  most 
lioly  mother,  ami  to  his  saints,  if  haply  all  of  them 
together  might  successfully  cope  with  Satan  in  this 
matter,  in  case  of  any  emergency,  justices  might  for 
necessary  expenses  have  recourse  to  the  public  funds. 
Finally,  clergymen,  magistrates,  and  others  in  author- 
ity were  to  adopt  such  further  sanitary  measures  as 
under  the  circumstances  should  seem  proper. 

When  in  the  year  following  the  (^oncepcion  brought 
the  sn)all-j)ox  to  California,  these  precautions  were, 
to  tiie  extent  that  was  necessary,  adopted.  Again,  in 
1S40,  the  government  sent  instructions  for  the  treat- 
ment of  small-pox,  which  were  put  in  practice  four 
yurs  later. 

In  June  1844,  a  committee  of  citizens  requested 
tlie  avuntamiento  »)f  Los  An^jeles  to  issue  a  decree  on 
the  suhject,  and  early  in  the  following  month  the 
asked  for  action  was  taken.  The  number  of  watch- 
liK'U  was  increased.  These  men  were  to  see  that 
uutir  f(>r  drinking  was  clean;  that  only  healthy  cat- 
tK"  were  slaughtered  for  food;  that  all  offal  was  re- 
moved from  the  precincts  of  the  town,  and  that  meat 
was  kept  in  well- ventilated  places;  that  no  tavern- 
keeper  should  permit  the  assemblage  of  drunkards 
and  vagabonds,  under  penalty  of  five  dollars  ibr  the 
first  ofllence,  and  double  that  amount  for  the  second, 
while  for  the  third  his  ))lace  should  be  closed  by  the 
alcalde;  that  unripe  fruit  was  not  sold;  that  vessels 
arriving  at  San  Pedro  from  infected  places  should  be 
quarantined;   that   no   infected  person   should   come 


632 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


witliin  four  loajrucs  of  the  town,  and  that  other  [ur- 
sons  coming  from  infected  places  should  be  detained 
at  a  like  distance  for  three  days,  and  compelled  to  wasli 
their  clothing;  that  citizens  should  be  recommended  to 
bathe  frequently  and  keep  their  houses  clean,  to  al»- 
stain  from  the  use  of  chile  and  other  stinmlating  food, 
and  to  thoroughly  wash  corned  beef  before  cookiiin' 
it;  that  all  dwellings  should  be  daily  fumigated  with 
sulphur  or  sprinkled  with  vinegar.  This  decrcu 
should  be  read  at  every  dwelling  in  tlie  place. 

Early  in  1805  the  president  of  the  missions  re- 
ceived from  the  bishop  of  Sonora  an  intimation  to  the 
effect  that  the  king  had  sent  to  New  Spain  an  expedi- 
tion under  his  physician,  Balmis,  for  the  purpose  of 
introducing  vaccination,  and  the  friars  were  instructed 
to  allay  any  unfounded  prejudice  against  its  use,  hut 
no  vac(;ine  matter  was  sent  to  California.  In  ISOO 
cow-pox  appeared  in  the  cattle,  and  inoculation  wa>< 
at  first  practised  with  considerable  success,  but  exeiii|>- 
tion  from  danger  soon  produced  carelessness.  Yaeciiui- 
tion  pro' ler  does  not  seem  to  have  been  introduced  until 
1817,  when  some  lymph  was  brought  by  a  Spaniard 
named  Jose  Verdia,  and  a  little  later  by  the  surgeon 
of  a  Russian  war  vessel.  Again,  in  1821,  the  surgeon 
of  a  Russian  war  vessel,  the  Kuiusoff,  presented  the 
governor  with  some  vaccine  matter  which  he  had 
brought  from  Lima;  but  it  had  lost  its  virtue.     In 

1828  orders  were  sent  from  Mexico  that  vaccine 
lymph  should  be  ])roperly  preserved  in  vials,  or  that 
a  constant  succession  of  matter  should  at  public  ex- 
pense be  maintained  in  hefilthy  children.  This  decree, 
however,  seems  to  have  been  inoperative,  and  a  few- 
years  later  the  governor  ordered  the  commandants  of 
the  presidios  to  use  every  endeavor  for  the  procure- 
ment of  good  matter,  and  wrote  to  the  authorities  of 
Tepic  requesting  that  some  might  be  sent  to  him.     in 

1829  the  Russians,  for  the  third  time*,  acted  a  neigh- 
borly part,  and  left  at  San  Diego  and  Monterey  some 
vials  of  lymph,  which  proved  a  timely  gift.     In  later 


SANITARY  MEASURES. 


033 


years  there  were  periodical  flutters  of  apprehension, 
as  in  1840  and  in  1844,  regardin<(  the  sniall-pox,  but 
there  seems  to  have  been  no  lack  of  vaccine  matter. 
Sanitary  mea.sures  were  taken  also  in  1833,  when 
<(>nsiderable  alarm  was  felt  lest  cholera-inorbus,  which 
jiad  appeared  at  Chiapas,  should  visit  the  territory. 
Ill  December  of  that  year  the  governor  jmblishcd  a 
circular  issued  l)y  the  secretary  of  state,  which  advo- 
< ated  tlie  wearing  of  a  small  plate  or  nudal  of  copper 
in'xt  the  skin  as  a  guard  against  infection,  and  ordered 
that  the  precautions  indicated  by  Surgeon  Alva  should 
he  ()bserv(>d.  Certain  additional  precautions  were  tle- 
cieed  by  the  governor  himself  Cleanliness  of  houses, 
streets,  and  public  buildings  was  made  obligatory. 
(  emeteries  were  to  bo  established  when  necessary.  At 
the  missions  the  friars  were  to  see  that  the  order  was 
ohi'ved.  No  one  was  to  be  out  of  doors  after  eit,dit 
o'clock  at  night,  save  in  case  of  necessity;  and  tlK)se 
found  at  balls,  or  fn-quonting  taverns  and  like  resorts, 
should  be  condemned  to  four  days'  labor  on  the  public 
works.  Under  a  penalty  of  six  dollars  for  disobedi- 
ence, liijuor  could  be  sold  (mly  between  the  lumrs 
of  eleven  in  the  morning  and  three  in  the  afternoon. 
Houses  were  to  be  fumigated,  and  bonfires  lighted. 
Corpses  were  to  be  buried  within  twenty-four  hours 
after  death,  but  at  the  same  tiiiie  precautions  against 
jinniature  burial  were  to  be  observed.  Graves  were 
to  l»e  at  least  two  varas  and  a  half  in  depth.  On  the 
(It'cease  of  a  person,  no  tolling  of  bells  was  to  be 
allowed,  nor  any  other  noisy  demonstrations.  The 
use  of  fat  meats  and  watery  vegetables  was  prohib- 
iti'd.  In  Monterey  patients  who  had  no  facilities  for 
hcing  treated  at  home  were  to  l»e  removed  to  the  hos- 
liital.  At  Los  Angeles  the  ayuntamiento  was  directed 
to  take  the  necessary  steps.  The  foll(>wing  precau- 
tions ''ore  adopted  at  the  presidios:  Cleanliness  was 
ordered;  floors  when  swept  were  to  be  but  slightly 
sprinkled;  the  men  were  to  be  well  protected  by 
clothing;  the  sale  of  liquor  and  fruit  at  or  near  the 


G34 


A  VERY  H£ALTHY  COUNTRY. 


barracks  was  prohibited;  food  was  to  bo  st-rvcd  lit 
vessi'ls  of  clay;  the  rations  were  to  b<<  of  rici-,  btaiis, 
vcrmit'clh,  inuttun,  and  veal;  liino  or  chaii'oal  to  Im- 
tlirowii  into  the  fc>inks;  every  ni^ht  tlie  ((uart»'rs  to  Itu 
funiiirated  by  burninij  a  mixture  of  sidt  and  '  inegai  ; 
the  men  were  warnetl  a<{ainHt  Hquor  and  worn  -n. 

la  1844,  when  similar  alarm  was  felt,  thecouimaiwl- 
ant  of  Monterey  caused  some  guns  to  be  fired,  then  Ky 
meriting  a  reproof  from  the  governor,  who  thouniit 
that,  as  the  cholera  did  not  actually  exist  in  the  coun- 
try, the  precaution  was  needless.  In  1847  the  nyuii- 
tamienti}  of  Angeles  ordered,  as  a  sanitary  measun , 
that  all  otial  should  be  burned. 

Extraordinary  sanitary  precautions  were  practisnl 
at  Monterey  after  the  death  of  Commandant  Sal  in 
1800.  He  died  of  phthisis,  believed  to  be  very  ini'tM- 
tious;  and  by  direction  of  Surgeon  Morelos,  steps 
were  taken  t()  guard  against  any  spreading  of  the  dis- 
ease. The  roof,  doors,  and  windows  of  the  house  in 
which  he  died  were  burned;  the  bricks  of  the  floor 
were  removed,  and  the  surface  of  the  walls  was  cut 
awav.     Four  months  after  Sal's  death  the  buildinLf 

*■'  ._ 

was  still  in  this  condition.  The  greater  part  of  the 
furniture  and  all  clothing  used  by  him  were  also 
burned. 

This  does  not  seem,  however,  to  have  been  at  all 
an  exceptional  case,  for  a  few  months  later,  two 
women  having  died  of  phthisis  at  Santa  Bdrbara,  tlio 
governor  directed  that  their  clothing  should  be  burnid, 
the  walls  picked,  the  lock  and  key  of  the  door  cleanxd 
by  fire,  and  the  places  where  they  had  slept  fumigatrd. 

From  time  to  time  quarantines  were  established  t'nr 
certain  specific  purposes.  In  1781  Rivera's  expeditinii 
from  Loreto  was  compelled  to  remain  for  some  time 
encamped  at  the  distance  of  a  league  from  t\w  niissimi 
of  San  Gabriel,  as  it  was  feared  that  it  might  lia\e 
brought  small-pox  from  Lower  California.  In  this 
case,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  cause  for  alunn. 
In  May  1797,  thirty-four  persons  sufl*ering  from  scurvy 


landed 
altlioug 
tinUs,    t 
ethers,  I 
initted. 
fVuiu  M( 

.'IS  to  veg 
ff>ll(i\vin<i 
<'ii  hoard 
At  thi 
j 'hy tes  w 
have  ans^ 
tended. 
Jii'  liospifci 
that   year 
iin^lit  l)e( 
with   orde 
Ji">^pital  si 
I'liise  of  t 
t;uT  hospii 

<»''  tlie   pi- 
^'•••'Mid  ela! 
pointed  in 
t'»  Iiave  t\ 

llUI'ses   was 

<'C(U/iii'd, 
ill  May 

tvvry.       (j„ 

•■''t'lhlish  a 

^"■'■dth  c()ni 

"I'  lilies  for 

•'^"'"nitted  i 

<"'"ii|)<)sed  (> 

'«"ii.  and  tl 

''}•  wJiieJi  th 

•^■•»ii.si.sted  of 

sidrd  over  b 

^^^'•n  at  a  ni 

l»^'r«on  was  t 


HOSPITALS   ESLVBUSHEa 


landed  from  the  Princcsa  at  Santa  Bdrbara,  and 
ultliougli  this  disease  is  nt'ith(!r  (Mintajjfious  nor  int'cc- 
tiims,  tliey  were  lodged  in  a  building  apart  from 
others,  and  no  intercourse  with  the  inhabitants  pcr- 
iiiitted.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  orders  were  sent 
from  Mexico  requiring  a  ((uarantine  to  be  established 
its  to  vessels  infected  with  small-pox,  and  early  in  the 
following  year  the  Concepcion,  which  with  small-pox 
on  l»oard  arrived  at  Santa  lidrbara,  was  quarantined. 
At  the  missions  hospitals  for  the  use  of  the  neo- 
jiliytes  were  early  estaljlished,  but  do  m»t  apjtear  to 
have  answered  the  pur|M)se  for  which  they  were  in- 
Uiided.  Until  183;i  there  seem  to  have  been  no  pub- 
lic hospitals  in  the  country;  but  toward  the  close  (jf 
that  year,  when  it  was  fearetl  that  cholera  morbus 
iiiii;Iit  become  epidemic,  the  governor,  in  accordance 
with  orders  from  Mexico,  decreed  that  a  provisional 
liospital  should  be  established  at  Montere}'  at  the  ex- 
])t  use  of  the  general  government.  In  IH.')7  the  mili- 
tary hospital  at  Monterey  was  reorganized  by  a  decree 
of  the  president.  This  hospital  was  rated  as  of  the 
stcond  class.  Its  director  was  to  be  the  surgeon  ap- 
jioiiited  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  1H'J>,  wlio  was 
ti>  have  two  assistant  practitioners;  the  number  of 
muses  was  to  be  proportionate  to  that  of  the  beds 
occupied. 

Ill  May  1844,  the  small-pox  was  brought  to  Mon- 
terey. ()ii  the  '2Hth  the  ayuntamiento  determined  to 
c>t,il»lish  a  hospital  for  poor  patients.  A  boai\l  of 
health  composed  of  prominent  citizens  met  and  diew 
ii|»  rules  f(jr  its  government,  which  the  nt.'xt  day  wiTo 
suhiiiitted  to  a  meeting,  called  by  the  governor,  and 
c'iiii|)(»sed  of  the  ayuntixnuento,  the  officers  of  the  gar- 
isuii,  and  the  heads  of  families  residing  at  the  capital, 
hy  which  they  were  approved.  This  board  of  health 
ctiiisisted  of  Larkin,  Spenee,  Watson,  and  (^sio,  pre- 
sided over  by  Serrano.  A  house  in  the  outskirts  was 
taken  at  a  nunthly  rental  of  eight  dollars.  Any  poor 
person  was  to  be  admitted,  and  food  and  medicine  to 


636 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


be  distributed  to  those  for  whom  there  was  no  room. 
The  caro  ot"  sailors  who  tni^iit  be  admitted  was  to  he 
paid  for  by  the  master  of  the  vessel  or  the  respectivt; 
consul.  Two  nurses  were  appointed,  and  a  corpoial 
and  four  men  were  to  gfive  burial  to  such  patients  as 
should  die.  There  bein^  no  physician,  a  ctmimittce 
was  empowered  to  establish  a  rational  mode  of  treat- 
ment. On  motion  of  the  governor,  another  committee 
was  appointed  to  solicit  pecuniary  aid.  The  ayuiita- 
miento  resolved  to  pay  for  the  lighting  of  the  Imiltl- 
ing,  and  to  give  boards  and  hides,  no  oetter  mateiial 
being  available,  for  beds.  A  committee  appointed  at 
the  meeting  referred  to  collected  funds.  The  goveiii- 
ment  agreed  to  give  $125  monthly  during  the  contin- 
uance of  the  epidemic;  IMicheltorena  individually  gave 
twenty-five;  the  bishop,  twenty-five;  Larkin,  tivf; 
anil  twenty-eight  others  from  one  to  four  dollars  (aeli 
— all  on  the  same  condition.  Tiie  total  monthly 
amount  promised  was  !?249.  The  residents  of  Mon- 
terey gave  what  betiding  they  were  able  to  spare 
Tills  hospital  was  visited  at  least  twice  a  day  lt\  u 
member  of  the  board  of  health,  and  visits  were  al.st 
made  by  the  governor  and  his  wife.  About  tiiis  same 
time  a  hospital  had  been  established  at  Angeles,  hut 
was  soon  found  to  be  unnecessary. 

In  1845  the  general  government  decreed  that  two 
per  cent  of  the  net  yield  of  fines  imposed  upon  sniu;.,'- 
glers,  and  of  the  amounts  accruing  fiom  the  sale  of 
snmggled  goods  that  were  confiscated,  should  be  set 
aside  for  ho.spitals  of  charity. 

After  the  death  of  an  individual,  whatever  niii^lit 
have  been  his  posliion,  for  a  shroud  the  cor])se  \va> 
clothed  in  a  Franciscan  habit — of  greater  merit  were 
it  an  old  one  of  one  of  the  padre  missionaries.  While 
the  patient  was  dying,  this  was  spread  over  him  as  a 
coverlet,  for  it  was  believed  that  thus  the  mattd'  I't 
indulgences  would  be  facilitated.  The  relatives  ainl 
friends  of  the  dying  man  were,  in  great  nunilitr!?. 
assembled  in  or  near  the  house,  and  prayers  were  con- 
tinuous. 


.Shoi 


DISPOSITION  OF  THE  CORPSE. 


037 


ftliortly  after  death  the  corpse  was  clotlicd  in  the 
Fraiicisean  hahit,  and  laid  on  the  floor  witli  a  stone 
utidor  tlu)  head,  and  with  four  candles  about  it.  Then 
ul!  tlie  town,  with  few  exceptions,  were  obliged  to  pay 
a  vi.sit  to  the  corpse  and  take  part  in  the  players, 
wliich  were  continued  at  short  intervals  until  the 
liurial  took  jtiaco,  being  also  accompanied  with  sundry 
mournful  alabudos  shouted  in  chorus,  which  were 
ali>iie  sufficient  to  inspire  melancholy. 

The  corpse  was  at  the  proper  time  placed  on  a 
till  ill!  covered  with  a  black  cloth,  which  was  biaiie  by 
four  persons,  who  were  from  time  to  time  relieved. 
The  priest  and  his  acolytes  preceded  the  corpse,  and 
at  certain  distances  paused  in  order  to  chant  the  proper 
piirtions  of  the  ritual. 

On  reachuig  the  church,  the  proper  mass  was  said 
or  sung,  according  to  the  sum  which  the  family  chose 
to  spend.  This  ceremony  concluded,  the  cortege  pro- 
ceeded, in  the  same  order,  to  the  cemetery,  where  thti 
hody  was  cncoffined,  the  coffin  having  hitherto  beei.' 
(allied  on  in  the  rear.  The  padre  recited  the  final 
jiiayers  for  the  dead,  and  the  coffin  was  placed  in  tiie 
srjmlchre.  As  the  family  of  the  deceased,  as  well  as 
every  miio  else,  including  wonuui  and  children,  accom- 
laiiied  the  deceased  to  his  grave,  the  weeping  and 
anienting  was  great. 

When  the  liead  of  a  family  died,  its  members,  even 
those  living  at  a  distance,  were  obliged  to  take  part 
ill  tlu'  ol)se(juie8.  Occasionally,  in  order  to  await  their 
arrival,  the  corpse  was  kept  unburicd  for  two  or  three 
(lays.  The  death  of  a  small  child  was  an  occasion  for 
rrjoicing  rather  than  one  of  mourning,  and  there  was 
a  l)all,  accomi)anied  by  eating  and  drinking,  rockets, 
and  the  firing  of  muskets;  for  it  was  thought  that  the 
souls  of  young  children  went  directly  to  heaven.  The 
little  C(jrpse  was  dressed  to  represent  an  angel,  usually 
tlie  patron  saint  of  the  child. 

Jose  de  Jesus  Vallcjo,  dictating  to  Cemiti,  says: 
"  NVith  reference  to  the  appointment  of  Doctor  Bale, 


G38 


A  VERY  HEALTHY  COUNTRY. 


;: 


chief  physician  of  the  Cahforiiian  arniv,  I  will  say 
that  those  who  criticised  it  showocl  bad  taste,  becnusi} 
tlie  northern  part  of  New  California  was  continually 
exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  and  wo  had  no 
other  physician  than  the  Indian  Petronfo,  who  cured 
his  friends  and  killed  liis  enemies.  The  scarcity  of 
dtK'tors  among  us  was  so  groat  that,  as  far  back  as 
1H44,  when  near  my  estate,  a  soldier  named  Francisco 
Soto  accidentally  shot  himself,  I  sent  two  Indians  to 
Sonoma  to  es(M)rt  Doctor  Petronio  to  San  Jose;  hut 
the  proud  infidel  refusetl  to  acci'de  to  my  request,  and 
sent  me  word  that  he  would  not  move  one  inch  unKss 
Castro  should  come  in  person  to  solicit  his  assistaiu^ , 
Afy  emissaries  returned  to  San  Jose,  reported  to  Castro 
what  l\'tronio  had  .said,  atwl  that  officer  without  di- 
lay  numjited  his  horse  and  rode  to  Sonoma  to  i»eg  the 
Indian  to  come  and  cure  his  wounded  soldier  nnd 
rrlative.  IVtronio  at  first  refused,  but  after  a  wliilo 
he  a(('0«led  to  his  petition,  and  returned  with  him  to 
San  .Fost',  where  he  restorcMJ  his  health  to  the  wounded 
man  by  means  of  herbs  whose  virtue  to  him  oidy  was 
known." 

llijar  states  that  when  an  adult  <li<'d  the  body  was 
placed  on  a  table  or  on  tlu'  vj^roinid.  with  four  liiLjiit-. 
There  were  fires  outside  —at  which  th<'  watchers  w<  ic 
eatiiiir  and  drinkin«_r  l»randv.  Some  remained  with  the 
dead  telling  their  beads,  who  were  reliisved  by  otlu  is, 
so  tli;»t  the  praying  was  ke}>t  up  the  whole  niijlit. 
In  due  time  the*  IkkIv  was  placed  in  a  cotfin,  and  bonn' 
on  the  shouide'i's  of  nn-n  to  the  church.  ( )n  placing 
the  corpse  in  the  grave,  the  priest  took  a  handful  '4' 
earth  and  threw  it  upon  the  coffin,  an  act  which  tlif 
neari'st  relatives,  and  then  the  friends,  followed.  Tin- 
sexton  thereupon  filled  up  th(!  grave. 

If  the  family  had  means,  an  old  r(d»e  was  bought  "f 
the  patlres,  at  more  than  twice  the  price  of  a  new  out', 
and  in  this  the  body  was  envelo[)etl.  Under  otlitr 
circumstances,  a  rol)e  of  blue  stufl*  was  made,  it 
pinerty  was  extreme,  the  bod\'  was  interred  without 


A  CEMKTERY  PRESENTED. 


V  \v:i!< 

lo-llt^. 

\Vi  IV 

;h  tli<' 

tluiS 

U-^\:\. 

Itollh' 

Mcin.; 

Till  "\ 

Ii  til.' 

II      111' 

lit  -t 

'   Hill', 

itlii'V 

llMllt 


shroud  or  coffin.     T!)o  responses  of  the  padre  over  the 
hndy  had  to  ho  paid  tor,  hence  the  poor  received  no 

prayers, 

Tlie  city  of  T^os  Anijele.s  had  constructed  a  cenu'tery 
at  its  own  expi-nse,  and  presented  it  to  tlie  diurcli  on 
the  2d  of  November,  1S44,  on  condition  that  tliero 
.slionld  ho  no  charge  for  burial  from  AnL,'eIi's  peopK'. 
Tlu'  biali  >p  objected  to  a  hamperinij  clause,  and 
claimed  th.-it  the  property  fell  to  the  church  by  the  act 
(if  consecration.  This  was  referred  tcj  the  coniniitteo 
on  i)olice,  which  said  that  it  considered  it  wron;^  to 
(1«  j»rive  an  owner  of  his  pn  pi-rty  merely  becaust>  a 
i(  liyittus  rite  is  performed  ov»  i  it.  The  bishojKS  per- 
mission to  erect  the  cemetery  was  not  called  for;  it 
was  a  needc'd  public  measure.  The  ground  and  build- 
iii'fs  havhij;  been  erected  bvthe  Angeleans,  thev  could 
fi\  a  condition  of  exenn»ti(Mi  fiom  tax.  What  bad  the 
(liiucli  contributed  i 

Tlie  ayuntamiento  of  ATonteny  in  1835  ap])oiiit<Ml 
;i  conmiission  to  select  a  burial  gn)und  for  foreigners 
,-<  [larate  from  that  for  resident  catholics.  Tlie  ab'able 
Sdbiraiies  of  M»)nteri'V  one  d.iv  received  notice  that 
tliffe  was  a  man  lying  dead  in  the  housi'  of  Joaijtiin 
(iomez.  The  cor|»sr  was  that  of  llilai'io  ()rtiz,  and 
Ihr  alcalde  sent  notice  t(»  Padre  Heal  to  bury  it. 
The  good  father,  learning  that  ( )i'ti/  dietl  of  ixcess  of 
(hink.  »»i'dered  his  carcas-;  to  l)e  buried  in  the  WMid.-'i. 

( >n  ;Ust  of  July,  IS.'!'.),  the  cemetery  at  Mont<'rey 
wa-ronseera*^  'd,  having  been  in  unc  since  I  77t>.  It  was 
ilii  varas  ^quat';;  the  wall  was  built  by  the  convicts, 
ini(U'r  till-'  auspices  of  AKarado,  and  tlu'  nmre  im- 
111 'cliati  direction  of  Speiice,  who  obtained  jterinission 
til  scject  a  spot  tor  his  tamily,  and  improve  it,  and  it 
.siiould  alwa\s  \>v  known  as  belomriunr  to  him. 

Tlie  unventilated  sl(>eping  halls  at  tlie  missions  was 
<'iic  «»f  the  causes  of  the  enormous  death  rato.  and 
thire  were  no  remedies.  One  thi)*(|  of  the  population 
ili'!  in  infancy,  one  third  before  jmberty,  the  last 
tiiird  was  lett  in  bad  health. 


.i 


!> 


040 


A  VERY   HEALTHY  COUNIUY. 


I  saw  a  letter  from  J.  Carrillo  to  JostS  tie  la  Guerra, 
iiiforining  liim  when  his  wife's  fui:eral  was  to  take 
place.  (Jii  the  margin  of  the  letter  was  a  narrow 
piece  of  black  rihlxin,  fastened  with  a  wafer,  signify- 
ing that  the  writer  was  in  mourning.  Red  and  black 
are  the  colors  of  the  Devil  and  Death ;  yet  Death 
himself  is  white,  and  the  Devil  is  not  always  so  fiery 
red  as  he  is  painted. 


«L;iiiiist 

lllitugli 

l'"lite  in 

«fx.  fait) 

Jiis  contj 

|'"<»r.  pio 

»ii     afK'c 

iiniiibcr  ' 

i''(iii,.(J   IX 

I'lisoii  i.s 

;:""<l  mci 

li.ivc  in  c( 

This    i 

tlifnUuJioi 

\\lii<h   pc( 

t)llr\-,.iy    t 

<li"'at  in  (»i 
'ii'iii;   to 
''I'll  a   iici 

|'.'!|M'r.  it, 
'"•llic;  to  < 
^'i'  |HM)r  |i 
"  iiilnwid  \ 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


BAN  I  urn. 

Threo  tm-rry  lioy.s,  anil  three  merry  hoys, 
And  three  merry  hoys  iire  we, 

A.i  ever  iliil  sinu  in  a  hemiieit  string 
Under  tlie  giulows-tree. 


-FlHchir. 


Thkrk  scH'ins  to  1)0  a  prcjutlioo  in  somo  (juurtcrs 
auaiiist  the  profV'ssioii  ol  liiLjliwavman.  It  is  iu>t 
(■iii>uil;1i  tliat  tlu!  knit^lit  of  the  rt)a(l  he  wtH-lnrd. 
|M>Hti'  in  his  (U'aHni^H  witli  men,  diivalrons  t«>  the  fair 
sex,  faitiiful  to  liis  associates  in  husinrss,  tiiu'  to  all 
ills  compacts  with  his  customers,  heiievoleiit  to  tin- 
]iMuf,  |)i(»usan(l  penitent  on  all  static  1  church  occasions, 
an  aiU'ctionate  hushanil,  kind  father,  ami  useful 
iiiciiilK'r  of  society.  It  has  lu-come  the  custom  of  oui' 
I vtiiifd  and  discrimlnatiiii^  civilization,  when  such  a 
)Mrson  is  caught  to  kill  him;  for  which  I'easoii  many 
.:""d  men  have  heen  kept  out  of  the  profession,  an«l 
lia\c  in  consc(|Ui'n<'e  fallen  into  evil  ways. 

This  is  all  the  more  singular  whm  there  are 
tliii>U''hout  the  land  so  manv  m«aner  kinds  of  thi<  \crv 
wliiih  piopl(>  seem  to  think  little  of  It  is  nnan»  r 
tlihvcry  to  hetrayatrust  in  friendship  or  husim  ss ;  to 
cli'  at  in  (»nc's  di'alin^s;  to  huy  ^oods  and  not  pay  for 
tiMiii;  to  adulterate  food,  diink,  or  medieints;  to 
till  li  a  nei>4  hi  tor's  n'ood  name;  to  hla«-kmail  for  pui- 
l"'>i  s  of  i^ain  or  to  Increase  tin;  ciri'ulation  <»f  a  iicws- 


p.-qHT, 


Jt 


IS  nu'aner  thievery  to  «iive   or    at  i cpt    a 


ililir;   to  «iet   control    of  the    food   supply   and    niakt 


llii    poor  pay  an  exorhitant  piice  for  l>read  :  tt>  Wuild 
it  iJiilroad  with  tlu;  peo[tlc's  money,  and  then   lun   it 


(■  \i..  I'v«r.    41 


(•41) 


ri2 


BANDITTI. 


t  I  fiirtlicr  ])1('('(1  the  |»('(»|»1(',  unjustly  <llscriminatiii:Li', 
l)uviii«jf  ort'  li<>altli\'  (•••iMiKstition,  and  rlosiiMj;  all  (»tli(  r 
avi'iiurs  (if  a|>]troach.  It  is  inraucr  tliii^vory  Wn- 
iiiani|nilat()rs  of  stocks  to  extract  money  tVotn  people's 
pockets  tlirout;li  falst;  re[)resentations  and  oliicanei'\  ; 
or  for  lawvei's  to  sell  tlieir  st-rvices  to  defeat  the  ends 
of  just 

.i 


le<' 


o 


r  for  administrators  to  defraud  widnw; 


and  «>rplians  hy  means  or  the  machnierv  ot  tlu' 
prohate  court;  or  ft»r  a  judj^'c  t(»  he  intluenced  hy  a 
<lesire  for  popularity  or  reelection.  Commnce.  poli- 
tics, an<l  conventional  st»cii'ty  Jiave  tlu'ir  hiin«h!ti, 
scouruint^  all  who  fall  within  tlieir  rea,c]i;  and  while 
these  i;o  indian^ed  tlu;  ]>unishment  of  the  h-sser  vil- 
lain should  he  li<j;ht.  There  are  a  thou.sand  worse 
kinds  of  wickedness  than  tlu^  highwayman's,  which 
ilie  law  never  thinks  of  touchin«j;  or  society  of  coii- 
dehutiuL;.  On  the  contrary,  he  who  IcL^'aliy  cheats, 
swindles,  steals,  or  h-eti-ays  a  friend,  and  does  it  sur- 
cesst'ully,  niakm'jj  suliici*  nt  money  or  fatue  therei'V,  i.s 
.1  isjfood  and  ei'eiit  mai,  whonj  men  praise  and  woni.ii 
adore.  Beside  mair,'  of  our  so-calhd  risitectalile 
nieiuheis  of  SDcietv  the  hi-jchwav  rohher  is  a  noMc- 
man,  as  Illustrated  hy  the  very  pleasant  tieti.)ii  n\' 
iiohin  Ifood,  In  his  forest  of  Shi'fwood,  w«io  stolu 
only  from  fat  priests,  pt><ulatin!j;  otticials.  and  tlmsc 
avaricious  nioney-uiinds  who  pnyed  upon  the  v.e.ik 
uikK'!'  <o\(>r  of  the  law,  heiihjr  too  cowai'dU  to  t.ikc 
the  risk  of  la-eakinij^  it.     And  were  it  p»»ssihle  to-il.iy 


to  si-nd  o;".t  up<'U  thekiUL^s  }u_i;hway,  tiieie  to  nitet 
their  \  iitims  and  openly  pro.secute  their  cailin<:s,  all 
those  who  thus  leL;iLima!ely  ciieat  their  nei^hhors  liy 
superior  cunninj^  and  jieiveithiu^  the  rijj^hteous  aetiui 
of  the  law.  or  who  resort  to  the  tlu)usand  j^raiid  .ind 
]>etty  ini'amics  (ommoii  in  the  s^reat  and  univer.i! 
sti'u^'^ie  for  riches,  ther<f  would  not  he  enouij^h  •••  us 
left  in  tout)  to  till  athii'd  I'atc  church  on  Sunday. 

J^ut  neither  doaipiin  Afurieta  nor  Tihurcio  \'a/(jM(Z 
wore  llohin  Hoods,  tliou^li  vvith  sixorciiiht  ci'iitniif 
of  histuiic  truth-stretch in'jf  and  rou.iauciu'>"  the\  may 


'it  come 

f'liiian 

\\ayme? 

tlic  past 

posed  (» 

w '  re  to 

'  ^tendii 

ti;ld  aft 

the    com 

>'>]\»\v   t 

America 

"f  sn(ith<' 

rapidly  a 

l>rii;an 

>■''•-;■  .'Hid  h 

<lM\aInc 

l'i>^pano-( 

'iJitiuvs  at 

sadin.r^    aj 

sliarj.  pra, 

iii)!!stico  o 

Ti...  Cai 

toc;dl  tliei 

-^h\ican  ,':■ 
ti.Ji.  .1,1 1 
■^viiipafjiy 

tn  U>i\v  nu 

"I/' rtahicd 
ti'i-'iutiiiii'    .•] 

'■';"|<-il.'tJ|e 

'ni;nsters 
'•'■^ih-  M-asI)( 
^'■'■i"llsj'enp, 
'■'""■■•IVc  de, 
M'!.  d  tears 

'''•■II'  achnira 
I'N'l-'iy  pr,,v 
'  ••>  darhiu;- 
^■'lUcuccs  ill 


THE  IDKAL   IIT(!H\VAY>rAN. 


6M 


licoomo  such,  an<l,  iinlood,  to  many  a  Pastoral  Cali- 
t'oiiiian  wi'iv  siu'li  in  tlicir  day.  Tlu>  (IcimIs  (if  lii<j;li- 
\\;iynu'n,  as  licnin  dcjilctt'd,  cxtiMid  sonu^  time  ]>ast 
tlif  pastoral  days  i>j'o|»rr;  Imt  tlii'V  were  lai-j^dy  com- 
|"is{>d  of  .Hispano-Calif(»niians,  and  tlicir  advcntui'cs 
were  to  a  ^rcat t'xtcnt  in  soutlwrn  California,  though 
.  \t('ndi!i«_c  to  the  mines,  which  alfoi'ded  them  a  rich 
tit'ld  after  t\\c  discovery  of  ijjoid,  and  where,  for 
the  ronii)l«'tiou  of  the  narrative,  we  are  ohli<;'ed  to 
tMlow  them.  Nor  with  the  advent  of  <j;o|d  niid 
American  domination  did  thi'  character  and  condition 
<<r  southern  California  chanLjo  fr(»m  the  ohi  regime  as 
lajtidly  as  was  t\\v  c;)st>  in  the  nortlurn  rei^ions. 

Ihii^.amla'L^e,  wlien  direrti'd  aL!;ainst  that  encroacli- 
iii,;'  and  heretical  nei;j;hl>o}',  tlie  insolent  j4rin<.;"o,  was  a 
chivalric  ideal  <»f  the  ^Mexican,  aiul  >io  less  so  of  liis 
Hispano-Californian  felhtw-citizen.  It  partook  of  tiie 
tiii'es  at  once  of  jiolitical  ])rivate(^rin'j;',  religious  e!'u- 
hti«r,    a)\d   race   reven''*'.      Pecuiiiai-ilv    it   was    th«' 


m:i 


Ml( 


«r 


sharp  practice  of  the  stttck  operator,  and  the  crusliin 
injustice  of  tho  railway  monopolist,  comhined. 

Th(!  (^difornios,  as  the  ]lispano-Calif(»rnians  loved 
til  call  thrmselves,  like  the  cittv;«'ns  of  the  oth^r  Xorth- 
M'xican  States,  were  peculiarly  fitted  for  tliis  vi»ca- 
ti  111.  In  the  first  jdace.  liny  fltcertaiM  of  the  m'eded 
svDipatiiy  of  a  considerahh^  jiortion  of  tliose  helonn'in'^ 
til  their  race,  which  uavo  tiiem  assui'ance.  They  also 
niti  itained  the  idea,  however  eri'oneous.  that  l»y  con- 
trihutinii"  a  shai-e  of  their  ill-gotten  ^ains  to  the 
il'.urch,  their  nialofjietions  would  he  dealt,  with  liy  its 
'iiiaisters    as    niei-e    iirei(id;;rities,  oj-    as  \ciiial    sins 

The    soul  was  n(»t,  thelefol-e.  in 


I'iisilv  wa 


slu'd 


awav 


stiiiius  jeopardy.  Pri^iit  eyes  wort^  not  lacking-  to  on- 
<iiura<^<'e  deeds  of  valor  and  smile  upon  success,  or 
>iii  (I  tears  of  sorrow  if  reverses  l)(>fell  the  (ilijeets  of 
tlit'ii'  admiration  and  love.  A  passionate  f  mdness  for 
ili^jilay  |>r'ove(l  an  inrportant  factttr;  pride  lent  a  reek- 
I'ss  daiui!:;' :  and  superstition  raised  every  tearofeon- 
>^^''[Uences  into  heroic  stoicism.      Unliridled   [missions 


6U 


BANDITTI. 


fi'd  iiicri  il«'ss  s<n'(>rity,  and  no  traninidod  ronsoiciK  c 
tin-'i'd  i\u'  tnud  cniovnu'nt  of  illii'it  cliasf.  Add  t.) 
tlu'«o,  perfect  liorscniaiisliip,  tlic  skilful  use  of  aiiii.>, 
and  an  easy  retreat,  and  we  liavt;  players  in  this  i^iii;;.' 
of  life  and  death  uinnatelied  hy  any  plaee  or  prop!,. 
Stune  few  of  Aipjjlo-Saxon  lineat^i'  attemptt-tl  tin 
prt)fessl()n  of  hij^lnvaynuin  in  Calilornia.  i>ut  tlnir 
1  Iforts  proved  failures.  It  is  not  their  proper  v 
tion.  T^'l't'y  hu\i  tlie  re<piisite  (jualili<';itions;  and  tl 
tlio  hurd«n  of  opprohriuni  pnssrs  too  lieavily  u|inii 


'(•it- 

ii'ti 


tl 


lem. 


lU  one  sense  they  fli'e   nc 


ut  el 


ever  enou'' 


h  t; 


classic  villainy ;  in  another  sense  they  are  too  ehvir 
for  it.  llather  let  tlulr  deeper  eunninj^^  keep  tin  ii 
indinetlons  within  the  limits  of  law,  and  out  of  thf 
duplit-ities  of  husincss  l)rJnL;"  wt  idth  and  honor.  TIm  \ 
with  their  wits  are  stroiitn-i':  for  with  their  wits  liny 
pipe  for  the  law  to  dane*'.  and  I'lay  conventionali-iu 
»i;ainst  lionorahle  ethics  to  the  swelliniuj  of  their  pin>r. 
JJrfore  ent»  linji;  theh'  earet-r  tluy  wri^^h  jiioh.'diihtic-. 
never  afterward  stt»|>j>iiit^  to  tinu^  their  speed  (ow.inl 
the  death  !L;oaI.      For  their  month  or  year  of  iiii;litrinus 


fame 


an( 


1  riches  many  or  few,  they  ilive  that  wIik 


thousands  s^ive  foi'  twelve  (»r  twenty  dollars  Ji  nmutl 
without  the  jxlorv,  without  even  the  i'j;nominious  t';iiiii 
of  tlu-  I'ohher,  n;nnely  their  life.  In  tli<'  case  of  tin 
hiL!;hway  rohl>er.  in  liis  infernal  eiiii()iii/.;iti'.>n,  with  t!,i 
atlvocatus  diaholi  Jippear-inL?  on  one  si<le,  and  the  jul 
voeatus  (lei  on  the  other.  We  lind  tlu^  e\  il  and  the  <j::inu\ 
in  them  not  so  uneijually  halaiieed  as  popular  o[tiiii"ii 


niehnes 


to    ] 


M'onounee 


lli-l 


iway   rohhery    is 


p.., I 


tie  .SUV 


Jt  is  hettei-  not  to  steal  at  all ;  hut 


!ll< 


■(III 


will  steal;  all  nu-n  will  steal  a  little,  and  women.  I' 
and  ehildieii.      At  least;  there  is  soniethin;^  eoura-. 
in  sto|»|tin<4  a  sta^je.  two  men  a^'ainst  ten   sometiii 
as  Falstair  woiild  say;  l>ut  in  le^ali/ed  stealinii;  tl 
isjiothin^'  maidv,  notirm;.H)ut  eowai'diee  and  nieai 


lis. 

ifiv 


III' 


Ijet  me  introduce  .some  of  our  most  famous  eetill 
men  of  the  road,  .>urel\  as  much  entitled   to  .1    I'lii" 


on  tlio 
rohhini 
of  all.' 
hoy,  ,I( 
a  na th- 
in   Is-ii 
twenty 
hril)i;mi 
_\e;trs. 
terms  h 
Jn  tlio  , 
^vas  ill  t 
fl.at    ]|,- 
'h'a((uin 
iii.indiiio 
^1  "Uriiiii- 
< »!'  n7. 
Il  ■•   was 
'-'laecfiii 
lii;^h  for* 

|'l<>\c(l     I 
••■|><e:   l;i 

l"'>e,    kilK 

•'•llection, 
\vliile  M  \\ 
''•M(|    seiisi 

tl  II  on  hi.v. 
•"^ilKV  niou 
>lia\  (■(!. 

\eic(.   sjly, 

><>  youth fi 
^^liieh  miH 

i"i|'res.sed 

IVs|„.,.t. 

Aiii;v|(.s,  a 
'li-^  hro|||,.| 
''le  murdf 

Sf.ltr.l    tj,.,t 

■'I'l'l    others 


JOAQUIN  MUHIKTA. 


MTi 


on  tho  panjos  of  liistory,  as  tlioso  who  horonio  famous 
i(>ltViiii<r  v/itliiti  tlic  I)ouii(1h  of  convcntioiialitA'.  Fiist 
of'  ;ill,  .'IS  kitiijj  of  (,\*ilifoniia  cut-tliroats,  stands  tlic 
li(i\ ,  .It>a(]uiii  ^^ul•iL'ta,  the  Fia  Diavoloof  I*])  Dorado, 
a  iiatlvt,'  of  Sonoi-ji,  ^Vrcxico,  wlio  came  to  (.'ulifoniia 
ill    1S4'.).      He    was    ])ut    a    few    montlis    monr    tlian 


t\v»'iitv-oiie    vcai's    of    h'W 


wl 


icn 


ho    died,    aii<l    his 


liiilliaiit  cajTcr  of  crime!  occupied  less  than  thrt'c 
\(ais.  What  raiKva\'  uiaLTnatc  can  savas  much  !*  The 
1(  riiis  l)rave,  «lariiiLr,  ahh-,  faintly  exj>ress  his  ((ualities. 
Ill  tlic  cauoiis  of  California  lie  was  what  Napoleon 
w  IS  ill  the  citii's  of  I'^urope;  un<l  it  is  hut  fair  to  say 
fl.it  he  as  visihly  displayed  a  hi'Ljh  order  t>f  i^cnius. 
.h>ii(|uiii  would  have  hecn  no  more  out  of  place  com- 
iiKiiidiii<jf  at  'I'ouloii,  tlian  I>onapart»'  would  iiavo  hceii 
s.  ouriiij^  the  Salinas  plains. 

(  M'  medium  height,  and  somewhat  slender  in  fi^ur(\ 
he  was  extremely  active  and  athletic,  an<l  no  less 
'jiacefid  ill  movement  than  handsome  hi  person.  A 
liiili  I'oi'eliead  jM^ave  his  features,  which  wi'i'e  not  Im- 
pKAed  hy  promhieiit  cheek-hoiies,  an  intellectual 
(•:i>te;  l;il'4-e  hlack  eyes  hla/in;jj  with  vindicti\«'  pur- 
pnse,  kindled  with  eiithus'iasm.  or  nieltiii;^  in  tender 
iiileetion,  «lis|i!ayed  tlie  earnestness  t\\'  his  nature, 
while  a  well  shaped  mouth  showed  at  once  firmness 
iiiiil  sensuality,  lioni^  Howini.>'  hah"  of  flossy  hlack 
till  on  his  shouldei's,  and  on  his  up|>er  lip  was  a  thin 


MlKN'  nious 


tael 


le,  as 


helon^i 


m>jf  to  one  who   had    iie\ei' 


slias  e( 


I.        II 


IS    manner    was    fran 


and    coniia 


I:    1 


lis 


\nice  silvery  and  of  generous  utterance;  and  though 
SH  y,,utliful  ill  appearance  there  was  that  ahout  him 
whirhmade  hhii  Imth  Iwxcd  aii<l  feared,  and  which 
iiii|iressed    friend    and   stranger  alike    with    |iro|(imid 


^I'ect, 


It 


las     heen    s 


lid    that    he    li\(-d    in    Los 


Aii-eles,  and  had  a  fair  reputation  up  to  is."")!',  when 
liis  l>rotlier-in-law  was  anai^^iied  with  some  others  for 
tin  murdei'  of  (Jeiieral  IJean.  and  in  his  confession 
^t.ited  that  the  year  hefore  Nfurii  ta  had  jnined  him 
and    others    in    a    horse-stealing    expl«»it,   the    hoi'ses 


(^o 


nAXMTTI, 


hfiriLr  rrtakcn  by  a  Ti'Jom  cliicP.     ^runcta  on  lioarin- 
this  tied  uikI  bccaino  an  outlaw  an<l  a  t(rr<»r. 

^ruricta  had  liitjfln'r  aims  tliau  iiicro  n-vi'iiiic  ami 
itilla-'c.  }Iis  ('oiitimums  »'oiifli<-ts  with  inilitarv  ami 
rivii  authorities,  and  aniit'd  populan-,  wouhl  in  aii\ 
other  (•••untrv  in  Ainerica  liave  h»vu  di<>iii(ied  with 
tin?  trnn  r«'V()lutioii.  lie  had  h«M'ii  educated  in  the 
seliool  of  revohition  in  Mexie(»,  wiien^  the  line  h( - 
tweeii  rrlirl,  rohhrr,  ))illaj4er,  and  i)atriot  had  Ix-en  t«i 
a  iireat  »xtent  ol>literati'tl.  It  is  i-asv  to  see  that  lir 
rcLjarded  himself  ratlier  as  a  ('hann»ion  of  hiscounliy 
than  as  an  outlaw. 

Joa<|uin,  when  in  liis  seventeentli  yoar,  bceanic 
enamoured  of  the  heautiful  tiark-tyed  liosita  FeH\, 
who  Mas  of  (Aistilian  descent,  and  sweet  Hixti-en;  sin- 
n-'turned  his  j)assion  with  all  the  ardor  of  her  >iatui( . 
Iler  hard-i^rained  old  father  on  discoverin|L(  this  anmiii 
Hew  Into  a  ra^'e,  and  would  have  vented  it  upon  tin 
hoy  had  he  not  taken  to  tli'^ht.  Jiosita  f<»llowed  In  r 
lover  to  the  northern  wildei'iiess.  assisted  liim  in  Ins 
ellorts  at  honi'st  livln«jf,  attended  him  through  all  tin 
lietlls  of  his  unlawful  achievements,  and  finally,  wlnii 
death  so  caily  si-vered  them,  returneil  to  the  land  <>[ 
lur  cliildhitod,  and  under  the  roof  of  Ids  jiaiiiit> 
mouined  her  well-hcloxcd  thiourili  lon<^  drejiry  yeais. 
liesides  Ilosita  there  Were  manv  other  female  n 


ifiii- 


hcrs  o 


f  tl 


lis  unnolv 


frati 


I'rintv   wli(»  waited  on  tlun' 


itrds   with    lovinii   heai-ts. 


( 


arm* 


•lit 


I.  a  vo 


hipti 


lulls 


heauty.  the  fascinatiiiLj  l\*eyes  l'\'li\  won  from  a  jiack.  i, 
and,  hrinnin^  her  on  his  hovse  hehind  him  into 
camp  oiK-  eveiiin*^,  tlrt)pped  her  in  the  midst  of  lii> 
associates  with  tlu^  laconic  introduction  "there  is  mv 


wif» 


And  when  later  lirisei 


S  e'ocs. 


Achill 


es  WuepS, 


hut  not  for  Hrlstis;  rage  wrin;j,s  from  him  tears 

|{i>sita  had  h-ft  a  little  hrother  at  her  honn'  in 
Sonora.  Heyes  Felix,  who,  when  the  fameof  tlu'  diisli- 
in»;  hiiijfand  reaclu'tl  his  oai",  hurned  with  romniitii 
passion  to  join  him.  Not  loip.j  afterward  his  father 
died,  and  the  liberated  boy,  th';ii  liilccli  years  of  a^i'. 


immcdi 

of  ills  I 

lants  ol 

liaiiLjin* 

^  ()ne' 

(Jarci'a 

finufcred 

diirlnLf  ] 

hly  he  V 

tation  w 

hraverv 

eus.      if 

Mild  po\v 
appejiraii 
societv". 
trank  jr* 
f"»i-m  froi 
iiis  love  < 
siiiii'c,.^  m 

uliat  was 


nAnriA,  rT.Aunio,  and  ooxzalez. 


(M7 


iiiinictliatily  souijlit  tlic  r()l)lH>r chu'f,  aiul  bccnnu'  ono 
of  Ills  most  ilt'vott'd  followta's.  Jiut  alasl  tlu-  vi;j;i- 
lauts  of  Los  Auiiclc's  Hnallv  nswardod  liis  iiitiits  l>v 
liaMi;iM!4  lilm. 

()ii(^  monster  tluTc  wjis  in  Joaquin's  IkiikI,  Manuel 
( lareia  liv  name,  tliou<'li  conuaonlv  known  as  Three- 
tin;j;eie(l  Jack,   from  liavinsjf  lia<l  one  finecr  sliot   otl* 


tluiin'';  ^fexieo's  war  witli  tlio  ITnited  Stal 


es. 


J 


roha- 


l>Iy  lie  was  the  most  sani^uinary  of  tliem  all;  liis  re|)u- 
tiition  was  no  less  conspicuous  for  cruelty  than  for 
hiiiNcry ;  eiuel  men  are  not  usually  tin;  most<<>uia;4e- 
ous.  Iff  was  as  ruiXu'ed  in  features  as  he  was  Ijiryc 
anil  powerful  in  frame,  and  was  so  feroc'ious  in  his 
<i|i|>earan('i':  that  few  of  his  assoi-iates  enjoyed  his 
society.  His  <lis|)osition  was  as  <liirerent  from  the 
fiauk  jrenerosity  of  fFoaciuin,  as  was  his  repulsivo 
form  frt>m  the  lithe  ijraee  of  his  master.  To  <>iatifv 
Ills  love  of  human  butchery  he  chose  tlio  most  jnolllic 
soui'ce.  and  ado|»ted  as  a  specialty  of  the  profession 
what  was  known  as  stickinjj;  Chinamen.  How  he  i\o- 
li'^hted  in  seein<jj  them  scatter,  as  with  a  wlnMip  he, 
always  well  attended,  dashed  amono;  them!  \\'liat 
fun  it  was  to  catch  them  and  cut  their  throats  1  Some 
limes  lu'  shot  the  contents  of  his  |)ist()l  into  them,  l»ut 
that  was  too  t.'ime;  Jack  love<l  to  see  the  llowhr^ 
ciiuison,  and  a  knif(^  was  the  only  weapon  for  that. 
So  expert  l»y  practi<'(!  he  heciime  — catchiii'L!;  them  l>y 
till'  tail  and  with  a  peculiar  twist  of  his  own   iiiven- 


th'u  throwm«j;  up  the  chm  so  as  to  prese.it  an  iniol>- 
stnicted  mark — that  out  of  evtM'v  ten,  he  us»(l  to 
lioast.  not  more  than  five  escaped.  If  there  were 
iiioio  than  ton,  of  ccjurse  the  proportion  was  against 
I 


mil. 


Vet  in  all  this,  Garcia  add(>d  little  to  the  iv^mta- 
tiou  achieved  while;  Joa(|uin  was  yet  at  school  in 
Soiiora.  As  far  hack  as  1  SKI  we  liiid  him  at  t  he  head 
"f  a  hand  Ixtween  Sonora  and  l^odeoa  with  the  two 
Americans.  (\»wie  and  Fowler,  stripped  and  hound  to 
a  Uee,  while  (Jarciu  and  Win  associates  were  torturinL!" 


018 


KANDIiTI. 


tlM'in  by  tlirowiuiLj  kiiivrH  at  tlu'ir  bodies  as  at  a 
tar<j;('t.  It  is  vwu  said  that  as  tliis  pastime  i»e«jiiiie 
tiresome  b''  resorted  to  other  outraj^'ca  too  liorriil  and 
indecent  for  reeital. 

The  (hirinjj;  Chiudio  was  at  one  time  tin-  associate 
of  Joai|uin,  and  at  another  captain  of  liis  own  (nm 
pany,  Hcatt<'nn«^  terror  aloni^  the  footbills.  The  year 
IH;V2ranLf  witli  bis  renown.  Of  all  those  wlio  il'- 
lil^lited  in  darin*^,  and  who  remcirsehssly  wasiu-d  away 
ol>structionH  with  blo(MJ,nono  were  more  forward  tliaii 
Captain  (Mau<lio.  He  was  the  lean  an«l  restless  Cas- 
sius  of  the  band.  Thirty -live  years  of  aj^c,  slight 
but  vii^'onms  in  ])hysical  constructicui,  with  a  liv<  ly 
play  of  passii)!!  behind  his  dusky  features,  was  tli<( 
cautious  C'laudio.  That  he  was  bravt;  was  undispiita- 
h\v,  but  yet  more  prominent  were  his  faculties  fur 
sch<'min<;.  Witb  consunnnat«!  cunniui;  he  could  hoth 
plan  an«l  execute.  Never  did  scoundrel  m()re  Httiii'^iy 
wear  the  j^arb  of  honest  man  than  Captain  Claud'u*. 
wIk'U  there  was  a  ccmsideration.  Beneath  the  m  !•- 
satile  exterior,  however,  the  deeper  current  of  liis 
nature;  flowed  without  a  ripple,  and  its  burden  was 
bate,  reven«^e.  So  much  had  Captain  Claudio  to  lu' 
foriiivi'ii;  and  vet  lu;  never  for<_'<>t  or  for«j:av(! ! 

IN'dn)  GonzaK'Z  was  |)rominent  in  Joacjuin's  ass(»(ia- 
tion  as  an  expert  hors< '-thief;  and  wheri;  a  constant 
supply  of  fresh  and  fast  horses  was  of  sucb  vital  iin- 
poitance,  he  proved  an  invaluable  adjunct.  He  did 
not  delight  in  human  blood  likt;  (larci'a,  nor  was  lir  a 
good  counsellor  such  as  Valenzuela,  nor  yet  so  dasli'mi; 
an<i  darinv^  as  Claudio;  but  besides  his  talents  in  the 
acquisition  of  fine  horses,  lie  was  a  skilful  spy;  and 
so  we  may  write  bim  down,  sine  inv'tdia,  a  nmst 
worshipful  robber. 

Alm«»st  a  counter|iart  of  the  cbieftain,  thouijjh  ninth 
older  than  his  lea<ler,  was  a  pronnnent  mend>er  of  liis 
band,  called  also,  sometimes. .roatjuin,  but  never,  unli  ss 
bv  mistake,  Murieta.  He  was  known  also  as  Canilln, 
Botiller,  and  other  aliasen.     His  true  name  was  J  >  'U- 


f|Min  Vi 
j»(rs(»n, 
,^'ive  to 
in  tlie  n 
Tt  wa 
"ihn  ill 

^^Inn'eta 
^vitIl  u-re, 
^  'denzu, 
da-^-e  ill 

Cliief.    w) 

C.frh'st  ii 
mark  able 
;r'»ve|-|||||e 
]»'ditions 

Claiice 
«  l.'iw-ahjd 
liini.      Jfa 

'"•••ists.       J 
»  f.'dl,  stra, 
inn-  eyes, 
■sli'MjIders. 
'^|"niishc(ti| 
s'  if   Was 
'<iii'4litjy    a 

l"lt(J|,.ivd 

j'li'asMr<\ 
•'"•■"luin    ]\I 
liMinan    \u\, 

lijuiMvd  f;„. 

itirnto  in^r 
"ial<(>rs    ,r.|\ 

^'h'seus  on 

T<'Mij(s  M 
l.iUi,|,.,|  Cai; 
Andres  Ai 
'^"''•dad   iiiH 


HAIlllY    I-OVK.    TIIIKF  lATCIIKR. 


fHiifi  Valciizucla.  It  was  tliis  aiiMllaritv  in  naino  and 
|M  rsuii,  as  iiiucli  as  any  otluT  oircuinstaiu*',  which 
<j:n\ii  to  Muricta  a  roputation  wcll-iiigh  supernatural, 
in  tiie  minds  of  sonio,  for  uhi(|uity. 

It  was  unarcountahK;  how  one  person  appeared  so 
often  in  (lilVercnt  places  at  tlie  same  time;  and  when 
Murieta's  (h-atli  was  announced,  there  w«'re  those  who 
with  LMeat  pertinacity  insisted  that  he  was  yet  ahve. 
Aiileiizuela  luid  served  an  apprentices! lip  at  l)ri<4an- 
(lii'jfe  in  ^fexico,  under  Jareinta,  a  famous  jjfuerrilla 
diief,  wlio  ha<l  in  former  years  been  a  friar,  and  a 
C'.ulist  in  Spain.  His  experience,  add<'d  to  his  re- 
iiiiirkahle  alulity,  <;av(;  him  a  prominent  place  in  the 
jrovenunent  of  tlie  or«;ani/ation,  and  important  ex- 
peditions were  often  entrusted  to  his  leadership. 

(Jlance  now  at  a  rohher-hunter.  Harry  Ijovo  was 
n  l.'iw-ahidinjj^  desperado.  Here  is  a  suLjar-plum  for 
liini.  JIany  delii^hted  to  kill  wild  men  and  wild 
hr.ists.  He  was  R  kUlcr  of  the  Cteur  de  Ijiou  order; 
a  tall,  strai'^ht,  Black  Kni»^htfi;4ure,  with  l>ri;^ht  hurn- 
iii'^'  (>ves,  anrl  lon«.^  glftss^y  ringlets  fallinu^  over  his 
sli<iul(lers.  He  ustid  t<»  wear  a  sword  <jfiven  him  l>y  a 
Sjiiuiish  count  wh(tm  he  had  rescu<Ml  from  the  savaj^es, 
s»  it  was  said;  and  the  way  and  walk  of  hhn  were 
knightly  as  of  ancu'nt  cavalier.  Savaj^es  he  had 
liiifi  hcred  until  th«'  l)usin«>ss  aHonh'd  him  no  further 
]i|i;isure.  Jle  thouj^ht  now  he  would  like  to  kill 
.In.iiiu'm  Murieta.  Harry  gn  .atly  enjoyed  slaying 
liuni.ui  Ixlngs,  but  he  did  7t'>  lik(>  so  well  to  be 
]iiiii'4(Ml  for  it;  so  lie  asked  t'>'  legislature  at  Sacra- 
iiiiiito  if  he  might  go  out  and  kill  Joa(|uin.  The  law- 
iiijikcrs  ga\('  him  permission;  and,  as  doughty  as 
Tluseus  on  his  first  journey  to  Athens,  he  set  out. 

Toniils  Marfa  Carrillo,  a  soldier  of  the  lately  dis- 
l>aii(|i'(l  Callfornian  army,  headed  a  ruttian  gang,  and 
Aidres  Armijo,  another.  The  coutitrv  hctwcen 
Suli  (lad   and   JSan  Miguel   in    1849  was  infested  by 


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650 


BANDITTI. 


roving  bands  of  Sonorans  and  Californians,  wlio 
sacked  ranchos,  and  waylaid  travellers.  Tlie  })()\vor 
of  the  alcaldes — the  Mexican  system  still  existiao' — 
backed  by  the  provisional  government  under  (jloncii.l 
Riley,  was  utterly  inadequate  to  meet  the  present 
emergency. 

Salomon  Pico, — whose  near  companions,  Cccllco 
Mesa  and  William  Otis  held  prominent  positions, — 
was  captain  of  a  well-organized  and  formidable  band 
of  malefactors  roaming:  round  Monterey  duriiiix  the 
spring  of  1851.  Little  fear  had  Captain  Pico  of 
capture,  in  a  region  where  the  friends  of  his  youtJi, 
and  of  his  numerous  relatives  dwelt,  and  wluic, 
indeed,  the  very  adobes  of  the  ancient  capitol  trem- 
bled at  the  mention  of  his  name.  Among  the  ranch- 
eros,  there  were,  however,  foes,  as  well  as  friends. 
From  the  latter  he  received  voluntary  aid;  from  tlie 
former  he  took  what  he  pleased  of  their  goods. 
Neverth(}less,  but  for  treachery,  the  inept  town's  ]k'(_)[i]o 
never  would  have  dared  to  assail  him.  The  Escohar 
rancho,  situated  six  miles  from  Monterey,  was  tlnii 
in  charge  of  an  American  named  Josiah  Swain,  whoso 
death  Salomon  Pico  and  his  com[)any  had  decided 
upon.  But  one  of  the  band  who  would  take  no  part 
in  the  proposed  murder,  fled  to  Monterey,  exposed 
his  confederates,  and  directed  the  citizens  to  tin  ir 
capture.  This  was  about  the  middle  of  April  l^ol. 
Of  the  five  brought  into  town,  three,  Pico,  Mesa,  and 
Otis,  were  tried  by  the  people  and  sentenced  to  Ite 
hanged,  but  were  lescued  by  the  authorities.  Tlie 
fate  of  Otis  is  given  elsewhere.  Mesa  was  discharged. 
Pico  was  bailed  out,  and  he  escaped  from  the  coiintiy. 
He  finally  went  to  live  in  Lower  California,  near  our 
frontier,  and  some  years  after  for  his  share  in  some 
political  squabble,  was  shot  by  order  of  local  authoi  Ity. 

Doctor  Thomas  J.  Bell,  from  Alabama,  by  pi-ofes- 
sion  physician,  miner,  gambler,  and  robber-capliin, 
was  by  far  the  most  intelligent,  acconi|)li.she(h  and 
kind-hearted  American  geutleu^an  who  ever  took  the 


TOM  BELL  AND  VAZQUEZ. 


651 


road  in  California.  He  flourished  in  the  region  of 
the  San  Joaquin,  and  north  of  it,  during  the  summer 
of  1856.  As  compared  wich  Joaquin  he  was  older, 
more  intellectual,  more  humane,  and  fitted  better  to 
tliievc  within  the  limits  of  the  law;  the  Sonoran  chief 
was  of  keener  instincts,  quicker  movements,  and  pos- 
sessed of  far  greater  administrative  ability. 

Second  only  in  name  and  achievements  to  Joaquin 
]\rurieta,  in  the  history  of  California  highwaymen, 
stands  Tiburcio  Vazquez;  but  except  in  skill  of  horse- 
manship, and  dexterity  in  catching  and  killing  men, 
one  was  the  o])i)oslte  of  the  other.  Joaquin  was  of 
Liciitle  blood,  and  as  handsome,  and  <;av,  and  chival- 
rous  as  any  youthful  knight-errant;  Vazquez  was  a 
liybrid,  half  Indian,  coarse,  treacherous,  brutish. 
His  boyhood  was  spent  in  taming  wild  mustangs, 
(•uttiui»:  flesh  W'ith  bowie-knives,  and  shootinu:,  danchiij 
tlie  bt)lero  and  fandango,  and  betraying  young 
damsels.  Indeed,  he  was  a  bedeviled  Don  Juan  at 
love.  Repulsive  monster  though  he  was,  the  dear 
creatures  could  not  help  following  him. 

Tiburcio  with  difficulty  finds  an  excuse  for  taking 
U])  tlie  hatchet.  "  The  Americans  came  hi  and  elbowed 
me  at  the  dance,"  he  complains.  "They  drew  after 
tlicm  the  prettiest  girls,  so  I  killed  them."  Ol^taln- 
iiig  his  mother's  blessing,  and  conniiendiug  himself  to 
the  protection  of  the  saints,  he  set  out  upon  his  pious 
pur])ose. 

Tliere  were  twenty  years  and  more  between  the 
n'igns  of  Joaquin  and  Tiburcio,  though  tliere  w^ere 
twenty  years  intervening  between  Til)urcio's  first 
iimnler  and  his  last.  To  realize  h<nv  the  boyish  heart 
of  V^azquez  burned  within  him  as  he  heard  ringing 
the  praises  of  the  matchless  Joaquin,  we  have  only  to 
note  the  circumstance  that  almost  within  the  year 
after  Joaquin's  exit,  Tiburcio  slew  his  first  man.  It 
was  a  brave  be<j:inning;  Tiburcio  was  then  at  the  ten- 
(ler  age  of  fifteen.  Ct)uld  he  but  see  Joa(|uin  after 
that,  as  his  eyes  had  previously  been  permitted  to 


i  ,il 
I  '1, 

1 '   H I 


652 


BANDITTI. 


feast  themselves  on  the  shining  face,  the  gracoful 
form,  and  the  glittering  adornments  of  the  gnat 
leader,  perhaps  Joaquin  might  deign  to  take  liim 
by  the  hand,  and  smile  on  him  encouragement. 

Tiburcio's  most  devoted  follower  was  his  cousin. 
Leiva,  and  most  devotedly  he  stole  Leiva's  wife.  Yt  t 
Leiva  remained  true  to  him.  What  was  a  wife  besi<lo 
glory  and  friendship?  Poltes,  king  of  Thrace,  thou^lit 
it  hard  for  Menelaus  to  lose  a  wife ;  yet  probably  I'ai  is 
wanted  one,  he  said,  when  applied  to  for  assistance  to 
recover  the  fair  Helen.  This  king  was  more  accom- 
modating, if  possible,  than  Leiva,  for  to  preserve  })(aco 
and  good-fellowship  he  proposed  to  give  his  own  wivrs, 
of  whom  he  had  two,  one  to  Menelaus  and  one  to 
Paris,  and  so  all  should  be  content.  Rosalia  was  tlio 
name  of  Leiva's  stolen  wife.  She  loved  Leiva  W(  !1 
enough,  but  who  could  resist  Captain  Yazqu<^z,  i\\e 
adored  of  all,  he  who  never  siglied  to  senorita  oi- 
senora  in  vain,  the  fleet  of  foot,  the  untiring  daiK(  r. 
the  fearless  rider,  the  bold  brigand.  Who  so  pleasiii;4 
to  her  woman's  eye,  so  gratifying  to  her  wonians 
pride?  All  articles  standing  on  shop  shelf,  or  glittt  i- 
ing  as  personal  adornment  among  the  multitude,  air 
his,  and  hers,  whenever  he  chooses  to  take  tliciii. 
Since  the  time  when  Camilla,  attracted  by  the  bril- 
liant accoutrement  of  the  priest,  Chlorus,  chased  liiiii 
round  tlie  battle-field  until  a  Tuscan  spear  laid  Ik  r 
lifeless,  full  many  a  woman  has  sacrified  herself  to  or- 
nament. 

Cai>tain  Juan  Soto,  mustang  stealer,  and  tutor  to 
the  apt  sc-holar  Til)urcio,  and  who  sul)sequently  served 
under  his  pupil,  was  a  dashing  horseman,  wiio  could 
hide  bidiind  his  horse  at  full  speed.  Soto  was  a  fa- 
vorite with  the  ladies.  Brave  deeds  make  dark  c\ is 
sparkle.  Then  the  horses  he  stole  1  The  brass  steal 
of  Cambuscan,  whicli  in  one  day  would  carry  its  rider 
to  any  spot  of  earth  by  simply  whispering  the  naiiio 
of  the  place  in  its  ear  and  turning  a  pin,  was  scarce  ly 
more  fleet  of  foot. 


SANATE,   MORENO,   CHAVEZ. 


653 


Captain  Sanate,  with  Moreno  acting  as  lieutenant, 
roamed  round  Los  Angeles.  Sanate  with  his  entire 
cf)ni[)any  attended  unbidden  a  ball  once  given  in  Los 
Angeles.  Dashing  up  to  the  house,  some  stood  guard 
while  others  entered,  robbed  the  men,  danced  with 
tlie  women  wliether  they  would  or  no,  ate  ihe  sup})er, 
drank  the  wine,  and  with  a  polite  adieu  vanished. 
Lucifer  was  alive  hi  them ;  after  attending  this  pleas- 
ure-party, they  plundered  some  houses  and  captured 
a  bevy  of  sehoritas,  v.hich  raised  the  town.  The 
marshal  pursuing,  Sauate  shot  him  dead. 

Moreno  was  a  traitor.  The  night  of  the  stolen 
dance  he  had  secured,  among  other  plunder,  a  valuable 
watch.  A  reward  of  ^1,500  having  been  offered  for 
Sanate's  head,  Moreno  shot  him,  killed  Bulvia,  who 
liad  detected  hhn,  and  carting  both  bodies  to  the  jailer 
at  Los  Angeles,  told  a  story  of  heroic  daring,  how  he 
had  been  taken  captive,  and  how  he  had  killed  his 
captors  and  carted  them  thither.  Moreno  was  the 
idol  of  the  hour;  the  brigands  were  such  a  boMier. 
Unfortunately,  he  showed  the  stolen  watch  to  a  jew- 
clli.'r,  who  recognized  it,  and  Moreno  was  sent  to  San 
Quentin  for  fourteen  years.  The  authorities  deemed 
the  .i?  1,500  sufficient  payment  for  the  nmrder,  without 
the  further  expense  of  a  hanghig. 

Clod(miiro  Chavez  was  tlie  tool  of  Vazquez.  Before 
he  knew  the  bandit  chief,  he  lived  an  hone.st  life  in 
tlie  vicinity  of  San  Juan,  where  his  younger  days 
were  s})ent.  Shortly  before  the  Tres  Pinos  tragedy, 
lie  was  in  the  service  of  Eatanislao  Hernandez.  Se- 
iluced  by  Vazquez,  it  S(H)n  was  his  ambition  to  be  a 
r()l)ber  chief.  But  he  lacked  the  cjualities  of  liis  mas- 
ter. Physically  he  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  a  man, 
being  over  six  feet  in  heiglit,  weighing  250  jxtunds,  iuid 
yet  as  lithe  and  strong  as  a  tiger.  His  qualitications, 
for  the  career  of  a  leader  -of  banditti  stopped  here. 

Vazquez  was  cumiing  aiul  reckless,  and  had  always 
r('ad\',  convlvialitv  for  his  comrades,  mo.iev  for  tliose 
111  want,  and  a  smile  for  everybody.     His  persoiial 


v.f 


' 


:1 


..* 


654 


BANDITTI. 


masjnctism  and  influonco  over  others  was  somctliii'.jf 
woiidortul.  Chavez,  on  the  other  hand,  was  intellect- 
ually dull,  with  a  cold-blooded,  lymphatic  tenijiiia- 
nient,  repelling  rather  than  inviting  friendship.  Foj. 
lowers  joined  Vazquez  because  they  could  not  stav 
away  from  lum.  Chavez'  band  was  composed  of 
those  wlio  became  robbers  from  necessity,  and  not  lie- 
cause  they  h)ved  their  leader.  Chavez  was  killid 
near  Texas  Hill,  hi  Arizona,  in  November  187;"), 
$2,000  having  been  oftered  for  his  head. 

In  the  manuscripts  of  J.  J.  Vallejo  and  others,  I 
find  mentioned  a  Mexican  Fra  Diavolo,  Vicente 
Gomez,  who  toward  the  close  of  the  M<'xican  vow 
for  independence,  connnanded  a.banil  of  guerrilleins 
in  the  service  of  the  republic.  And  of  such  weie 
hundreds.  This  man  was  noted  for  the  savagery  of 
his  instincts.  The  Spaniard  wlio  fell  into  his  clutches 
was  castrated;  this  practice  gaining  for  Gomez  the 
title  of  El  Capador,  which  was  invariably  appended 
to  bis  name.  The  victim  was  then  usually  sewn  up 
in  a  fresh  ox  hide  placed  in  the  sun,  and  left  to  i)eris]i, 
attended  by  the  most  horrible  sufferings,  caused  liy 
the  contraction  of  the  hide  as  it  dried  up.  S[)anisli 
women  met  a  still  more  horrible  fate.  The  iidiumuni- 
ties  of  the  monster  shocked  even  his  ruffian  followers, 
who,  incited  thereto  by  their  queridas,  remonstrated 
ati^ainst  such  sanijuinarv  measures. 

"Sanguinary  1"  exclaimed  Gomez.  "You  surely  do 
not  call  me  sanguhiary.  Show  me  the  man  who,  with 
as  artistic  torturings  as  mine,  puts  out  life  with  less 
bloodshed."  Gomez,  for  having  taken  part  in  a  re- 
bellion, was  sent  by  the  Mexican  governmentas  an  exilo 
to  the  Californias,  and  was  shot  dead  by  a  lieutenant 
named  llamirez,  who,  pleading  that  the  deed  had  been 
accidental,  was  ac(|uitted  at  his  trial.  Gomez  con- 
ducted himself  quietly  while  in  California. 

The  unsettled  condition  of  society  in  California, 
the  abundance  of  money,  the  amount  of  travel,  mostly 


THE  ninilWAYMAX'S  HEAVEN. 


655 


1)V  troasurc-ladeii  miners,  on  the  lonely  roads  of  the 
mountains  and  plains,  the  herds  of  fine  horses  graz- 
iii'j;  everywhere  within  easy  reach  of  the  rohber,  and 
tiiially,  tlie  soft  and  genial  climate  of  the  country, 
ivndered  possible,  developed,  and  conduci'd  to  the 
]  rosperity  of  the  guild  of  highwaymen,  mIio  had  for 
tlu  ir  field  of  operations  a  territory  quite  as  extensive, 
and  as  I'ich  in  booty  and  stirring  hazard  as  was  the 
Spanish  Main  to  the  dreaded  buccaneers,  self- 
styled  the  ]^rotherhood  of  the  Coast. 

Having  briefly  alluded  to  the  chief  men  who  won 
for  tlieniselves  a  name  in  the  career  of  crime,  I  will 
now  proceed  to  relate  some  of  the  ex})l()its  of  him 
who  deservedly  stood  head  and  shoulders  over  all 
other  knights  of  the  road  in  California,  if  not,  indeed, 
siqu'rior  to  the  most  famous  leaders  of  highwaymen 
recorded  in  the  annals  of  other  countries. 

Joa(|uin  Murieta,  the  terror  of  the  Stanislaus,  has 
aliistorv,  which  thouoli  crimson  with  nnirder,  abounds 
ii\  chamatic  interest.  He  Avas  a  Mexican  of  good 
Mootl,  as  I  have  said,  born  in  the  department  of 
8onora,  and  received  an  ordinary  education  in  the 
scliools  of  his  native  country.  In  his  youth  he  is 
snid  to  have  been  mild,  affectionate,  and  genial  In  dis- 
position, the  pet  of  the  maestro,  and  a  favorite  among 
his  fellows  of  the  play-ground.  Yet,  while  acknowl- 
edging the  pulp3'  sweetness  of  his  boyhood,  it  is  safe 
to  pn'sume  that  there  was  a  dash  of  bandit  blood  in 
tlie  veins  of  Joaquin,  which  was  eventually  to  fire  his 
liciut  with  the  madness  for  an  outlaw  life.  As  Joa- 
<iuin  and  his  Rosita  reached  the  new  El  Dorado,  the 
first  flash  of  the  great  gold  fe>ver  was  then  spreading 
oviT  its  wild  ranges.  Iri  the  memorable  s})ring  of 
IBoO  we  find  him  engaged  as  an  honest  miner  anu/ng 
the  Stanislaus  placers,  where  he  had  a  rich  clah)i,  and 
was  fast  amassing  a  competency,  w^hen,  one  e\  ening, 
a  party  of  some  half  dozen  American  desperadoes 
swaogrred  into  his  little  cabin  where  with  liosita  he 
was  Hbting  after  a  hard  (lav's  work. 


1 


:l 


056 


BANPITT 


"You  don't  know,  I  suppose,  that  groasors  aro.  not 
allowed  to  take  gold  from  Aniericaii  ground,"  Ixouu 
the  leader  insolently. 

"If  you  mean  that  1  have  no  right  to  my  elaiiii,  in 
obtainhig  wliich  I  have  conformed  to  all  tlie  laws  uf 
the  district,  I  certahdy  did  not  know  it,"  answiird 
Joatjuin  with  quiet  dignity. 

"  Well,  you  may  know  it  now.  And  you  have  not 
to  go;  so  vamouse,  git,  and  that  instanter,  and  take 
that  trumpery  with  you,"  jerking  his  thumh  towanl 
Ilosita.  "The  women  if  anything  are  worse  than  the 
men." 

Joaquin  stepped  forward  with  clinched  hand,  wliile 
the  hot  blood  mantled  his  face:  "  I  will  leave  tluse 
parts  if  such  be  your  wish,  but  speak  one  word 
against  that  woman,  and  though  you  were  ten  times 
an  American,  you  shall  rue  it." 

Scarctdy  were  tliese  words  uttered  when  anotlier 
of  the  party  reached  over  and  struck  Joa(]uin  a  severe 
blow  in  the  face.  The  latter  sprang  for  his  bowie- 
knife,  which  he  had  thrown  upon  the  bed  on  return- 
ing from  his  work,  when  Rosita,  instinct  with  the 
danger  such  rashness  threatened,  threw  herself  befnre 
him,  and  seizing  him  in  her  arms,  frantically  luld 
him.  For  the  intruders  to  thrust  aside  the  woman 
and  strike  the  unarmed  man  senseless  was  the  work 
of  a  moment.  When  Joaquhi  awoke  to  consciousnrss, 
it  was  to  find  Rosita  prostrate,  her  face  buried  in  lier 
clotlies,  sobbing  hysterically.  Then  he  knew  the 
worst. 

Fleeingf  from  liis  outraged  home  on  the  Stanislaas. 
Joaquin  and  his  devoted  companion  sought  refuu*'  on 
a  modest  little  rancho,  hid  away  hi  the  rugged  sechi- 
sion  of  the  Calaveras  mountains.  II's  cream  of  peace 
was  goon  broken,  however,  by  the  sudden  a[)i)arilion 
of  two  bearded  missionaries,  whose  monosylhiliie 
warning,  "Gitl"  threw  down  hishop^sand  household 
gods  once  more  hito  the  dust.  The  hapless  twain 
were  driven  out  from  the  shadows  of  Calaveras,  and 


once  mn 
'liid  Joa 
.icings;  b 
he  finalh 
tioi)  of  ni 
time  dec 
^<\v  of  th( 
<'uts,"  am 

<'Ustoniers 
Tlie  no 
young  So 
'"■friend  ]i 
into  J  J  is  e\ 
destined  U 
wt^'ars.     M 
horrowed 
a  lanclio  i 
fliiiining  tl 
^lurieta  p] 
Tills,   l](nv 
that  tJie  c 
Was  diaro'e 
'It'atJi.     A 
and  Murieti 
iiioney   for 
^""ling  to  J) 
ivgarcied. 
amid  cries  o 
'lUiTJedJy  ea 
^^Iioin  tiicy 
tlie   branch 
^tnpped,  bou 
tilt)  Jieavy  h 
expression  aj 
'■"1^'  stamped 
tutors  on  the 
J'utionors   ha( 
leaving  him  v 
J'lurieta  regis 

CAL.  i'Asl 


EVOLUTION  OF  A  DEMON. 


657 


once  more  became  fu-jritivos  in  tlie  land.  We  next 
find  Joacjuin  working  as  a  miner  at  Murpliy  Dig- 
!j;in<ijs;  but  luck  was  against  liini  in  the  placers,  and 
lie  finally  assumed  the  jjav  and  remunerative  occupa- 
tion  of  monte-dealer,  a  de})artment  of  industry  at  the 
time  deemed  respectable,  even  for  Americans,  not  a 
few  of  them  being  thorough  adepts  in  the  art  <»f  "lay- 
dutsi,"  and  both  swift  and  relentless  in  catching  their 
lUHtomers  "in  the  door." 

The  new  vocation  was  well-suited  to  the  suave 
vountj  Sonorense,  and  fortune  for  awhile  seemed  to 
lirfriend  him,  the  uncohied  gold  of  tlie  miners  rolling 
into  his  ever  thickening  purse.  But  his  j)athway  was 
(K  stined  to  blush  with  redder  Lues  than  rosy  fortune 
wears.  While  riding  into  town  a  horse  that  he  had 
borrowed  from  a  half-brother  of  his  who  lived  on 
a  rancho  near  by,  he  was  accosted  by  an  American 
claiming  the  animal  to  have  been  stolen  from  him. 
ilurieta  pleaded  that  it  was  not  his,  but  borrowed. 
This,  lu>wever,  availed  him  not.  Indeed,  it  seems 
that  the  claim  was  a  well-founded  one,  and  jSIurieta 
was  charged  with  the  theft,  tlie  penalty  whereof  was 
(Katli.  A  half-drunken  crowd  soon  gathered  around, 
and  Murieta's  protestations  of  innocence,  and  offers  of 
money  for  a  respite  until  witnesses  could  be  forth- 
coming to  prove  the  truth  of  his  statement,  were  dis- 
rc;j;arded.  He  was  pulled  down  fr()m  the  saddle,  and 
amid  cries  of  "  kill  the  thief  1  hang  the  greaser  1 "  they 
hurriedly  carried  him  to  the  rancJio  of  his  brother, 
whom  tliey  summarily  launched  into  eternity  from 
the  branch  of  a  neighboring  tree.  Joacjuin  was 
stri|)[)ed,  bound  to  the  same  tree,  and  flogged.  While 
the  heavy  lash  was  lacerating  his  back,  a  demoniac 
exjiression  appeared  upon  his  face;  he  looked  around 
and  stamped  the  features  of  each  of  his  perse- 
cutors on  the  tal)lets  of  his  memory.  When  the  exe- 
cutioners had  finished  their  work,  they  departed, 
loa\  ing  him  with  his  dead.  It  was  then  that  Joaquin 
Murieta  registered  his  oath  of  vengeance  which  he  so 


i>"  i 


Cal.  Vast.    42 


,-♦' 


658 


B.\XT>irr:. 


rolontlcssly  kept,  rarely  sparino^  oven  tlio  innocent. 
From  tliat  liour  lie  was  the  iniplaralde  fue  of  eviiv 
American,  and  evenof  every  beinuj  tliat  bore  the  res<  m- 
blanco  of  a  grinujo.  Lucifer  had  him  now  for  jiis «  w  ii. 
Words  have  Ix-en  put  in  ^lurieta's  lips  to  the  etl<  <  t 
that  he  had  atone  time  felt  a  great  a<!rairation  f(ir 
Americans  and  their  institutions;  and  only  after  ex- 
periencing unjust  f»ersecution  and  brutality  at  tin  ir 
hands,  had  the  scales  fallen  from  his  eyes,  and  a 
deadly  hatred  seized  him.  To  avenge  the  wrongs  in- 
flicted  on  himself  and  his  countrymen,  who  were  con- 
stantly kicked,  and  cuffed,  and  robbed,  was  now  tlie 
purpose  of  his  life.  To  kill,  destrov ,  marking  his  swift 
trail  with  blood,  was  now  his  dream;  for  every  stiijio 
that  had  been  laid  upon  his  yet  unhealed  ba(  k  t<  n 
Yaidcee  lives  should  be  forfeited,  and  these  ruttijinly 
Anglo-Saxons  be  made  to  understand  that  the  free 
citizens  of  the  sister  republic  had  not  wholly  punk 
their  origin,  nor  lost  their  manhood.  Lettinir  all  this 
pass,  however,  the  fact  stands  that  not  long  after  the 
infliction  of  the  flogging,  an  American  was  found  (had 
near  Murphy  Diggings,  literally  hacked  to  pi<  c cs 
with  a  knife.  The  body  turned  out  to  be  that  of  one 
of  tliose  who  had  flogged  Joaquin,  and  hanged  liis 
brother.  Suspicion  was  not  long  at  fault  re.icl,ing 
tlie  author  of  the  bloody  act.  Other  murders  fol- 
lowed in  swift  succession,  robbing  being  one  of  the 
incidents  of  each  case.  It  then  began  to  lie  whispt  ihI 
tliat    the    younj'    victim    of   Yankte    brutalitv    wius 

€.'0  ^  w 

wreaking  his  vengeance.  Joa<juin's  blood}'  dttds 
were  in  everybody's  mind,  and  his  name  becanit  a 
terror.  Within  a  few  months  the  dashing  bo\  wps 
at  the  head  of  an  organized  band  of  highwa\n>n, 
which  ravaged  the  country  in  everv  direction,  ll.is 
band  consisted  sometimes  of  twenty,  and  at  other 
times  of  as  many  as  eighty.  The  boy  leader  'jave 
proof  ever}""  day  of  possessing  a  peculiar  genius  for  ( on- 
trolling  the  most  accomplished  scoundrels  that  had 
ever   congregated    in    Christendom,     He   was    th^ir 


PvULE.^  OF  TilE  R()imi:i<8.  650 

master;  his  word  was  tlioir  law,  and  woc^  bctldf  liiiii 
\\\\n  dared  to  disohi-y,  wliilc  to  break  faitli  NvUli  a 
li;llo\v-robl)er  was  (juiek  deatli.  A  ineinl>er  of  tlio 
liand,  perforated  l>y  four  l»ull<'ts,  was  raptured  iu 
l'\l)ruary  18r)3,  at  Los  Muertos,  near  Los  Anodes, 
lirou-'lit  to  San  Andreas,  tried,  and  haiii^ed  hv  tlio 
jieople.  Ho  was  but  an  liund)le  member  of  the  ]»r<)fes- 
Miiii,  and  when  he  saw  that  d«'ath  was  certain,  lie  was 
iii(hieedto  talk  a  Httle.  He  siiid  tliatiu/  nuMnber  of  tlio 
fraternity  was  much  res})ected  who  liad  not  killed  h.is 
man,  and  each  ranked  in  importance  according"  to  tlio 
number  that  he  liad  slain.  This  was  something-  as  it 
i;  i:i  the  army.  Every  niend»er  was  bound  uiidi'r 
iii')st  solenni  oaths,  first,  to  obey  liis  superiors.  ])is- 
(.'it'dience  was  punished  with  death.  There  was 
hardly  one  chance  in  a  liundre<l  that  a  traitor  could 
escape;  for  it  was  the  duty  and  pleasurt;  of  the  be- 
trayed wlioso  lives  were  jeo[»ardiz«.'d  by  tin;  tre.'uhery 
to  hunt  and  slay  the  informer.  It  was  well  under- 
stood by  all,  even  the  .stu[)idest  o^  them,  that  good 
fa'.tJi  unto  one  another,  union  and  (.;isci[>line,  were  es- 
S'litial  as  well  to  their  })er.sonal  safety  as  to  p(^cun'iary 
^^u<■('ess.  This  Completeness  of  organization,  coujiled 
wiih  the  awful  power  wielded  by  the  header,  enabled 
the  band  during;  nearlv  three  vcars  to  carrv  on  its 
I  I'll 'rations,  and  its  boyish  chief  to  Hit  between  towns 
and  country.  Hipping  his  fingers  hi  the  face  of  pol'ce 
aixl  peo[)le,  while  throughout  th(;  length  and  breadtli 
of  tlie  Californian  valky,  from  Shasta  to  Tulare,  and 
along  the  coast  line  of  missions  the  country  was  wail- 
ing its  dead  and  ringing  with  rewards.  The  modus 
ojtirandi  to  accompli.sh  the  purposes  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  as  follows:  Each  sul^altern  was  restrictid 
ti)  certain  limits  beyond  which  he  tlare  not  step.  He 
had  to  be  at  all  time.«  ready  to  receive  an  order  from 
any  captain  or  lieutenant  of  the  band.  His  eyes  and 
ear>  were  to  be  always  open,  and  his  mouth  closed; 
passing  events  were  to  be  narrowly  observed,  sucli  as 
the  yield  of  the  various  mining  claims,  the  drift  of 


I- 


I 


Eli 

i 


'v\ 


li 


4 


(U'lO 


BANDITTI. 


tho  mold  (lust,  wlu'io  a  coinpany  k«'pt  tlulr  inonov.  or 
i'l'itaiii  Cliiiiaiiu'ii  liiul  irukltn  tln'irs.  It  was,  iiioic- 
<»vt'r.  liis  tlutv  t«>  slu'ltiT  aiul  piottct  anv  of  tlic 
liiotlu'iluMKl  iH'cdiijt^  liis  as.sistaiicf;  to  wjini  tliciii  of 
Waller,  aiul  jirovuli!  horses  ami  aid  to  cscaiH":  and  ir,.|i. 
t'lallv,  to  assist  tlirm  in  all  their  undertakliiirs. 

Joa<juin  was  alwa.s  spK-ndidly  mounted;  in  thft 
much  of  his  su(('«'ss  depended  on  his  hoises.  It  Wiis 
the  special  business  of  a  certain  ])ortion  of  the  hrotlin- 
hood  to  keej»  the  conii>any  well  supplied  with  the  host 
horses  in  the  country.  There  were,  also,  nieiiihcis 
livin«;  in  towns,  and  amouj^  the  peaceable  inhabitants, 
pursuiiii;  honest  oceui>ations,  wlio  wire  spies,  and  kept 
the  ofHeers  <»f  the  band  advised  of  matters  they  wtie 
desirous  of  knowinj;. 

To  relate  the  hundred  of  incidents  in  which  Joa- 
<juin  and  ]\\.i  chief  captains  and  lieutenants  personally 
disjrlaycil  their  skill  and  couraij^o,  would  oceujn'  more 
space  than  I  can  devote  to  the  matter,  I  will,  liow- 
over,  narrate  some  of  the  most  daring  deeds  of  the 
voun«;  leader. 

In  I  8.')!  while  sojourmng  in  a  secluded  part  of  Saii 
Jose,  he  atteiuled  a  fasidango,  whi'rc  he  became  iii- 
volvi'd  in  a  f  icas,  for  which  he  was  arrested  and  liiitd 
s\-2  bv  the  maijistrate.  Beinu:  in  chartje  of  Dejjutv 
Sheriff  Clark,  who  was  not  aware  of  his  being  the 
robber  chief,  he  hivited  the  latter  to  go  with  hiiu  to 
his  house  ft)r  the  money.  Clark  had  become  obji()xit)US 
to  ^lurieta  f«»r  his  vigorous  pursuit  of  the  band.  Cii 
reaching  an  unfrecjuented  place  tho  robber  suddenly 
turned  upon  the  oliicer,  and  with  a  snnle  said,  "Acct  pt 
the  compliments  of  Joaquin,"  and  drove  his  jowelltd 
poignard  to  the  hilt  in  his  breast.  In  the  autumn  of 
the  same  vear  !Murieta  and  his  band  wore  at  the 
Sonoran  camp  near  Marysville,  where  they  committed 
a  numl)er  of  robberies,  and  five  murders,  every  one  «if 
the  nmrdered  men  bcarinj' on  his  neck  thefiital  maik  of 
the  flvin*'  noose.  All  had  been  lassoed,  and  drao;*'('<l  at 
the  saddle  bow  by  the  lariat.     In  the  wild  region  w  est 


••ftJM.M 

nioMtlis 

-I  Miurdt 

iiig  Meai 

them  h<i 

fine  stee 

secured  . 

by  tlie  I.. 

distracMi 

'•ut  Jittj. 

\\'as  only 

iind  that 

iM'stort 

Joacjuin  > 

<  )ne  ev 

'  '"LT  at  a 

liver,    wl 

>;.'<)()  tliat 

first  time 

(lari'-devil 

•nid  thrusi 

take   tJie   I 

the  corfk-r 

<'"wn,  sti-o 

lode  away 

lii  the  f 

hnrses  tJiro 

his  retlB-u  { 

Arroyode  ( 

«iid  the  Tu 

I'lcvious  to 

Los  Angele 

111(11  toward 

^',^J't,  iAfurie 

s<'l\(xl  to  roj 

victim  happt 


1II(;il\VAYMAX  OALLANTUY, 


eei 


oftlu'  white  |»yraml»l  ot'Sliastn,  tlic  IkukI  nuiinod  tiiany 
iiioiitlis  rni;a'4r«l  ill  liorse-.st«'alin<4'.  with  now  and  tlicn 
u  iiiuidti'.      Oiirt'  while  two  of  the  hainl   wt'ic 


t;allo|)- 

iti;^  near  tlie  town  of  llaniiUon,  an  elk  inslied  past 
them  hotiv  pmsned  hv  ji  heautiful  <j:irl  mounted  on  a 
fino  steed.  Slie  htnled  lier  lasso  at  the  animal  and 
seeund  it,  (»idy  to  find  liersidf  in  her  turn  lield  fast 
hy  the  lariats  of  the  two  handitti.  Her  terroi-  was 
distraetin;j,'.  She  im])lon>d  tln-m  not  to  harm  her, 
hut  little  <li«l  tliev  care  for  her  ontrcatics.  There 
was  only  <»no  voici"  on  oaiih  whicli  ihey  would  heed, 
and  that  came  miexiu'ctt'dly  as  If  from  another  woild. 
"  Ih'store  that  «jirl  to  her  horse  instantly."     It  was 


.)na( 


urn 


wh 


lo  siioK*' 


( )ne  evenin^i;  not  lonuj  afterwanl,  J^nquin  was  sit- 
'''}\'^  at  a  nionte'  tahle  in  a  small  town  mi  the  Feather 
liver,  when  an  Ann-rican  hoastiuily  oU'ercil  to  het 
s,)0()  that   he  would   kill    the   sjoundrel   Joa<iuin   tlie 


Hist  time  he  met  him. 


Ci 


UTiecl  away  ))y  om 


'?  1 


lis 


(l.ue-devil  impulses,  Joacpiin  spranji^  uj)on  the  tahle, 
inid  thrusting  his  ])istol  in  tho  man's  face  cried,  "I 
titke  the  bet;  Joacjuin  is  before  you;"  then  tossiiijj; 
the  corner  of  his  scrape  over  his  shoulder,  lie  jumjied 
down,  strode  nut  of  the  r<»om,  mounted  his  horse  and 
lode  away  with  some  of  his  henchmen  at  his  heels. 
In  the  spriii|4  of  I8.')2  ^Turieta  drove  800  stolen 
liorses  throU'Ljh  southern  California  into  Sonora.  On 
his  n-tmu  aftt-r  a  few  weeks,  he  was  (luartered  at  tl 


lie 


Arroyo  de  Canti'ia,  situated  Ixtweeii  the  Coast  Ihinge 
and  the  Tuhire  lake.  It  is  possible  that  it  was  ju>t 
I>ivvious  to  this  that  thoy  sojourned  for  a  wliile  in 
Los  Aiiijcles  ami  vicinitv.  Hidin«^  with  some  of  his 
nun  toward  Sari  Luis  (ionzaga,  and  his  ])Uise  Icing 
lii;lit,  IVEurii'ta,  after  the  manner  of  Kobin  Hood,  re- 
siilvixl  to  r(»b   the  first  man  that  came  aloiiir 


T] 


le 


victim  happened  to  be  a  young  fellow  named  Albert 
Kudille,  who  was  driving  a  wagon  loaded  with  gro- 
ceries. Joafjuin  requested  the  loa;>  of  what  money 
lie  had,  promising  to  return  it  at  an  early  opportunity. 


f-fi 


BANDITTI. 


Ruddle  made  a  movement  as  if  to  draw  a  weapon. 
Ho  was  told  to  keep  quiet  or  he  would  be  killed,  l)iit 
as  he  persisted,  Joaquin  witli  a  muttered  impreoatioii, 
slashed  him  across  the  neck  with  his  knife,  almost 
severimx  the  head  from  the  body.  After  riflino-  the 
dead  man's  pockets  tlie  robbers  rode  off. 

While  in  Los  Angeles  for  a  few  days,  he  lieard  that 
Deputy  Sheriff  Wilscm  of  Santa  Bjirbara  was  on  liis 
trail,  witli  the  avowed  intention  of  taking  him  dead 
or  alive.  Hi'  got  up  a  sham  fight  between  two  Indians 
in  fnmt  of  tlie  hotel  were  Wilson  was  staying.  The 
latter  came  <;ut  to  see  the  fight,  when  Joaquin  ro(l(^ 
swiftly  to  him,  and  hissing  his  own  terrible  name  in  lils 
ear,  drove  a  bullet  throu«j;h  his  head  and  drove  awav. 

Riding  one  day  alone  toward  the  town  of  ]^os 
H(n'nitos,  the  chief  met  young  Joe  Lake,  a  playmate 
of  his  boyhood.  -  In  the  course  of  their  conversatinn 
Joacjuin  revealed  his  present  mode  of  living,  and  siiid, 
"Joe,  you  are  the  only  American  whose  good  oj)ini()ii 
I  crave.  Believe  me  my  friend,  I  was  driven  to  this 
by  hellish  wrongs."  "Why  don't  you  leave  the  conn- 
trv,  and  abandon  vour  criminal  life  ?"  answered  Jne. 
"  Too  late,  Joe,  I  n\ust  die  now  as  I  live,  pistol  in 
hand.  Do  not  l)etray  me;  do  not  divulge  having  nut 
:nc  here.  If  you  do,  I  shall  be  very  sorry,"  signifi- 
cantly tapping  the  stock  of  his  revolver.  Lake 
deemed  it  his  duty  to  appraise  the  authoritiis  of 
Murieta's  presence,  and  the  usual  persecution  l»('uaii. 
The  next  morning  a  portly  ranchero  came  up  to  Lake, 
and  saying,  "You  betrayed  me,  Joel"  })lunged  a  knife 
into  his  breast,  and  rode  away  unharmed. 

One  evenhig  Joaquhi  rode  int(j  a  camp  where  abdut 
'25  mhiers  were  at  supper,  and  sitting  sideways  on  his 
horse  entered  hito  conversation  with  them.  It  so 
liappened  that  a  man  who  knew  him  by  sight  s(mii 
after  came  from  the  creek,  and  on  seehig  him  ealit<l 
out,  "That  is  Joaquin,  why,  in  the  name  of  God  doii  t 
you  kill  him?"  Putting  s])urs  to  his  horse  with  nnc 
bound  he  cleared  the  camp  and  dashed  down  the 


DARING  DEEDS. 


COS 


cafion.  Finding  his  way  blocked  there  he  returned 
toward  the  camp,  to  avail  himself  of  a  narrow  coyote 
trail  around  the  brow  of  a  precipice  that  overhung 
tl>o  awful  depths  of  the  cafion  below.  A  shower  of 
bullets  greeted  liis  reappearance,  but  none  touched 
liini,  as  he  daslied  up  and  along  that  dizzy  path,  wav- 
ing his  dagoer  and  shouting  defiance. 

In  the  early  part  of  March,  1853,  Joaquin,  un- 
attended, visited  a  large  Mexican  camp  on  Burns 
creek,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  town  of  Mariposa. 
Ife  presented  the  appearance  of  a  dashing  cavalier, 
with  plumed  sombrero,  gold  laced  cloak,  and  gayly 
(•a[)ans()ned  steed,  as  he  slowly  rode  down  the  principal 
thoroughfare  of  the  camp,  tinkling  his  spurs  to  the 
iiuasures  of  some  livelv  fandan<;o,  and  was  the  cvno- 
isurc  of  many  admiring  glances  from  the  eyes  of  the 
seuoritas.  Passing  in  front  of  a  saloon  he  called  for 
ji  <irink,  and  was  just  lifting  it  to  his  lips,  when  an 
Anitiican,  one  of  two  who  were  standing  together 
and  had  recognized  him,  drew  his  revolver  and  fired 
a  shot  that  cut  the  plume  of  the  brigand's  hat.  The 
di'uik  was  never  taken,  but  Joaquin,  after  having 
wounded  one  of  the  Americans  hi  the  arm  and  the 
other  in  the  abdomen,  galloped  away  without  a 
scratch. 

Later  in  the  same  month,  Murieta  and  three  or 
four  of  his  men  robbjd  a  Chinese  camp  at  Rich  gulch, 
not  far  from  San  Andreas,  of  about  $10,000,  leaving 
three  dead  and  five  wounded.  The  next  morning 
tliey  entered  another  Chinese  camj)  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  gashed  the  throats  of  three  of  the  China- 
iiun,  mortally  wounded  five  others,  and  carried  off 
.some  $;3,000  in  gold.  They  next  visited  several  otlier 
C'hinc>se  canip.s,  all  of  wliicli  they  desolated,  the  cries 
of  their  victims  beinuf  heard  at  Ion*;  distances.  Find- 
iiig  themselves  pursued  by  a  party  of  Americans,  they 
cahaly  conthiued  their  devastation,  until  the  pursuers 
Wort!  within  half  a  mile  of  them,  when  they  mounted 
their  steeds,  and  rode  away  with  the  speed  of  tlie  wind. 


■  > 


664 


BANDITTI. 


On  one  occasion,  Murieta  riding  leisurely  in  disguise 
throu5/li  Stockton,  he  saw  tlie  hand-bills  otiLiin"' 
$1,000  for  his  capture.  Taking  from  his  pocket  a 
pencil,  he  wrote  on  the  margin  beneath  one  of  them, 
"I  will  give  $5,000.  Joaquhi,"  and  quietly  rode 
away. 

One  night  a  cattle-dealer,  whose  name  was  Cocail- 
ouris,  was  camping  with  one  Companion  on  the  San 
Joaquin,  when  they  were  visited  by  several  IMcxicaiis, 
splendidly  mounted  and  gaily  attired,  wlio  asked  for 
supper  and  a  place  to  sleep.  Their  occupation  being 
quits  evident,  they  were  treated  with  much  politeness, 
and  their  requests  promptly  complied  with.  In  the 
morning  the  robber  was  cordially  greeted  by  the  cat- 
tle dealer : 

"And  how  does  Senor  Joaquin  this  morning?" 

"You  know  me,  then,"  replied  the  robber. 

"  I  knew  you  the  moment  I  saw  you,"  said  Cuca- 
riouris. 

"And  why  did  you  not  kill  me  last  night  when  I 
slept,  and  secure  the  reward?"  demanded  Joaquin. 

"I  do  not  like  to  kill  men:  I  do  not  care  for  tlic 
reward,"  replied  the  host.  "Besides,  you  never  in- 
jured me;  you  asked  for  food ;  if  every  man  deserving' 
to  be  hanged  went  supperless,  there  would  be  many 
an  empty  chair  at  more  tables  than  mine." 

"True,"  replied  Joaquin,  meditatively,  "and  I  will 
see  that  you  lose  nothing  by  your  broad  philosopliy." 

Cocariouris  was  often  on  the  road  with  large  lienls 
of  stock,  not  one  head  of  which  was  ever,  to  his 
knowledge,  touched  by  any  of  Murieta's  band. 

The  audacity  of  this  chief,  united  to  his  celerity  of 
movement,  at  a  time  when  the  country  had  no  eoni- 
munication  by  railway  or  telegra|»h,  enabled  liini  and 
his  men  to  effect  the  most  remarkable  escapes,  as  we 
have  seen.  He  would  show  himself  now  here,  now 
there,  like  an  impish  apparition  which  vanished  at  the 
approach  of  danger. 

In   February   1853,  Joaquin  and   his  band  swept 


througl: 
went, 
tlie  gov( 
unme  H 
ncss  of  • 
many   tj 
scourge 
One  e 
death,  tl 
the  Salii 
tliemselv 
J'olitely 
host  that 
way  to  Si 
asked  if  i 
he  repliet 
1110  alive.' 
of  the  wr 
his.      Ill 

lodging  ai 
departed  .' 
^-■iras  tJio 
'•ara,  and 
^^lurieta's 
nnd  it  was 
California. 
I  have  1 
tl)is  faniouf 
the  nnnied 
it  sliould  b< 
i^i'd  fraten 
<^'ial  liouten 
("•I'c  the  to 
ill  widely 
oanie  so  re 
^vliilo  over 


LOVE  AND  HATE. 


680 


through  Calaveras,  robbinir  and  slaughtering  as  tlioy 
wont.  Again  was  a  reward  of  a  $1,000  offered  by 
the  governor  for  his  capture.  The  people  of  !Mokel- 
unnie  Hill  and  elsewhere  were  indiixnant  at  the  small- 
ness  of  the  amount,  when  they  themselves  liad  spent 
many  thousands  in  their  fruitless  attempts.  The 
scourge  continued,  and  gloom  overspread  the  foothills. 

One  evening  in  April  1853,  shortly  before  Joa(|uin's 
death,  three  men  rode  up  to  the  house  of  a  ranclio  on 
the  Salinas  plains  and  demanded  refreshments  for 
themselves  and  their  horses,  which  were  rcadilv  and 
])()litely  served.  After  supper  they  informed  tlieir 
host  that  they  were  from  the  upper  country  on  tiicir 
way  t<j  Sonora  to  buy  cattle.  Their  spokesman  being 
asked  if  they  had  seen  or  heard  of  the  famous  Joaquin. 
lie  replied,  "I  am  that  Joaquin,  and  no  man  shall  take 
1110  alive."  He  then  gave  his  oft-repeated  luirrative 
of  the  wronojs  which  had  been  inflicted  on  him  and 
his.  In  the  mornmg,  after  payhig  for  the  night's 
lodging  and  refreshments,  Joaquin  and  his  companions 
(]e})arted  southward,  as  he  had  said,  but  only  went  as 
far  as  the  region  of  San  Luis  Obispo  and  Santa  B;ir- 
hara,  and  the  cattle  they  took  they  seldom  ])ai(l  for. 
]\[uriota's  movements  wore  now  vi'rv  closolv  watched, 
mid  it  was  thought  that  his  destination  was  Lower 
California. 

I  have  merely  referred  to  a  few  of  the  doings  of 
tliis  famous  band  of  marauders,  or  a  portion  of  it  un<ler 
the  immediate  directitui  of  Murieta  in  jjorson.  But 
it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  excellently  organ- 
ized fraternity  was  often  divided,  and  under  his  sev- 
eral lieutenants,  Garcia,  Claudio,  Kuiz,  and  others, 
hole  the  terror  of  their  chiefs  name  simultaneously 
ill  widely  different  directions.  Their  operations  bo- 
caiiie  so  repeated  and  destructive,  extending  moan- 
Avhile  over  such  a  great  extent  of  country,  that  no 
communitv  felt  safe. 

At  last,  the  people  throughout  the  state  were 
aroused  to  the  hiq)ortanco  of  suppressing  this  over- 


f|:| 


■'    M* 


66G 


BANDITTI. 


whelming  evil.  For  three  years  this  bloody  woik 
had  been  going  on — a  long  time  in  that  rushing  epoi  li 
— and  it  was  a  reflection  on  the  manhood  of  Calitbniia 
that  the  robbers  should  yjo  so  louif  uncauurht.  At 
length,  on  the  l7th  of  May,  1853^  the  legislatun;  of 
California  passed  an  act  authorizing  Harry  Love  to 
bring  his  mountaineer's  experience,  bravery,  and 
testcrl  nerve  into  action,  with  a  well-organized  and 
equipped  body  of  twenty  mounted  rangers,  to  hunt 
the  marauders  down.  Love  was  soon  in  tlie  field, 
and  lost  no  time  in  getting  upon  the  track  of  the  bri- 


gands. 


Poor  Joaquin!  Love  encompassed  him  without 
and  within.  For  his  girl,  Antonia  la  Molinera,  wlio 
went  about  with  him  dressed  in  men's  clothes,  i)rov(d 
false,  having  run  away  with  a  traitorous  mend)er  of 
the  band,  Panclio  Daniel.  ISIurieta  swore  ho  would 
kill  both  of  them;  and  Antonia  when  she  heard  of  it, 
and  knowing  him  so  well,  and  realizing  that  Iier  life 
was  not  safe  for  a  moment  as  long  as  he  was  at  lib- 
erty, resolved  to  betray  him  into  the  hands  of  justice. 

Murieta  sent  first  Ver-jara  to  kill  her,  but  Vereaia 
proved  false,  and  let  the  girl  live,  abandoning  the 
banditti,  and  o()hiQr  to  work  on  the  rancho  of  Palos 
A'^erdes,  where  was  later  Wilmington.  Murieta  sent 
another  mend)er  of  his  band  to  brhig  back  Vergiira, 
but  a  few  days  thereafter  the  messenger  was  found 
nmrdered  in  the  street  in  Los  Angeles.  Likewise, 
others  of  Joaquin's  girls  were  giving  him  trouhle. 
Thus  discord  was  in  the  camp,  men  proving  traitor- 
ous and  women  false,  which  shows  that  the  life  of  a 
robber  is  not  always  a  happy  one. 

Stealthily  enough  Harry  Love  with  his  fierce  e}  es 
and  flowing  hair,  followed  up(m  the  trail  of  Joa(iiiiii, 
spying  upon  him  by  night,  and  keephig  untler  close 
cover  by  day,  thirsting  for  the  blood-money,  thirsting; 
both  for  the  blood  and  the  money,  eager  to  slay  the 
slayer  and  rob  the  robber. 


Thu 

later  ei 
In  tlie 
Love  c 
tI)o  Te 
small  fi' 
f<  >r\vard 

Mack  hi 
m  the  ] 
i'lg  dow 
the  fire, 
Joa(]uin 
into  tlie 
f •ceded  i] 
Captain 
borse,  an 
"To  L 
Turnin 
sajne  que 
returned. 
"I   conni 
tlien  niovi 
J''.v  tJie  sa 
'^^as  order 
f'x'ked  ]\h 
cr  ]je  Avot 
•scornfully 
of  Ills  wra 
'•y  tlie  sic 
resting  li^ 
';f'»"d  a  litt 
'"r  his  ch 
J >y riles,    Av 
"loved  up, 
"p.  called 
'"•st  tJiey  ( 
Ids  cliargei 
tlie   niounti 


CAPTURE  OF  THE  BAND, 


CO" 


Thus  tne  toils  which  must  inevitably  sooner  or 
later  end  such  a  career  v/ere  closiiig  round  Joa(ju'in. 
In  the  latter  part  of  July,  with  eight  of  his  rangers, 
Love  came  upon  a  party  of  Mexicans  in  camp  iirar 
tlie  Tejon  pass.  Six  of  them  were  seated  round  a 
small  fire,  where  preparations  for  breakfast  were  going 
forward,  while  the  seventh,  he  of  the  slender  iigure, 
and  graceful  limbs,  and  larixe  black  eves,  and  1(  n'>- 
black  hair,  a  perfect  Apollo,  richly  dressed,  blooming 
in  the  pride  of  health  and  manly  beauty,  was  wasli- 
iiig  down  a  superb  bay  horse,  at  a  little  distance  from 
tlie  fire,  with  some  water  which  he  held  in  a  i)an. 
Joacpin  was  unknown  to  the  rangers,  who  dashed 
into  tlie  camp  before  they  were  discovered,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  the  robbers  oft'  from  thtir  horses. 
Captain  Love  rode  up  to  the  one  standing  by  his 
horse,  and  encpiired  whither  they  were  going. 

"To  Los  Angeles,"  the  chief  replied. 

Turning  to  one  of  the  others,  the  captain  put  the 
same  question  when  an  entirely  dift'erent  answer  was 
rt  turned.  Joaquin  bit  his  lip  and  sj)oke  up  angrily, 
"I  connnand  here;  address  yourself  to  me."  He 
tlien  moved  a  few  steps  toward  the  fire,  around  which 
lay  the  saddles,  blankets,  and  arms  of  the  party.  He 
was  ordered  to  stop,  and  when  he  did  not  heed,  Love 
cocked  his  revolver  upon  him  and  told  him  to  stand 
or  he  would  shoot.  The  cliief  tossed  his  hair  back 
scornfully  while  his  eyes  blazed  with  the  lightnings 
of  his  wrath,  and  stepping  backward  he  stood  a^ain 
l>y  the  sitle  of  his  haiK.lsome  steed,  his  jewelled  liand 
restinu"  liuhtlv  on  its  mane.  Three-Fino;ered  .lack 
';tood  a  little  distance  away,  fully  armed  and  waiting 
tor  his  chief.  At  this  critii'al  moment  Lieut( nant 
]>yrnes,  with  whom  J()a(|uin  was  well  ac(pi;iintcd, 
moved  up,  and  Joaquin  realizing  that  the  game  was 
ii]*,  called  out  to  his  followers  to  save  themseKcs  tlie 
hest  they  could,  and  threw  himsi>lf  u[)on  the  back  of 
ills  charger  without  saddle  or  bridle,  and  s}»ed  <lown 
tin;  mountain  like  a  tempest.      He  leaped  his  horse 


6G8 


BANDITTI. 


over  a  precipice,  when  he  fell,  but  was  on  his  fcrt 
again  in  a  moment,  and  remounting,  the  daring  ridt  r 
dashed  on.  Close  at  his  heels  came  the  rang*  is, 
firing  as  they  rode,  and  soon  the  gallant  steed,  struck 
in  the  side,  fell  to  the  earth,  and  Joaquin  ran  (ni 
afoot.  Three  halls  had  pierced  his  body,  when  lie 
turned  with  a  lifted  hand  toward  his  pursuers,  and 
called  out:  "It  is  enough;  the  work  is  down," — 
reeled,  fell  upon  his  right  arm,  and,  sinking  slowly 
down  before  his  pursuers,  gave  up  the  ghost  without 


a  groan. 


Three-Fingered  Jack,  cornered,  fought  like  a  tiger, 
but  the  end  was  at  hand.  And  so  with  others  of  tin- 
company.  Claudio  had  fallen  some  time  before 
The  bandits,  now  left  without  an  efficient  leader,  and 
admonished  by  the  swift  and  sorrowful  fate  of  Joacjuiii, 
brnke  up  the  organization,  and  stole  away  from  tlir 
theatre  of  their  crimes.  For  purposes  of  identifica- 
tion, the  head  of  Joaquin,  and  the  nmtilated  hand  of 
ThriH!-Fingered  Jack,  were  severed  from  the  bodii  s, 
and,  preserved  in  s[)irits,  were  brought  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  Auofust  1853,  bv  Black  and  Nuttall,  two  of 

~  *■'    ■ 

Harrv  Love's  rangers.  The  head  was  ])laced  on  r.\- 
hibition,  as  the  following  notice,  which  ap})eared  iii 
the  papers  of  the  city  on  the  18th  of  August,  and  f  v 
several  days  following,  will  show:  "  Joaijuin's  Head! 
is  to  be  seen  at  Kiuij's,  corner  of  Halleck  and  San- 
some  streets.  Admissi(m  one  dollar."  Then  followed 
certificates  of  persons  who  had  known  Joaciuin,  as  to 
the  identity  of  the  head.  No  money  was  recovered, 
though  one  of  the  prisoners  declared  that  Jack  liad 
thrown  away  a  heavy  purse  of  gold  during  the  chase. 
It  is  jirobable  tluit  others  did  the  same,  as  the  heavy 
operations  of  the  band  nmst  have  kept  them  well  siq'- 
])lie<l  with  dust  and  coin.  The  growth,  after  deatli, 
of  the  hair  on  the  head  of  Joaquin,  and  the  fiiigt  r- 
nails  of  Jack's  hand,  caused  quite  a  sensation  anion;,' 
those  not  accustomed  to  such  phenomena. 

The  immber  of  murders  committed  by  Joaquin  and 


CLAUDIO  CAUGHT. 


Ills  mon  during  the  comparatively  brief  period  in  vliich 
lliey  were  abioatl  is  truly    astonishing.     They  wire 
jiarticularly  hard  on  the  Chinamen,  literally  strewing 
llie  highways  with  their  careasses,  like  slaugliteit  d 
ii'iLiS,  and  robbing  them  at  every  turn.     Several  rcne- 
gade  Americans  were  among  the  robbers  who  won 
the  respect  of  the  bandit  chief  by  deeds  as  V)loo(ly  and 
lieartless  as  ever  stahied  the  annals  of  human  wrontr. 
Claudio,  as  I  have  said,   met  his  fate  some   time 
before  the  tragic   scene  at  the  Tcjon   pass.     In  the 
early  part  of  1853,  attended  by  six  of  his  mon,  Claudio 
^vas  ravaging  the  country  between  Salinas  and  Mon- 
ttrev,    robbin*;   and    slaving   with    a   reckless    hand. 
One   Cocks,  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Salinas,  and, 
withal  a  fearless  man,  sunnnoned  a  party  of  eight  and 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  brigands.     On  the  Salinas 
river,  near  Cooper's  crossing,  stood  the  adobe  cabiji 
of  a  man  named  Balder,  whose  re})utation  was  very 
bad.     Cocks  and  his  party  sur'-ounded  this  house  at 
night,  and  there,  as  they  expected,  found  the  robbers. 
A  watch  dog  jjave  the  alarm:  but  the  Americans  had 
already  dismounted,  and  taking  off  their  spurs,  rushed 
in  close  to  the  walls.     There  was  l)ut  one  thing  to  ilo, 
fur  Claudio  was  not  the  kind  of  villain  tamely  to  die 
in  a  kennel;  bidding  his  men  to  follow,  he  threw  the 
door  open,  and  boldly  led  the  way  into  the  darkntss, 
firuig  as  he  went.     Unfortunately  for  the  bandit  he 
ran  into  the  arms  of  Squire  Cocks,  who,  being  a  j)ow- 
ciful  and  determined  man,  held  him  with  a  grip  of 
steel,   until   the   robber   tlropping    his   revolver,    ex- 
claimed,   "Estoy  dado,  senor;  no  tengo  armas."     I 
survender  sir :  I  have  nt)  arms.     The  lie  was  scarcely 
sjiokeri  when  sometiiing  was  seen  to  glitter  in  the 
liaiid  of  Claudio.     It  was  a  nmrderous  dirk  which  he 
liad   drawn    from    his   legging;    but  a    bullet    from 
the  pistol  of  an  American  stretched  him  lifeless  before 
lie  could  use  it.     With  a  single  exception  the  brigands 
Were  all  shot  dead  in  the  fight  that  ejisued ;  tlu>  one 
inaklng  his  escape  being  wounded,  and  was  captured 


•It 


PI 


til 


670 


BANDITTI. 


next  da}'.     Ho  was  scut  to  San  Quentin  for  a  tenu 
of  years  and  afterward  hanjxed. 

Second  only  to  Joafjuiu  Murieta's  liand  during  the 
earlier  days  of  higjiway  robbery  in  California  was 
that  of  Tom  B(;ll,  or  Thomas  J.  Bell,  as  he  subscrihrd 
his  name.  He  was  a  native  of  Alabama,  where  In; 
received  a  medical  education,  came  to  California  iu 
1850,  and  at  first  worked  honestly  enough  as  aiiTnur, 
but  finally  took  to  gambling.  Having  unsuccessfully 
wooed  the  fickle  goddess  at  the  card-table,  he  became 
desperate,  and  going  out  upon  the  highway,  he  took 
her  by  the  throat.  Bell  was  six  feet  high,  lithe,  sin- 
ewy, sanguine  in  temperament,  and  quick  inaction;  of 
a  sandy  comj)lexion,  with  a  light  blue  eye,  wliicli, 
though  ordinarily  mild,  would,  when  aroused  by  op- 
position, blaze  with  the  intensity  of  his  wrath.  Ho 
had  six  or  eight  followers,  and  in  the  summer  of  1  S,")0 
they  roamed  the  foothills  from  the  Yubas  to  Granite 
cit}'.  He  was  kind-hearted  and  magnanimous  for  a 
robb(T  and  nmrderer,  and  sometimes  disgraced  liis 
calling  by  acts  that  proved  him  to  be  possessed  of  a 
human  heart. 

A  traveller  carrying  a  large  sum  of  money  was  oiio 
afternoon  riding  along  a  shady  mountahi  road  that  Ird 
down  to  the  valley,  beguiled,  maybe,  by  beautiful 
visions  of  the  far-off  home  to  which  he  was  return  in:;', 
and  was  just  throwing  back  his  head  to  attack  tlie 
high  part  of  ''The  Girl  I  Left  behind  Me,"  a  plaintive 
melody  he  had  been  devotedly  whistling  for  half  an 
hour,  when  he  heard  the  clatter  of  horses'  feet  on  the 
road  behind  him.  Turning  in  his  saddle,  he  saw 
three  horsemen  galloping  rapidly  after  him,  some  fifty 
yards  away,  one  of  whom  called  to  liim  to  stop.  Beal- 
izing  the  true  character  and  hnport  of  the  invitation, 
the  traveller  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  soon  pursuers 
and  pursued  were  racing  like  the  wind  down  tlie 
mountain.  A  shot  from  Bell's  pistol  struck  the  fugi- 
tive in  the  leg,  and  Ijrought  him  down.     Having  le- 


ADVENTURES  OF  BELL. 


en 


liovcd  the  man  of  his  moncj',  instead  of  (lcspatrhin|r 
liini  with  a  knife,  or  leaving  him  to  dit^  in  tlie  iojkI.  of 
lieinorrhaire,  tlie  handit  doetor  in-occeded  skilfullv  and 
tend(!i'ly  to  take  up  tlie  severed  artery,  and  hind  the 
wound.  Just  as  he  was  finishin<j;,  he  heard  a  wai^on 
j)assin<jf  on  the  road,  and  dinjoted  one  of  his  nun  to 
wait  upon  the  teamster.  This  was  prom)>tly  done, 
the  astonished  individual  hrought  to  a  stand,  ami  dis- 
eiioumhered  of  his  money.  A  hed  was  then  hastily 
made  in  the  hottom  (jf  the  wagon,  the  woundrd  man 
placed  upon  it,  and  the  driver  told  to  proceed,  hut  to 
(liiv(^  slowly  and  avoid  the  ruts.  In  aiiswer  to  the 
request  of  the  traveller  to  tie  his  horse  to  the  wagon, 
j^oll  declined,  but  promised  to  turn  it  loost^  at  that 
spot  after  strip})ing  it  of  its  gear,  which  he  did. 

A  singular  tragedy  occurred  in  connection  with  the 
attempted  recapture  of  three  of  Bell's  hand  who  had 
escaped  from  the  Xevada.jail.  Just  afti'r  dark.  <  >n  the 
night  of  the  3d  of  November,  185C,  the  slieritf  re- 
ceived intelli<rence  that  the  hi«j;hwavmen  lav  concealed 
ill  a  cabin  at  (iiold  Flat.  Taking  with  him  four  men, 
tlie  sheriff  set  out  to  effect  a  capture.  Crossing  a  dark 
ravine  on  his  wav,  lie  found  four  horses  tied,  and  sus- 
]>octing  s<«nething  wrong,  hcdetermnied  to  wait  there 
until  the  owner.s,  whom  he  believed  to  be  robbt^rs, 
should  make  their  appearance.  Presently  the  sheriff 
lieard  a  noise  in  the  i)ushes  near  by. 

"  Wh  t's  there?"  he  called  out. 

"MonI^  and  I'll  shoot  you,"  was  the  reply. 

Instantly  there  came  a  shot  from  the  darkness,  then 
two  other  shots,  which  were  quirkly  returned  by  tlic 
sheriff's  party.  The  sherifl'  was  killed  at  the  first  fire, 
iind  one  of  his  men  mortallv  wounded.  The  men  in 
the  thicket  then  rushed  up,  and  to  tlie  hcn-ror  of  all 
pn^sent  learned  that  they  had  been  firing  on  friends. 
It  appears  that  two  parties,  each  uid^nown  to  the  other, 
had  started  out  at  the  same  time,  from  difi'erent  places, 
in  search  of  the  robbers,  who  were  evini  then  not  far 
distant,  whcu  this  calamitous  encounter  occurred. 


672 


BANDITTI. 


Five  of  Tom  Boll's  band  wero  captured  and  lodu'"  <1 
in  Calaveras  jail  about  the  first  of  October.  Bell  was 
at  that  time  of  the  party,  but  made  his  e.scape.  In 
order  to  throw  the  otticers  off  tiie  scent,  one  of  tlio 
confederates  reported  that  his  chief  was  at  a  spot  200 
miles  distant,  which  rase  ^ave  him  time  to  escape. 
Bell,  however,  was  caught  and  executed  on  the  uppi  r 
San  Joa(juin  the  4th  of  October,  185G. 

Holcombe  vallev,  in  Auijust  1851,  was  infested  In* 
a  band  of  desperadoes,  havinij;  as  their  leader  one 
Johnson.  Thev  stole  from  Bear  Vallev  all  the  mildi 
cows  and  beef  cattle,  also  horses,  and  whatever  tlit  v 
wanted.  One  dav  Johnson  entered  a  cl<jthin<_j  store, 
made  several  purcha.ses,  received  his  bill,  and  tli»n 
ordered  tlie  storekeeper  to  receipt  it.  This  he  refund 
to  do  until  he  had  received  the  money;  whereupon 
Johnson  drew  his  revolver,  and  told  him  that  he 
sliould  not  only  receipt  the  bill  but  o;ive  him  five  dol- 
lars besides.  The  storekeeper  comjiiied,  but  had  the 
fellow  arrested.  The  robber  submitted  to  a  trial, 
partly  for  the  fun  of  it,  as  he  had  his  fellows  in  the 
court-room  and  openly  defied  the  law.  It  all  did  ix-t 
avail  him  nmcli,  however,  for  he  met  a  tragic  death 
soon  after.  On  election  day  there  was  a  general  fi^ht 
in  Holcombe  vallev,  in  which  Johnson  took  a  haii<l. 
He  knocked  an  American  down,  and  drawinuj  his  re- 
volver  wasalxmt  to  use  it  when  ofiicer  St  John  sliot 
him.     The  wound  proved  fatal  within  a  few  hour.s. 

In  1851,  Jim  Irvin  passed  via  Angeles  to  Mexico 
with  a  band  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  desperado.  >. 
They  stopped  at  Coyote  rancho,  where  Ricardo  \v;h 
in  charge,  and  bound  him,  compelling  a  surrender  uf 
the  best  horses,  food,  etc.  Ricardo  complied;  but  <•:! 
being  released  next  morning  he  got  a  band  of  Cahulhis 
to  join  him  in  an  ambush,  whence  they  slaughter.il 
every  one  of  the  robbers.  The  Indians  remained  iu 
ambush,  while  Ricardo  rushed  forward  and  became  tlie 
avenger  of  his  own  wrongs.  Ricardo  wps  no  robh.  r 
or  gambler,  but  au  honest  fellow  who  loved  fighting. 


In   IS 

^Vngeles 

•  haraete 

'Kiir  th(! 

••iikI  M(>\ 

o(i  C(if>iiii 

ti'UgJit,  u 

tile    Mvx 

h  was  a 

how    niai; 

mortality 

niie  a  day 

miiiiber  ol 

;iii(|  a  *>-i-(.,. 

"f  CalTfoj- 

Jilea.sure  ; 

.SMMXK)  a 

killed  M-itli 

^'looked 

i"    tlie    upj 

itiid  here   J 

•^Iioot  a  gi,. 

Ik'  iiiUst'ke 

•^ix    CJiHeiK 

••^lashed    fr.) 

ti.uhtei-,  was 

tlir  lowest 

way  out  wit 

■^t<"ie(l,   and 

■"'"•■ft  J 10  ga' 

\vJiere  first  a 

tlie  eniptv  r 

tuin(>d  to  "be 

""•'  \vas  staL 

•'"•1  down  tJ 

l'"Ii<'e  toarre 

raiicho. 

<''ie   of   tl] 
and    tried    by 


UNHAPPY   AN(;ELF,S. 


G73 


111  1851-3  tluTo  were  more  (h-sporadocs  in  Los 
Anu,(li'S  tliaii  in  any  place  on  tlu'  coast.  All  had 
cliai-actcrs  di*iv»n  from  tlio  mines  went  tlien;  to  he 
mar  the  Mexican  l)or<li'r  if  forced  to  move  farther; 
iiiid  ^Texican  outlaws  stopprd  in  thi'  city  or  vicinity 
en  ccfininij"  to  the  mines.  Tlu;  two  sets  met  and 
feuj^ht,  usin!^  knife  or  hullet  on  the  least  prosocation, 
tiie  Mi'xican  preferring  the  knife,  at  close  ((uarters. 
It  was  a  connnon  question  in  the  morniii'L;" :  "Well, 
liow  nianv  were  killed  last  ni*iht  .'"'  The  avera>'e 
lilt »rtal it V  from  fi<»lits  and  assassinatiitns  in  18;)3  was 
(iiio  a  (lay.  In  this  year  California  showed  a  greater 
munher  of  murders  than  all  the  Ignited  States  hesides, 
and  a  <.:;reater  number  in  Angeles  than  in  all  the  rest 
of  California.  SheriH's  and  marshals  weri'  killed  at 
jilcasure  ;  and  at  one  time  the  otlice  of  sheritf,  worth 
SI (1.000  a  yi'ar,  went  a  begging.  Twt)  had  been 
killed  within  the  year. 

Crooked-nose  Smith  had  killed  his  half  dozen  men 
ill  the  ui>})er  country  before  he  came  to  Angt^les, 
and  here  he  promised  n»)t  to  kill  any  one.  but  did 
.■^lioot  a  gi>.id)ler  the  day  before  leaving,  pleading  that 
lie  must  keep  his  hand  in.  Cherokee-  Jjob  had  killed 
six  Ch'ilenos  in  one  tiiiht,  ('(^mhit;  out  riddled  and 
slashed  from  tlie  conflict,  llicardo  Urivis,  a  noted 
tighter,  was  beset  by  a  crowd  in  Calle  de  los  Xegros, 
the  lowest  locality  hi  Los  Angeles.  He  fout-ht  his 
wav  out  with  revolver  and  bowie  knife  altlioUL:]i  shot, 
f^tiiiied,  and  slashed  all  over.  At  the  end  of  the 
street  he  gained  his  horse  and  rode  back  to  the  sjiot 
where  first  attacked  to  fire  his  last  shot.  Armed  with 
the  emj)ty  revolver  he  scatt^-red  the  peojile  and  re- 
turned to  be  bandaged.  He  had  three  bullet  W(»unds, 
iiiKJ  was  stabbed  in  many  })laces.  He  then  rode  up 
and  down  the  main  street  for  an  hour,  tiariiig  the 
]te!iee  to  arrest  him,  and  then  trotted  off  to  his  sisters' 
raiieho. 

Une  of   the  Smiths  was  arrested  at  San  Cabric 
and    tried    by   a   hastily   constituted   Ivnch-court   for 


\i 


C.VL.  r.vsT.     13 


m 


BANDITTT. 


some  crime.  The  sontonro  was  uistant  lianf^innr;  l.ut 
at  tin'  final  nionicnt  a  man  iiitorfiTcd  and  lie  wjis 
j^dvon  up  to  the  constable.  The  lynch-court  a«,'?iiii 
met  an<l  rrsolved  to  sjive  expense  by  a  ((uick  hut  t'nir 
trial.  The  nioh  compelled  the  jailer  to  surrender  the 
kevs.  ate'  Smith  was  released  h'^m\  the  pine  lou  to 
which  lif  and  a  number  of  others  had  been  chained. 
Nothing  could  Ik?  pr(»ved  against  liim,  and  the  eeni- 
mitttc  i<  ported  accordin<ijly  to  the  niol),  asking  \\]\i\t 
was  to  ],i'  d<»ne.  A  ft'll«»w  rose  to  propose  fift\- l.islics, 
])ut  tlii^;  wa.s  voted  down.  Innnediately  after,  anotlicr 
man  proposed  ei»^hty-five  lashes,  and  the  surreiidtr  of 
Smith  to  the  military  as  a  deserter.  This  was  unani- 
mously carried. 

At  the  sjunc  time  a  ^Mexican  was  broujiht  in  for 
stabbin;^  a  pie-vender,  and  sentenced  at  first  to  han;^- 
ing,  but  finally  to  eighty-five  lashes.  On  his  pita 
tliat  he  was  no  thief,  but  a  man  of  honor,  he  was 
allowed  to  receive  his  lashi'S  first.  Smith  now  pl(  jidtd 
that  as  an  American  he  should  not  be  lashed  by  an 
Indian.  A  purse  of  sixteen  dtdlars  was  accordingly 
made  up  for  a  wliite  whlp[ier.  A  young  man,  n  nt  w 
arrival,  accepted  the  task,  and  did  it  with  a  will. 
lM«anwhile  the  iiand)lers  became  inccMised  aiiainst  a 
man  who  would  do  such  service  for  money,  an<l  ;■(  iz- 
ing  th«'  whipper  they  began  to  toss  him  in  a  blanket 
till  hf  finallv  came  down  so  hard  that  he  broke  liis 
neek,  as  was  believed  at  the  time.  He  was  restored 
in  a  drug  store,  and  paid  his  hard-earned  sixteen  dol- 
lars f(tr  the  treatment. 

Jack  Powers,  the  lord  amon<j  the  400  orambkrs  of 
Angeles,  and  ownitig  a  rancho,  hounds,  and  horses, 
IxM-ame  involved,  and  was  to  be  ejected  by  the  slierit)'. 
Escaping  an  attempt  to  arrest  him  at  Santa  Bailiara. 
Jack  seized  the  oidy  piece  of  artiller}'  in  th(>  town 
and  marched  with  his  friends  to  his  rancho.  Sluritf 
Twiss  i)ursued,  but  was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  two 
or  three  persons.  Jack  reached  his  rancho,  fortified  it. 
and  nutunted  a  stove-pipe  from  his  kitchen  as  a  cannon. 


•lefvinjjf 
t  lie  sieg( 
time  aft( 
lotainen 
finallv  w 
iio  had  t 

There 

Angeles 

a  1  tout  th 

after  he  1 

F'inte.s,  C 

nino,  and 

liad    esca 

i'lrty  stai 

wage  in    fr 

l''<»rtunat( 

'•lit  the 

They  visit 

b*ussian-l 

dered  the 

liorses,  anc 

tlie   next 

^'iughardt, 

the    street 

^vith    them 

t'»   Krasze\ 

many    thin 

wherever   i 

ahnut  two  i: 

I'obbers  dei 

Fi  )rster's   a 

l^os  Angele 

f^cndier  185 

^ix  men,  th( 

to  go  fartlu 

1*^  miles  fro 

ini>n — the  o1 

Iliad — going 


SOME  VERY  BAD  MF.N. 


ATS 


<l(fvinjx  the  sluritK.  wlio  was  ut  last  obliy^oil  to  raiso 
the  sii'ije.  This  was  in  Jauuarv  1853.  For  a  hniix 
lime  at'terwanl,  Jack  wouhl  be  attended  by  a  tn)o|»  of 
it'tainers,  who  assured  his  fiiedoni  from  arnst.  Ho 
(iiially  went  away  to  Ai'izuna,  and  died  upon  a  ranelio 
lio  had  there. 


|4   ' 


There  liad  been  a  party  of  malefactors  in  Los 
Aiii/eles  re<iion  known  as  the  Manilas,  immlu'rin*' 
about  thirteen,  am«)niLf  whom  were  l*an('ho  J)aniel, 
after  ho  left  ^Furieta,  Juan  Flores,  Espinosa,  Ambea 
Fontes,  ChinoVarelas.tlienonlv  abov,  ()ne-evedlM''ui- 
iiiiio,  and  Faustino  (iarei'a.  Flores  and  some  others 
had  escaped  irom  the  state's  prison.  One  day  the 
I  arty  started  in  jmrsuit  of  a  man  who  was  j;<»in}jj  in  a 
nation  from  Los  Ani^eles  t(>  San  Juan  C\i[>istrano. 
Fortunately  for  the  man  thev  missed  him  on  the  road: 
Itiit  the  robbers  c<>ntinued  their  way  to  Capistrano. 
Tliey  visited  the  shop  of  one  Miejiael  Kraszi'wski.  a 
l\ussian-Pole,  wounded  the  owner's  assistant,  [)lun- 
(Icred  the  shop,  and  carried  away  the  snoods  on  two 
liorses,  and  jiromised  to  return  soon,  wlTich  they  did 
the  next  day.  They  r()bbed  the  shop  of  (jreors^e 
Flu^'hardt,  whom  thev  murdered,  and  threw  into 
the  street  what  thi'V  iHd  not  care  to  take  away 
with  them.  After  that  they  made  a  second  visit 
to  Kraszewski's  place,  robbing  it,  and  throwuig  out 
many  things.  They  also  took  horses  and  nmles 
wlicrever  they  found  them.  This  affair  lasted  till 
about  two  in  the  morning.  Two  Americans,  whom  the 
lubbers  demanded  of  John  Forstir  to  kill  them,  with 
For.ster's  aid  escaped,  and  reported  the  niatter  at 
Los  An<'eles.  All  this  was  toward  the  end  of  De- 
C(inl>or  1856.  Sheriff  Barton  came  with  a  party  of 
six  men,  though  ho  had  been  warned  on  tlu^  way  not 
to  go  farther  with  so  small  a  force.  About  16  or 
IS  miles  from  San  Juan.  Barton  at  the  head  of  four 
men — the  other  two  being  from  50  to  100  yards  be- 
liiud — going  along  on  the  road  behind  a  knoll,  was 


676 


BANDITTI. 


attacked  by  the  highwaymen,  the  two  men  who  wore 
behind  ran  away,  gave  information  at  Jose  Sopiilvoda's 
rancho,  and  pursued  their  way  to  Los  AngtKs. 
Barton  and  his  four  men  were  killed.  The  iiiiir- 
derers  returned'  to  San  Juan,  wliere  they  talktd 
bravely,  s-aying  that  they  belonged  to  an  organization 
of  five  hundred,  and  that  the  same  night  the  principal 
houses  of  Los  Angeles  had  been  plundered,  one  nf 
them  being  that  of  W.  Childs,  wliose  safe  had  been 
broken  open.  They  stayed  some  hours,  took  ])r()vls- 
ions  out  of  the  shop  of  a  Portuguese  without  l>ayiiig 
for  them,  ami  departed.  Another  prfrty  started  uiidt  r 
Tonuls  Sanchez,  from  Los  Angeles,  against  the  male- 
factors, and  saw  them,  but  they  did  not  C(jme  to 
blows.  Andres  Pico  also  came  out  with  anotlit  r 
party  of  native  Californians.  Both  parties  liotly 
})ursued  the  robbers.  Flores  and  two  t)thers  wt  re 
cauLjht  in  a  narrow  canon.  Juan  Cai-tabo  and  anotlu  r 
were  finally  taken  and  strung  up  on  the  spot  now- 
known  as  the  Canada  de  la  Horca.  Flores  managed 
to  get  away,  the  other  two  were  taken  to  Santa  Ana, 
to  the  house  of  Teodosio  Yorva,  tied,  laid  down  on 
the  ground,  and  watched  ;  but  they  escaped.  AfUr 
that  a  continual  search  was  kept  up  by  the  people 
until  Flores  was  recaptured,  and  taken  to  the  jail  from 
which  he  was  removed  only  to  be  hanged.  The  re.st 
of  the  Manilas  were  captured  at  different  places  and 
killed,  exce})ting  the  Chino  Varelas,  who  was  spared 
on  account  of  his  youth;  and  one  who  escaped  to 
Lower  California,  and  was  killed  there  in  some  })oliti- 
cal  emeute.  The  chief  men  of  the  Manilas  had  been 
Pancho  Daniel  and  Flores.  The  former  rare  ly 
sliowed  himself  except  during  the  ni*jht.  VVlien 
Barton  was  killed  a  boot  was  found  with  a  pistol  Imle 
throufxh  its  leg,  which  was  recognized  as  Dainels. 
It  was  proved  against  him  afterward  in  Los  Angelt  s, 
and  made  part  of  the  evidence  which  led  to  his  Iteir,;,' 
hanged.  The  Manilas  had  a  countersign,  Tluv 
were  accustomed  to  post  guards  who  challenged  per- 


sons api 

••  Jsia,"  i 

^b'xican 

'^'cond  c 

"  ^fanila 

Tiie   c 

i'<  dated  t 

z^'wski  ]ii 

l')aced  tai 

"iicJ,  one 

<d  Gen  en 

Sheriff   I 

f'liininaJs. 

}'"I»u]arity 

'111  active  j 

«11  tJie  thn 

hy  iiim.self 

^\ere  diffic 

^v<»uid  ]iav€ 

suspected 

•-^ven  of  r( 

Aineriran  I 
i^i-^ut,  wlio 
•''V^t'd  as  tin 
^lis  wise  Col 
^i>   Augi 
^"g<>  to  til 
'^"<1  pil]ag(Mj 
outlaws  wJk 
*'■""!  tl- )  std 
^yjta  VnVit'ox 
Siin  Luis  H( 
l^"''!  attemj. 
^'"' ivnort  b( 
^'"'  wildest 
I'l'cfino-  ^v-jg 

^^";'i-d.s,  and 
^vhich  Were  J 
^vas  never  m{ 


1: 


S.\N  DIEGO  FRKiHTENED. 


C77 


pons  approaching.  "Quicii  Vive  ? "  the  answer  being 
•  Isla,"  alludhig,  probably,  to  San  Quentin,  whicli  the 
Mexicans  and  Californians  often  called  La  Isla.  The 
second  challenge  was  "  Que  gente  ? "  and  the  answer, 
"  Manila." 

The   occurrences   at   San   Juan    Capistrano    were 

related  to  me  together  with   many  details  by  Kras- 

zt  wski  himself.     For  events  in  Los  Anijeles  I  have 

placed  faith  on  the  narrative  of  Antonio  Franco  Cor- 

(>acl,  one  of  the  investigating  committee  in  the  matter 

of  (jroneral  Bean's  murder.     Much  credit  was  due  to 

Sheritt*   Tomiis  Sanchez  for  clearing  the  country  of 

ciiminals.     Being  a  man  of  ample  means,  and  of  great 

I'opularity  among  the  Californians,  he  not  only  took 

an  active  part  personally  in  the  persecution,  but  had 

all  the  time  at  his  command  a  force  of  n>en  supported 

by  hhuself,  which  he  kept  in  co!istant  motion.     ThoSe 

wore  difficult  tunes,  and  Mexicans  and  Californians 

would  have  fared  badly,  because  they  were  all  unjustly 

suspected   of    sympathizing    with    the    banditti,    and 

ovon  of  riMidering  them  aid.     Fortunatelv,  a  vounij 

American  lawyer,  of  ability  and   uprightness,  Joseph 

]hont,  who  was  esteemed  by  the  whole  community, 

acted  as  the  mediator  of  the  native  Californians,  and 

his  wise  counsels  and  offices  averted  many  difficulties. 

In   August   1858,  a  rumor  was  set  afloat  in  San 

Dio^o  to  the  c>ffect  that  the  town  was  to  be  attacked 

and  i)illaired  bv  the  horde  of  fugitive   niarauders  and 

outlaws  who  had  taken  refuge  on  the  southern  border 

from  tl- :;  storm  that  had  been  raised  aixainst  them  in 

Alta  California.     The  week   of  the  amuial   feast  at 

San  Jjuis  Key  was  designated  as  the  time  wlu'U  the 

bold  attempt  was  to  be  made,  and,  on  investigation, 

tlio  r(>port  being  found  to  be  based  on  reliable  data, 

tl;o  wildest   excitement   prevailed    in  the   town.     A 

iiuctinu:  was  called  at  the  armory  of  the  San  Diej^o 

(hiards,  and    measures    taken   to    protect  the   town, 

wliich  were  kept  up  for   many  nights,  but  tlu^  attack 

was  never  made.     The  incident,  however,  aptly  illus- 


Si 


I 


■  I* 

■In 


678 


BANDITTI. 


trates  the  anarchical  condition  of  affairs  in  certain 
portions  of  the  state  at  that  time. 

Two  years  after  the  fall  of  Joaquin  Murieta,  Ti- 
burcio  Vazquez  began  his  career  of  crime.  He  was 
born  at  Monterey  in  1839, and  received  a  fair  English 
education.  He  was  of  mixed  Indian  and  Mexican 
blood,  bold  and  cruel,  alert  and  cautious.  One  night 
in  1854,  young  Yazquez  attended  a  fandango  in  Mon- 
terey, and  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  another 
Mexican  about  one  of  the  girls  in  tlie  room.  A  con- 
stable interfered  to  quiet  the  disturbance,  when  A^az- 
quez  stabbed  him  to  the  heart.  He  becan;e  an  outhiw 
for  a  time,  but  the  matter  was  misrepresented  to  the 
court,  and  the  excitement  blew  over.  In  1857,  lie 
was  convicted  of  horse-stealing,  and  sentenced  tc>  the 
stiite  prison.  He  escaped  from  San  Quentin  in  Juno 
1859,  but  was  ajjain  convicted  of  horse-stcalinf;  tlii! 
August  following,  and  returned.  Both  terms  expiivil 
in  1863,  August  13th,  and  Vaz([uez  walked  forth  a 
free  but  not  a  reformed  man.  In  the  latter  i)art  of 
1804,  an  Italian  butcher  was  nmrdered  and  robbeil  at 
Enriquita.  Vazquez  acted  as  interpreter  at  the  coro- 
ner's in(|uest.  It  was  afterward  discovered  that  he 
and  a  Mexican,  named  Fau.->lino  Lorenzana,  had  com- 
mitted the  deed;  but  they  had  in  the  meanwhile  dis- 
appeared from  that  district. 

In  18G5,  Vazquez  elo[)ed  with  a  young  daughter  of 
a  ranchero  living  near  the  base  of  Blount  Diablo,  and 
took  the  road  for  Llvermore.  Her  fatlier  overtook 
them,  however,  early  next  day,  and  a  pistol  figlit  be- 
gan. Vazquez  received  a  shot  in  the  arm,  and  lied, 
while  the  daughter,  also  wounded,  was  left  swooning 
in  her  father's  arms. 

In  1867,  for  stealing  cattle  in  Sonoma  county,  A  az- 
quez  was  again  thrust  into  San  Qucjuthi,  whenci'  ho 
was  discharged  June  4,  1870.  In  the  following  au- 
tumn he  united  himself  with  two  others,  Procoplo.  <ir 
Red-handed  Dick,  and  Juan  Soto,  and  together  tiny 
ravaged  the  counties  of  Santa  Clara,  ^Monterey,  Fresuu, 


TJiese  o 
stable  of  I 
Vaz(juez, 
>v]iic]i  hot 
si  lot,  Vazq 
^anti'ia  cai 
Weary  ( 
.)V;ct  of  roj 
him  a  few  c 
Oilroy  and 
They  Were 
ten  minute! 
foi'c  they  w 
Selves. 

About  7 
two  Mexico 
mines,  rode 
dismounting, 
l^tzerath,  i 
lode  up  ant 
Vazquez,  i-e 


EXPLOITS  OF  VAZQUEZ. 


679 


and  Alameda,  stages  being  robbed,  ranches  plundered, 
and  horses  run  off,  in  swift  and  startling  succession. 
Juan  Soto  was  soon  afterward  shot  dead  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  battle  with  Sheriff  Morse  of  Alameda,  and  the 
others  fled  to  Mexico,  but  in  a  sliort  time  returned  to 
San  Francisco,  where  Procopio  was  arrested.  Vaz- 
quez then,  in  company  with  two  or  three  other  despe- 
radoes, selected  Cantija  canon,  a  narrow  defile  in  the 
mountains  near  the  New  Idria  mines,  as  his  retreat, 
and  thence  descended  upon  the  neighboring  regions. 
Tliey  stopped  the  Visalia  stage  near  Soap  lake,  robbed 
the  passengers  of  everything,  tied  them,  and  laid  them 
on  their  backs  in  a  field,  and  drove  the  stage  round 
the  point  of  a  hill,  out  of  tlie  view  of  passing  teams. 
They  then  robbed  three  or  four  teamsters  on  the  road 
to  Hollister,  and  later  the  same  day,  Vazquez,  being 
alone,  stopped  and  robbed  Thomas  McMahon,  later  a 
leading  merchant  t)f  Hollister,  of  $750  in  gold. 

These  outrages  stirred  up  the  country,  and  the  con- 
stable of  Santa  Cruz,  following  hotly  on  the  trail  of 
Vaz(|uez,  overtook  him,  and  a  fight  took  place,  in 
.wliidi  both  were  severely  wounded.  After  he  was 
si  lot,  Vazquez  rode  sixty  miles  to  his  hiding-jjlace  hi 
Canti'ia  canon,  and  nearly  died  from  loss  of  blood. 

Weary  of  small  game,  Vazquez  conceived  the  pro- 
ject of  robbing  a  railway  pay -car.  Associating  with 
liim  a  few  determined  men,  he  selected  a  point  between 
(jiilroy  and  San  Josd,  and  began  to  tear  up  the  track. 
They  were  rather  slow  in  their  work,  and  the  train, 
teu  minutes  ahead  of  time,  came  down  upon  them  be- 
fore they  were  ready,  whereupon  they  scattered  them- 
selves. 

About  7  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  August  20,  1873, 
two  Mexicans,  from  the  directit)n  of  the  New  Idria 
mines,  rode  up  to  Snyiler's  store  at  Tres  Pinos,  and 
dismounting  entered,  and  engaged  the  clerk,  John 
Utzerath,  m  conversation.  Presently,  five  otluirs 
rode  up  and  dismounted.  Three  of  them,  one  being 
^'az(^uez,  remained  outside,  while  the  four  others  eu- 


oiilll 


BANDITTI. 


tered  the  store,  levelled  their  pistols  at  the  inmates, 
six  or  seven  in  number,  and  compelled  them  to  lie 
down  on  the  floor,  in  which  position  they  were  tied, 
and  robbed.  The  brigands  then  ransacked  the  store, 
taking  all  the  cash,  and  considerable  clothing,  provi- 
sions, and  tobacco.  While  these  things  were  trans- 
piring within,  Vazquez  was  holding  a  bloody  carnival 
without.  A  Portuguese  sheep-herder,  who  had  just 
put  up  his  flock,  was  entering  the  store,  unconscious 
of  what  was  going  on,  when  Vazquez  ordered  hhn  to 
stop.  Not  understanding  him,  he  paid  no  attention 
to  the  command,  whereupon  Vazquez  fired  upon  him, 
the  ball  taking  efifect  in  his  mouth,  caushig  him  to 
fall,  and  as  he  attempted  to  rise,  the  robber  fired 
again,  killing  him  outright.  Haley,  a  teamster  who 
was  on  the  road,  was  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  on  at- 
tempting to  discuss  the  question,  was  knocked  sense- 
less by  a  blow  from  Vazquez'  pistol,  in  which  condition 
he  remained  for  some  time.  George  Redford,  a  team- 
ster, was  attending  to  his  team,  which  stood  in  front 
of  the  store,  when  the  shooting  began.  Vazquez  or- 
dered him  to  lie  down,  but  the  poor  fellow,  hvm^ 
quite  deaf,  could  only  understand  that  he  was  in 
danger,  turned  and  ran  toward  the  stable,  but  was 
shot  dead  by  Vazquez  before  he  had  reached  the  d(  »or. 
Seller  .^r,  a  blacksmith,  was  out  in  the  road  when  tlie 
afffilr  began,  and  ran  toward  Davidson's  hotel,  near 
the  store.  A  shot  from  Vazquez'  pistol  whistled  over 
his  head  as  he  gained  the  building,  and  rushed  on  up 
stairs.  Davidson,  his  wife,  and  brother-in-law,  were 
in  the  hotel,  and  Mrs  Davidson  coming  forward  to 
close  the  door,  one  of  the  robbers  called  out,  "Close 
the  door  and  keep  it  closed,  and  you  shall  not  l)e 
harmed."  She  had  nearly  complied,  when  Vaz<iuez 
rushed  up  and  fired  through  the  door,  the  shot  [inss- 
ing  through  the  heart  of  Mr  Davidson,  and  ho  fell 
dead  into  the  arms  of  his  wife.  Having  finished  tlieir 
work  of  murder  and  pillage,  the  robbers  took  seven 
horses  from  the  stable,  and  escaped  to  the  mountai 


IS. 


CAPTURE  'OF  VAZQUEZ. 


m 


One  niofht  in  December,  Vazquez,  with  eiglit  native 
Califoiiiiuns,  two  Americans,  and  a  neoro,  tied  their 
liorses  on  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  Kingston, 
Fresno  county,  crossed  a  bridge  on  foot,  and  took  pos- 
sess on  of  a  hotel  and  two  stores  on  tlie  main  street. 
They  bound  and  robbed  thirty -five  men,  in  addition 
to  the  hotel  and  stores,  getting  a  considerable  booty, 
and  having  successfully  given  battle  to  tlie  citizens, 
who  had  collected  under  arms,  made  good  their  escape. 

The  sheriffs  of  half  a  dozen  counties  then  began  to 
camp  on  the  trail  of  the  robber,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  hitherto  lucky  villain  was  in  the  grasp  of 
the  law.  On  the  14th  of  May,  1874,  the  plan  for  his 
capture  having  been  perfected  with  the  utmost  secrecy 
and  skill,  a  party  of  eight  men  under  the  leadersliip 
of  a  sheriff's  officer,  suddenly  made  a  descent  on  the 
house  of  Greek  George,  near  Los  Angeles,  wliere 
Vazquez  was  known  to  be,  and  surprised  him  at  the 
dinner  table.  He  had  disencumbered  himself  of  his 
nrms,  four  revolvers  and  a  Henry  ritle,  and  was  in  no 
condition  to  face  his  foes.  Leaping  through  a  back 
window  with  the  agility  of  a  cat,  Vazquez  stood  for 
0  moment  undecided,  rushed  for  his  horse,  but  was 
struck  by  a  rifle  ball.  Turning,  he  was  struck  again; 
and  thus  shot  after  shot  told  him  that  his  game  of 
life  was  played  to  the  end,  whereupon  he  threw  up 
liis  hands,  walked  toward  his  captors,  the  blood 
streaming  from  his  wounds,  avA  said,  with  a  faint 
smile: 

"  Boys  you  have  done  well ;  I  have  been  a  damned 
fi)ol."  He  was  hanged  at  San  Jose  on  the  I'Jth  of 
Alarch,  1875. 

Santo  Sotelo,  half  brother  of  Chico  Lugo,  and 
companion  of  Jose  Tapia,  the  last  of  a  band  infesting 
southern  California  for  a  year  previous,  was  caught  in 
July  1877.  After  the  capture  and  conviction  of 
Lugo  and  Tapia,  Sotelo  was  left  alone.  He  was 
tracked  to  a  canon  in  the  San  Bernardino  mountains. 
To  escape  detection  he  shaved  his  face  of  its  shaggy 


I 


682 


BANDITTL 


beard.  The  capture  of  Sotelo  was  in  this  wise: 
While  riding  near  Lake  EUzabeth,  a  young  Calit'or- 
nian,  Rafael  Lopez,  saw  in  the  distance  a  horse  titd 
to  some  bushes.  Approaching  cautiously  he  discov- 
ered the  figure  of  a  man  prostrate  upon  the  ground 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  tranquilly  smoking  a  ' 
cigarette.  Young  Lopez  recognized  the  robber  in- 
stantly, and  determined  upon  his  capture.  Fastening 
his  horse  he  crept  stealthily  up  behind  the  tree  until 
he  almost  stood  over  Sotelo,  when  he  placed  the 
muzzle  of  a  pistol  in  his  face  and  ordered  him  to  keep 
quiet,  which  the  robber  did  not  fail  to  do.  Alone 
Lopez  then  performed  the  difficult  and  dangerous  feat 
of  binding  and  bringing  to  justice  the  outlaw. 

But  not  to  Joaquin,  Bell,  and  Vazquez  belong  all 
the  honors  of  Californian  brigp'^dage.  Dropping  back 
into  more  exclusively  pastoral  times,  we  find  that 
second  only  to  the  Mexicans  was  the  aboriginal  high- 
wayman, who  to  become  a  first-class  robber  must 
be  civilized.  An  Indian  of  San  Francisco,  christian- 
ized under  the  name  of  Pomponio,  was  in  1823  the 
terror  of  the  shore  and  bay,  from  Santa  Cruz  to 
Sonoma.  The  natives  he  robbed  of  their  woniin, 
and  the  missions  of  their  goods.  He  killed  ad  Uhifuiii, 
the  assassination  of  his  fellow  savages  being  his  special 
delight.  Pomponio  was  chief  of  quite  a  band.  ( )uo 
of  his  lieutenants  was  Gonzalo,  a  neophyte  of  Carnulo, 
and  a  man  of  extraordinary  determination.  In  (Hie 
of  his  raids  Gonzalo  was  captured,  and  confined  at 
Carmelo  in  irons,  with  a  heavy  ring  round  each  ankle, 
and  both  rings  secured  to  a  post  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  could  not  extricate  himself,  though  his  hands 
were  free.  He  well  knew  that  death  or  some  teniblc! 
punishment  awaited  him.  I  have  it  on  good  autlior- 
ity,  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  that  while  the  ouarJ 
was  asleep,  Gonzalo  deliberately  drew  his  knife  \\\\\v\i 
had  not  been  taken  from  him,  and  cut  off  both  of  liis 
heels,  so  as  to  slip  his  feet  out  of  the  rings,  and  thus 


THE  GENTLE  SAVAGE  AS  HIGHWAYMAN. 


683 


effected  his  escape.  History  records  no  instance  of 
greater  coolness  and  nerve  than  this  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco bandit  savage.  Finally,  after  a  long  career  of 
crime,  once,  while  hotly  })ursued,  Gonzalo's  horse  fell 
with  him  and  broke  his  leg.  Through  the  assistance 
of  Pomponio  he  escaped  capture,  but  he  soon  saw 
that  his  time  on  earth  was  drawing  to  a  close.  He 
was  anxious  now  to  achieve  heaven,  th.ough  in  the 
heaven  of  the  highwayman  where  all  steal,  the  ques- 
tion might  arise  who  were  there  to  be  robbed,  and  if 
it  was  heaven  to  the  victims  ?  However  this  might 
be,  he  was  as  determined  now  to  have  heaven,  as  ever 
he  had  been  to  cut  a  throat ;  so  he  asked  Pomponio 
to  sunnnon  a  confessor.  But  Pomponio  objected  to 
confessions  upon  principle,  especially  where  something 
not  to  his  benefit  might  be  said.  So  instead  of  going 
for  a  priest  he  ran  his  lance  through  his  comrade,  thus 
saving  much  needless  trouble. 

Another  of  his  lieutenants,  Baltasar,  from  the  Sole- 
dad  mission,  being  mortally  wounded  near  Santa 
Cruz,  begged  Pomponio  to  hasten  with  him  to  the 
(•] lurch,  where  he  might  receive  spiritual  aid.  Him 
likewise  Pomponio  killed  and  burned.  A  native 
wood  chopper  in  the  Santa  Clara  forest  he  burned 
upon  his  own  wood-pile.  Pomponio  once  took  a  son 
of  Reyes  Berreyesa  into  the  woods  to  kill  him;  but 
the  bandit's  companions  begged  for  the  boy's  life  and 
saved  it.  The  chief  could  not,  however,  refrain  from 
stripping  and  beating  the  boy,  and  sending  him  naked 
to  his  father  with  the  message  to  come  and  catch 
Pomponio  if  he  was  a  man.  Pomponio  was  finally 
captured,  and  shot  at  Monterey  the  6th  of  February, 
1824. 

A  little  later  we  find  the  Indian  robber  YiSscolo,  a 
uoophyte  of  Santa  Clara,  and  his  brother  Julian,  both 
diiefs  of  robber  bands,  and  famous  before  1843.  They 
Avere  the  terror  even  of  professional  horse-thieves, 
wliom  they  often  attacked  and  slew,  driving  oft'  their 
booty.     Sexgil   was    another   noted    robber-chief  of 


684 


BANDITTI, 


tliis  epoch.  The  Imithers,  Yoscolo  and  Juhan.  iv- 
iiiained  united  till  1843,  when  the  former  was  killed 
and  beheaded  in  Sierra  Azul  de  Santa  Clara  1)V  five 
Spaniards,  Julian  badly  wounded,  escapetl  with  tlu> 
band,  for  which  ijood  fortune  thev  were  hidebted  to 
the  rouLj;hness  of  the  ground.  Shortly  after  Julian 
and  Sexgil  were  [)ardoned  b}'  the  government  on  con- 
dition of  their  extirpating  the  horse  thieves  with 
which  this  region  was  infested;  but  proving  worse  in 
their  depredations  than  the  thieves  tliey  were  sent  to 
catch,  they  were  finally  transported  to  Mexico  as 
convicts. 

Domingo  Hernandez  made  killing  foreigners  a 
specialty.  He  was  born  at  Monterey,  and  in  IS 42 
was  a  cavalry  soldier.  Of  medium  stature,  bronze 
complexion,  with  large  head  and  broad  shouldiis.  lie 
was  at  once  active  and  strong.  His  mouth  was 
enormous,  and  the  teeth  set  wide  apart,  so  that  how- 
ever horrible  miiiht  be  his  frown,  his  laugh  was  worsr. 
In  1840  he  deserted  from  Torres'  force,  and  wltli 
Capistrano  Lopez  and  others  went  to  Nativitlad  and 
engaged  in  stealing  cattle.  This  Capistrano  jjojuz 
was  quite  notorious.  During  the  revolution  of  1845 
against  Micheltorena,  a  soldier  was  despatched  by  the 
general  with  despatches  from  San  Fernando  to  ^h^\\- 
terey,  who,  on  his  return,  was  waylaid  on  the  edge  of 
the  woods  opposite  David  Spence's  rancho,  by  Capi- 
strano Lopez  and  his  party,  robbed  of  .$800  in  ]\lr\i- 
can  gold  which  the  general's  wife  had  placed  in 
charge  of  the  soldier  to  take  to  her  husband,  ami 
murdered.  The  body  was  left  unburied,  and  the 
bones  were  still  on  the  spot  in  1848.  If  Californlan 
accounts  are  true,  Lopez  had  been  a  traitor  to  liis 
country  before  the  Americans  seized  it.  They  say 
that  when  Fremont  was  entrenched  on  the  Gavilan, 
where  a  large  Californian  force  under  Castro  was  on 
the  point  of  assailing  him,  Lopez  was  sent  to  s))y  his 
movemeuts.     He  then  visited  the  American  camp 


and  advii 

^^■as  rewji 

and  Ills  11 

in  the  la; 

'^el,   Lark 

tlie  liandf 

tage,  Lo| 

plotted  t( 

and   i-esci 

have  tjie 

Hi.lden 

and  Ids  fe 

tiiey  imag 

he  was  w 

<'anada.     ' 

and  the  Ik 

for  the  rob 

Hornaiu 

Serrano  an 

lianged.      . 

Biar  party 

donionstrat 

<il>tained  ft-i 

under  Capt 

Tiiere  was 

lope,   wliicl 

giounch      T 

tilt,  who  Jia 

as  tlio  will  < 

Si'horadel  1 

I  have  a  ful 

ft'rence  with 

to  take  the 

liiin  unguan 

t'apilla.     Bo 

little  good  f 

svinpathizers 

iiigJit  the  fel 

Some  one  co 


lIKUN'ANDEiJ  Tin:  SPIXIAT^IsT. 


6S5 


and  ailviHod  Fremont  of  Castro's  plan,  whicli  service 
was  rrwardod  witli  six  ^Icxican  doubloons.  Fremont 
ami  his  men  that  nijjfht  slipped  away.  Another  time, 
ill  the  latter  part  of  1S4(I,  when  the  American  con- 
sol,  Larkin,  was  a  prisoner  at  San  Luis  ()l)is]>o,  in 
the  hands  of  Francisco  liico,  who  held  him  as  a  lios- 
tai^e,  Lo})e/,  with  two  others,  Chavez  and  Esijinosa, 
jilotted  to  kill  llico  and  Jose  Antonio  de  la  (iuerra, 
and  rescue  Larkin.  liico  escaped  in  the  ni!L;ht.  I 
liave  the  particulars  of  this  affair  from  liico  himself. 

Hitlden  by  the  Cuesta  de  los  l^inacates,  Hernandez 
and  his  fellow-bandits  would  shoot  passeni^ers  whom 
thev  imau;hied  carried  valuables.  If  anv  one  escaped, 
he  was  waylaid  a  second  time  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Canada.  The  bodies  of  the  victims  were  left  unburied, 
and  the  horses  allowed  to  go  with  their  saddhs  on, 
fur  the  robbers  did  not  want  any  tale-telling  trumpery. 

Hernandez  was  at  last  cai)tured,  tried  by  Judge 
Serrano  and  a  jury  at  Monterey,  and  sentenced  t<>  be 
hanged.  A  number  of  sympathizers  from  among  the 
Bear  party  men  and  the  volunteers  having  made  some 
demonstrations  toward  rescuing  the  prisoner,  the  judge 
obtained  from  General  Kearnv  a  uuard  of  thirtv  men, 
under  Captain  Bui"ton,  to  be  present  at  the  execution. 
There  was  nothing  present  for  the  purpose  but  a  well 
rope,  which  broke,  letting  fall  the  prisoner  to  the 
ground.  This  was  regarded  bvthe  Californians  ]>res- 
cut,  who  had  never  seen  any  executions  l)y  the  roj)e, 
as  the  will  of  (iod,  and  they  shouted,  *'Viva  Nue.stra 
Senora  del  liefugio."  The  per}>lexed  judge,  from  wh< »m 
1  have  a  full  account  of  this  aftair,  after  a  short  con- 
ference with  Captain  Burton  and  the  priest,  resolved 
to  take  the  prisoner  back  to  the  jail,  where  he  left 
him  unguarded  in  the  room  that  had  served  him  as 
caj)illa.  Both  judge  and  priest  gave  Hernandez  no 
little  good  advice  as  to  the  way  he  should  live,  and 
sympathizers  made  up  a  purse  for  him.  That  same 
night  the  fellow  slipped  off.  and  on  the  following  day 
some  one  complained  to  the  judge  that  lleruaudcz 


6S6 


BANDITTI. 


had  ])ut  a  wliilc  before  been  ijjanibllivjr  witli  him  in  the 
cu.st<nn-h(»uso  corridor,  and  the  villain  having  lost,  he 
pounded  the  winner  and  took  away  the  money. 

Hernandez  continued  his  criminal  career  on  tlu' 
Soledad  road.  He  boasted  of  the  way  he  used  to  kill 
travellers  who  had  the  apjiearance  of  foreigners.  Jf o 
would  ask  the  victim  for  a  cigar,  or  a  liglit,  and  ]tn- 
tcnding  to  be  occupied  with  the  cigar,  he  would  K  t 
tlie  traveller  advance  a  few  steps,  and  then  shoot  liim 
from  behind.  He  said  that  he  would  never  span-  a 
foreigner,  and  had  a  strintj  of  foreiimers'  ears  fast^iit  rj 
to  his  saddle-bow.  Another  artistic  way  he  had  of 
nmrdering  was  bv  striking  a  knife  half  a  vard  lon-r 
into  the  shoulder  blades  of  a  traveller  as  he  passrd 
him.  He  enjoyed  the  victim's  agonies,  and  would  kill 
without  expectation  of  obtaining  anj'  bo(»ty.  lUr- 
nandez  at  last  came  back  to  his  foniicr  liaunts  at  Xa- 
tividad,  and  to  the  rancho  de  las  Animas.  He  uhvn 
visited  San  Francisco,  in  disguise,  and  under  an  as- 
sumed name.  At  Santa  Cruz,  he  and  his  associate  in 
crime,  Capistrano  Lopez,  were  captured  and  hang<  d 
by  the  people.  Thus  ended  the  career  of  these  two 
monsters. 

Francisco  Hernandez,  a  brother  of  Domingo,  was  a 
lazy,  drunken  gambler,  cattle-thief,  and  bad  charact.  r 
generally.  His  exploits  were  about  the  Canada  <1«1 
Gavilan,  in  the  centre  of  well-stocked  ranchos.  The 
cattle  he  stampeded  and  rounded  up  afterward  lie 
slaughtered;  the  hides  he  sold  to  dishonest  dealci s. 
of  whom  there  were  too  many  at  hand  at  ^Tontt  ny 
and  San  Juan  Bautista.  He  would  in  gambling  In- 
come so  absorbed  in  the  play  as  to  forget  his  lioix'. 
which  would  remain  tied  to  a  fence  for  hours,  aii<l 
even  days,  without  food  or  water,  if  others  did  ii"t 
provide  for  it.  Once  he  took  his  wife  and  children  t<t 
Vallecitos,  and  left  them  in  charge  of  his  bmtlitr 
Agustin.  After  many  months  of  absence  on  his  crim- 
inal pursuits,  he  came  back  when  he  was  not  expect* d. 
His  wife  was  enceinte.     Agustin  rushed  out,  revolver 


SOME  BLOODY  WORK. 


687 


in  hand,  and  ordered  him  to  leave  without  dismount- 
ing, as  he  was  no  longer  recognized  as  her  Imshand, 
luiving  ne<£leeted  to  provide  for  her  during  so  many 
months.  Leaving  the  premises,  Francisco  joined  tlie 
Daniel  band  of  highwaymen  at  New  Idria,  descending 
to  Los  Angeles,  and  disap[X'ared.  Some  think  he  was 
slain  hy  his  personal  enemies,  and  others  that  he  was 
hanged  by  vigilants.  His  wife,  in  later  years,  became 
eager  to  abandon  Agustin,  of  whose  mode  of  living  she 
knew  not,  but  suspected  his  complicity  with  Tiburcio 
Vazquez  in  some  murders  and  other  criminal  acts. 

Juana  Hernandez,  the  wife  of  a  drunken  vagabond 
living  (Ml  the  Calabazas  laguna,  came  to  Monterey  in 
1843,  and  became  the  mistress  of  Alferez  Marquez, 
one  among  the  worst  of  the  officers  in  Micheltorena's 
famous  battalion  of  cholos.  Some  time  afterward  her 
jmsband  died,  and  it  was  suspected  that  she  and  her 
paramour  had  poisoned  him.  In  fact,  both  she  and 
Marquez  conunitted  themselves,  and  revealed  the  plot 
before  Judge  Serrano.  The  revolution  agahist  Mi- 
clieltorena  having  broken  out  in  1845,  and  martial 
law  being  proclaimed,  the  two  escaped.  Marquez 
went  south,  and  later  departed  for  Mexico,  where  he 
was  for  a  time  a  school-master  at  Hermosillo,  and 
afterward  lighthouse-keeper  at  Mazatlan.  Juana, 
who  had  returned  to  her  rancho,  while  drunk  was 
burned  to  death,  and  was  buried  at  Santa  Cruz. 


In  1875,  on  the  4th  of  December,  six  Mexicans  of 
Chavez'  band  entered  the  store  of  the  brothers  Gaskill, 
and  robbed  it,  first  killing  L.  H.  Gaskill.  Teodoro 
Vazquez  tried  to  nmrdcr  the  brother,  but  was  shot 
dead  himself  After  some  more  bloody  work  on  both 
sides,  the  storekeepers  hid  themselves,  and  the  house 
was  plundered:  the  robbers  afterward  rode  off  toward 
Fort  Yuma,  killing  Alphonse  Leclaire  and  Antonio 
L  Sosa.  and  connnitting  wanton  depredations  as  they 
went.  Three  of  the  bandits  only  were  able  to  travel. 
One  was  killed,  and  two  were  badly  wounded.     These 


'M 


CSS 


BAXI>ITTI. 


two  tlu-  >h«'rifr  (asily  arrcsttd,  l)ut  on  tlio  urxt  dnv 
tlu!  iHoplu  t<K)k  tlium  f'loiii  Ilia  luind8  and  liaii^xd 
tluin. 

Ill  IS77,  tlhTe  was  a  lit 'st  of  liorst^-tliicvrs,  ^Icxi- 
c-aiis  ami  ( 'aliforniaiiH,  just  alt(»vt.'  Los  lianos,  <jvur  tlic 
tlivitlciii  M«i«-(<1  county.  Oih;  nii^lit  in  Stpt*  mix  r, 
s«.'vcial  liorscs  WMio  stoli-n  from  tlio  ranclio  of  Jfti.;!; 
Fieiicli.  Seviial  stockimn,  witli  a  deputy  ^lu  lill', 
Wfiit  in  i>uisuit,  and  found  Xacho  Avila,  a  nc>torious 
i-uMmt,  at  tlu'  door  of  a  cal)in.  B('in«jf  allowed  to  put 
on  liis  coat,  ]»(»ots,  and  liat,  tlio  desperado  suddenly 
fired  ui>on  tliu  man  nearest  liim,  and  wounded  liiiii. 
tliou'^h  not  fatally.  ,  The  robl»er  was  soon  riddled,  and 
finally  a  .^^liot-t^un  br«)U<4ht  him  down  dead. 

It  is  undt'rstood  that  Anastasio  Garcfa  acted  for  a 
time,  durln«4  tlio  period  of  hostilities  between  the  Cal- 
ifornians  and  Americans,  as  a  sj»y  of  tlie  latter,  about 
the  rt.iiion  of  San  Juan  Bautista,  and  was  well  paid 
for  his  service.  Later,  ho  waylaid  aid  murdered  a 
^Tr  Wall,  on  tho  Guadalupe  rancho.  Upon  the  news 
reaciiin-'  Monterey,  a  brother  of  tho  murdered  man, 
late  in  the  afternoon,  came  with  a  number  of  Aineii 
cans  and  Califoiniaiis,  among  whom  was  (a[)t;iiii 
Joaquin  de  la  Torre,  to  the  assassin's  hut,  where  tlicy 
found  him  in  comi>any  with  his  wife.  Tone  a[)- 
proached  tlio  hut,  and  demanded  that  he  should  come 
out,  but  was  answered,  "Go  away,  Joaquhi,  I  haw- 
no  trouble  with  you."  But  the  captain  insisting,  tlie 
door  >vas  suddenly  opened,  and  both  men  fired  tin  ir 
reyolvers  simultaneously.  Torre's  bullet  struck  the 
woman's  nrisx,  but  that  of  Garcia  had  entered  Ture's 
chest,  wJio  fell  to  the  ground  dead.  The  assas^^ill 
rushed  oi.t,  and  was  met  by  Wall.  Some  fiiihtlnn" 
ensued,  i>ut  the  assassin  succeeded  in  escaping  int* 
tho  Sauzal  w«»ods  near  tho  hut.  After  further  mlsdo- 
iii'j;,  he  was  cau<j;ht  and  haii<xed. 

Stage  robberies  haye  been  frequent  throughout  tlie 
entire  Pacific   slope.      Tho  express  treasure-box  was 


the  priz 

eiajly  r< 

As  a  ru] 

sistanco. 

lines  of 

subsequt 

f'om|«iny 

dasli  up  1 

with  a  o 

their  Jiai 

'go  throL 

In  185. 

with  his 

Sebastian 

After  acci 

desired  to 

refusf.d  to 

tho  spoils. 

hut  liis  th] 

lino  shot  1 

and  delivoj 

evidence,  t 

Garcia,  aiu 

executed, 

his  career 

later,  he  w, 

murder  of  J 

liiin,  but  tij 

V.  as  acquit! 

^  I  will  mc 

^f"  the    traj 

Comptonvil 

of  Dry  creel 

hy  six  mouE 

render  of  v, 

fight  ensued 

^vas  riddled, 

soriously  wo 

Tom  Bell,  ^ 

Cal.  Pa( 


lUK  STAGE  BUSINESS.  M 

the  prize  usually  s(>u«?lit,  though  passenjjfers  were  gen- 
erally rdievj'd  of  tlidr  valuables  at  the  Haiiio  tiiiio. 
As  a  rule,  life  was  never  taken,  except  in  case  of  re- 
sistance. It  was  a  connnon  occurrence  on  the  sta<re 
lines  of  Nevada,  Idaho,  and  Montana  in  180.'},  and 
suhsrcjuently,  at  some  lonely  place  in  the  road  for  a 
company  of  three  or  four  armed  and  mounted  men  to 
dash  up  to  the  stage,  stop  the  horses,  cover  the  driver 
with  a  gun,  and  order  the  passengers  to  throw  up 
their  hands,  when  one  or  two  of  the  bandits  would 
'go  through'  them. 

In  1855,  ]>anditti,  commanded  by  Francisco  Garcfa, 
with  his  assistants,  Indian  Juan,  Bias  Angelino,  and 
Sebastian  Flores,  infested  the  Santa  Clara  mountains. 
After  accumulating  considerable  plunder,  Indian  Juan 
desired  to  retire  from  active  service,  when  the  others 
refuBt>d  to  pai-t  with  hin\,  or  to  give  him  his  share  of 
the  spoils.  He  threatened  to  bring  suit  against  them, 
but  his  threat  cost  him  his  life,  as  Garcia  and  Ange- 
lino shot  him.  In  1856,  Flores  became  dissatisfied, 
and  delivering  liimself  to  the  authorities,  turned  state's 
evidence,  thus  causing  the  arrest  of  his  connnander, 
Garcia,  and  his  companion,  Angelino.  The  latter  was 
executed,  but  Garcia  effected  his  escape,  continued 
his  career  of  crime  farther  south.  Seventeen  years 
later,  he  was  arrested  and  tried  at  San  Josd  for  the 
murder  of  Indian  Juan,  Flores  behig  a  witness  against 
him,  but  the  evidence  not  being  deemed  sufficient,  he 
v.as  acquitted. 

I  will  mention  a  few  stage  robberies  as  illustrative 
of  the  traffic.  On  the  12th  of  August,  1856,  the 
Com[»tonville  coach,  full  of  passengers,  at  the  crossing 
of  Dry  creek,  before  reaching  Marysville,  was  stopped 
by  six  mounted  highwaymen,  who  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  valuables.  The  passengers  refused,  and  a 
fight  ensued,  about  forty  shots  being  fired.  The  stage 
was  riddled,  and  a  number  of  the  passengers  were 
seriously  wounded,  but  the  robbers,  whose  leader  was 
Tom  Bell,  were  driven  away,  and  failed  to  captuie 

Cal.  Pact.    44 


Mi 


60d 


BANDITTI. 


the  ten  thousand  dollars  in  gold-dust  which  was  on 
board  the  stage. 

On  the  Gclger  grade,  three  miles  from  Virginia 
city,  the  stage  was  robbed  of  |7,000  by  six  men  with 
Hcjiry  rifles.  The  treasure-safe  was  blown  open, 
shivering  the  body  of  the  stage  by  the  explosion. 
Six  days  previous  $9,000  had  been  taken  from  t]i(i 
stage  between  San  Juan  and  Nevada  by  three  masked 
men,  who  blew  open  the  treasure-safe.  One  of  them 
took  from  a  passenger  his  loaded  revolver,  removed 
the  caps,  and  returned  it  to  the  owner ;  no  attempt 
was  made  to  rob  the  passengers.  This  was  at  half- 
past  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Inmiediately  the 
news  reached  Nevada.  Sheriff  Gentry  with  six  men 
started  out,  and  by  noon  the  three  robbers  were 
killed  and  the  money  recovered. 

Port  Neuf  canon  in  Idaho,  some  thirty  miles  soutli 
of  Fort  Hall,  was  a  favorite  spot  of  banditti  roaming 
the  Montana  and  Utah  road.  For  two  years  succeed- 
ing the  opening  of  tlie  mines  of  Idaho  and  Montana 
this  was  the  rendezvous  of  road  agents.  Throu^li 
tlie  canon  the  road  in  places  was  walled  with  tliick 
brush,  and  the  whole  region  round  seemed  designed 
by  tlie  devil  as  tlie  retreat  of  his  special  providence. 
Leisurely  along  up  the  canon  came  the  stage  one  day 
in  the  middle  of  July  1805,  when  from  the  thick 
brush  was  heard  the  command  to  halt;  and  on  tlic 
instant  a  human  form  with  sooty  face  stood  before  tin; 
leaders.  Six  other  human  forms  with  sooty  faces 
bearing  shot  guns  in  their  hands  then  took  their  sta- 
tion round  the  stage.  The  passengers  were  l)rave, 
but  liravery  here  was  of  no  avail.  After  S(uiic  funil»- 
ling  two  or  three  of  them  pointed  their  pistols  out  of 
the  stage  window  and  fired.  As  a  matter  of  courses 
the  robbers  poured  a  volley  of  buckshot  from  tin  ir 
guns  into  the  coach.  One  of  the  passengers  instantly 
sank  dead;  three  otliers  were  killed  in  springing  from 
the  stage;  two  escaped  into  the  bushes;  the  driver 
was  wounded.     There  was  a  larije  amount  of  treasure 


aboar 

lars  t 

tween 

tlie  p8 

of  the 

the  loi 

three  1 

peril   I 

lives. 

treasu] 

from  tl 

tlirou'r 

an   esci 

grace  t^ 

with  til 

Sooty  s 

guns  in 

round   J 

eitJier  t( 

ened  fn 

or  to  hU 

Stage 

trust- W( 

write  on 

WiJiianii 

ceniber 

roI)l)ery. 

ambush; 

watched 

•"^I'eiid  m, 

Jars  abou 

had  noth 

He    w 

tween  J)t 

overwhel: 

Ik'  confef. 

^fteen  in 

In  No\ 

near  Virir 


DISOBEDIENT  TRAVELLERS. 


691 


'** 


aboard,  estimated  by  some  at  seventy  thousand  dol- 
lars this  being  one  of  the  main  lines  of  travel  be- 
tween the  new  mines  and  the  settlements.  Doubtless 
the  })assengers  desired  to  keep  their  money.  Some 
of  them  would  have  liked  to  retain  their  lives  even  at 
the  loss  of  their  gold.  The  foolish  firing  of  two  or 
three  brought  destruction  on  all,  two  only  '  at  groat 
peril  and  suljsequent  hardship'  escaping  with  their 
lives.  The  rol)bers  taking  from  the  dead  men  the 
treasure  which  tliey  would  have  preferred  to  take 
from  them  while  living,  went  their  way.  Travellers 
throuijjh  a  robber  infested  countrv  should  either  take 
an  escort  stronyj  enough  to  fijjfht,  or  submit  with 
grace  to  have  their  pockets  emptied,  that  is  to  .say,  if 
with  their  money  they  do  jiot  wish  to  lose  their  li\  es. 
Sooty  souls  with  sooty  faces  bearing  buckshot-Ioadi-d 
guns  in  their  hand?  do  not  gather  in  a  quirt  canon 
round  a  stage  contauiing  seventy  thousand  dollars 
cither  to  sinp;  love  songs  to  the  moon,  or  to  be  fright- 
ened from  their  purpf)se  by  a  half  dozen  passengers, 
or  to  stand  and  be  shot  at  by  them. 

Stage-drivers,  as  a  class,  we  find  honest,  sober,  and 
trust- worthy ;  but  now  and  then  1  am  ooligcd  to 
writer  one  down  a  villain.  Such  a  one  was  Frank 
Williams,  hanged  by  the  people  of  IMontana  in  J)e- 
ccmber  1805,  for  complicity  in  a  Port  Neuf  canon 
rol>l)ery.  It  seems  that  Williams  drove  his  load  into 
ambush ;  and  being  suspected,  he  was  narrowly 
watched  while  at  Salt  Lake  city,  where  he  was  seen  to 
sp(>nd  money  freely,  scattering  several  thousand  dt>l- 
lars  about  the  town  when  it  was  well  known  that  he 
had  nothing  but  his  wages  honestly  to  draw  from. 

He  was  finally  arrested  at  Godfrey'-i  station,  be- 
tween Denver  and  Juk'sburii:.  At  first  he  was  so 
overwlu^lmed  that  he  could  scarcely  s])eak  ;  afterward 
lie  confessed,  giving  the  names  of  his  confederates, 
fifteen  in  all. 

In  November  18(35,  the  overland  stage  was  robbed 
near  Virginia  citv,  in  Six  Mile  canon  below  the  Gould 


n 


I 


692 


BANDITTI. 


and  Curry  mill.  There  the  driver  found  the  road 
blockaded  with  some  old  sluice  boxes  and  a  broken 
wagon.  Five  masked  men  appeared  and  pointing  three 
shot  guns  and  two  revolvers  at  the  nhie  passengers, 
ordered  all  hands  up,  which  mandate  was  with  alacrity 
obeyed.  The  express  box  and  pockets  of  the  passen- 
gers were  then  emptied  of  their  treasures,  whicli 
yielded  the  robbers  about  five  hundred  dollars  each  ; 
all  were  obliged  to  contribute  save  one,  a  woman, 
whom  the  highwaymen  would  not  disturb. 

The  Indians  rifled  one  of  Hill  Beachy's  stages  on 
the  Humboldt  and  Idaho  road  the  'Jth  of  November, 
1866.  This  year  was  remarkable  for  stage  robberies. 
Both  Marker's  and  Lotta's  stages  were  stopjeJ  on 
the  8th  of  May;  and  the  same  day  a  liki  o;  '  'je 
was  ])erpetrated  between  Nevada  and  Sini  Juan. 
In  this  latter  adventure  the  only  occupants  ot  the 
coach  were  Chinese,  and  the  banditti  reposed  sucli 
confidence  in  the  driver  that  when  he  gave  his  word 
that  the  treasure-box  was  empty,  they  did  not  blow 
it  <jpen.  On  the  Rough  and  Ready  road  within  oxw 
mile  of  Grass  Valley  H.  J.  Teal  was  attacked  by 
highwaymen,  and  several  shots  exchanged.  This 
neighborhood  seeme*^'  literally  alive  with  them,  or 
doul)tless  it  was  one  band  connnitting  numerous  dep- 
redations. The  8th  of  December,  a  Chinaman  was 
robbed  on  the  Colfax  road  ;  the  two  above  mentioned 
the  next  day;  the  10th  one  Humphrey  was  robbed 
near  tlie  South  Yuba  bridge  where  Cooper  and  Xyl«' 
were  killed  and  })lundered  a  short  tinie  before  ;  on 
till'  l>th  a  Chinaman  was  robbed  on  the  trail  betwe;  ii 
Little  York  and  Bear  river;  and  six  Chinamen  were 
attacked  by  highwaymen  near  Bear  river  on  the  IStli. 
In  tills  last  encounter  the  celestials  resisted,  killed  two 
of  the  robbers,  and  drove  away  the  rest.  If  through- 
out the  coast  there  had  been  proportionate  activity, 
a  volume  would  soon  be  f  Med  with  the  record. 

Two  express  boxes  were  on  thi'  Boise  stage  passi;  /, 
Point  Neuf  caiion  one  day  in  May  18G8,  one  coutai/i 


jngsr 

ite  reti 

ordere( 

Jelm  d 

and  we 

ger  the 

in  curr 

had  no 

S.  A 

"  I  com 

15th  of 

summit 

on  the  I 

year,  wl 

from  M 

Rond  va 

met  sev( 

came  sat 

which    t 

getting  a 

time  I  cc 

and  flid 

them  bel 

tlie  16th 

Grande,  i 

for  Forth 

States  nu 

"On  th 

short  vac 

Walla  Wj 

A  found    '. 

({uainted  \ 

having  fir 

Point,   on 

anxious  to 

and  so  to( 

with  liim  i 

betwern  $■ 

the  storek< 


i:j 


AUSTIN'S  STORY. 


693 


ing  $1,800  and  the  other  $10,000.  Near  their  favor- 
ite retreat  three  masked  liij^hwaymeii  appeared  and 
ordered  the  driver  as  usual  to  throw  off  the  box. 
Jeliu  dropped  the  one  containing  the  lesser  amount 
and  went  liio  way  with  the  other.  From  one  passen- 
ger they  obtained  $850  in  coin.  Another  with  $300 
in  currency  in  his  pocket  swore  so  stoutly  tliat  he 
had  no  money  tliat  he  was  permitted  to  go  unsearched. 

S.  AuiAin,  stage-driver,  tells  the  following  story  : 
"I  commenced  driving  stage  for  John  Hailey  on  the 
15th  of  October  1807,  from  Umatilla  to  Meacham's 
sunnnit  of  the  Blue  mountains.  I  continued  driviiiif 
on  the  route  until  the  14th  of  November  the  same 
voar,  when  I  was  transferred  to  the  mountain  route 
from  Meacham's  to  Union  town,  east  side  of  Grand 
Rond  vallev.  I  had  driven  but  a  few  trips  when  I 
met  several  of  these  parties  now  arrested,  and  be- 
came satisfied  in  mv  own  mind  from  the  manner  in 
which  they  conducted  themselves  that  they  were 
getting  a  livelihood  by  unlawful  means.  From  this 
time  I  commenced  watching  every  move  they  made, 
and  flid  all  I  could  when  meeting  them  to  make 
them  believe;  that  I  was  friendly  toward  them.  ( )ii 
the  16th  of  June  1808,  J.  F.  Wheeler  arrived  in  La 
Grande,  in  j)ursuit,  as  he  said,  of  two  thieves  en  route 
for  Portland,  representing  himself  as  Deputy  United 
States  marshal  from  Boise  city. 

"On  the  15th  of  June  1808,  I  quit  driving  for  a 
short  vacation,  and  on  the  l7th  went  on  a  visit  to 
Walla  Walla.  The  second  day  after  my  arrival  there 
I  found  Dr  La  Burr  and  wife.  I  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  these  people  some  nine  or  ten  years, 
having  first  met  them  when  they  lived  near  Rock 
Point,  on  Rogue  river,  southern  Oregon.  I  was 
anxious  to  have  a  private  conversation  with  La  Burr, 
and  so  took  advantas^e  of  the  first  chance.  I  went 
with  liim  to  a  watch  and  jewelry  store,  where  he  sold 
betwern  $400  an<l  $500  worth  of  dust,  he  stating  to 
the  storekeeper  that  it  came  from  a  camp  near  Shasta 


&\ 


694 


BANDITTI. 


mines — giving  it  a  nauio  which  I  knew  to  be  false, 
as  there  was  no  such  place  in  that  section  of  country. 
Before  he  had  got  the  money  for  his  dust  I  walked 
out  of  the  store,  and  I  again  met  him  as  usual.  In 
the  course  of  our  talk  he  asked  me  if  I  had  quit  driv- 
ing. I  told  him  that  I  had  not  quit  entirely,  but 
that  I  expected  to  soon ;  that  I  had  been  in  the  coun- 
try nearly  eighteen  years  and  always  worked  for 
every  dollar  I  got,  and  that  I  had  become  tired  of 
liard  work,  and  intended  soon  to  resort  to  some  other 
means  of  making  a  livhig.  He  then  asked  me  if  I 
thouiiht  of  takhiij  unfair  moans  to  make  a  raise.  I 
cred  that  I  did.  He  tlicn  wanted  to  know  if 
>,  s  really  getting  desperate,  and  I  told  him  that 
I  was  satisfied  that  the  boys  knew  enough,  and  if 
they  would  only  give  me  a  few  points  I  would  soon 
be  all  right.  Whereupon  he  told  me  to  ask  John — 
meaning  J.  F.  Wheeler — when  he  came  up,  for  a  few 
l)oints,  and  he  was  satisfied  that  he  would  give  them 
to  me,  as  he  liked  me  very  much. 

"  I  then  left  hhn,  and  on  the  28th  of  June,  1808,  I 
again  took  charge  of  my  stock.  And  on  the  same 
evening  of  my  arrival  at  La  Grande,  I  learned  from 
!Melvin  Bailey  that  Wheeler  came  up  the  trip  before 
I  returned,  and  had  gone  oo  Dr  La  Burr's,  his  brother- 
in-law.  Next  morning  I  crossed  over  the  mountain  as 
usual,  and  on  my  return  next  day  I  met  W^heeler  in 
La  Grande.  After  supper  we  took  a  walk  round 
t«)wn,  when  he  commenced  talking  of  the  conversation 
I  had  had  with  Dr  La  Burr  at  Walla  Walla.  He  told 
me  then  that  he  wanted  me  to  go  in  with  them  and 
become  one  of  the  band.  I  told  him  that  was  what 
I  was  on,  but  I  did  not  like  to  go  in  with  a  man  if 
he  could  not  stand  up  to  the  work.  He  said  I  neid 
not  be  alarmed,  for  he  had  been  in  some  tight  places, 
and  that  he  would  be  true  to  me  to  the  last.  I  then 
accepted  of  the  position,  and  was  considered  as  be- 
lonjjinii  to  the  band. 

"  J^uring  the  talk  ho  told  me  L^  had  taken  part  ui 


PLAYING  TRAITER. 


Wi 


a  great  many  highway  robberies ;  he  was  one  of  the 
band  that  robbed  Wells,  Fargo,  &  Co.  near  Virginia 
City,  in  the  spring  of  '67,  and  in  Montana  in  the 
fall  of  '67,  and  committed  several  other  robberies 
of  less  importance.  He  then  told  me  that  his  busi- 
ness down  was  to  pick  out  a  place  to  rob  Wells, 
Fargo,  &  Co.'s  express  in  the  Blue  mountains,  and 
that  the  place  they  had  chosen  was  a  mile  on  the  road 
from  Pelican  station  towards  Meachani's.  He  was 
going  direct  home  to  Boise  city,  and  would  send  the 
boys  right  down ;  rnd  that  they  would  be  there  in 
two  weeks  at  furthest ;  reporting  themselves  one  at  a 
time  a  Dr  La  Burr's  rancho  in  the  valley,  when  he 
would  teil  them  that  I  was  one  of  the  band.  The  last 
thing  he  said  as  we  parted  was :  'Be  careful,  Doc,  and 
look  out  that  everything  goes  right.'  I  told  hhn  I 
would  do  so.  Melvin  Bailey,  who  was  barkt'cper  at 
*  Our  House '  in  La  Grande,  informed  me  from  time 
to  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  bo^'S  at  La  Burr's  rancho ; 
who  had  all,  four  in  number,  arrived  there  by  the  2  jth 
of  July,  Dave  Johnson,  having  a  lame  back  when  he 
arrived  at  the  rancho,  got  another  man  by  the  same 
name  to  take  his  place.  The  band,  now  composed  of 
George  Savage,  John  Billings,  Tom  Corey,  and  John- 
son, left  the  rancho  and  secreted  themselves  in  the 
mountains  near  to  the  place  that  Wheeler  had  chosen 
for  the  robbery. 

**  About  this  time  there  was  a  great  deal  of  travel- 
ling on  the  road,  and  a  great  many  camping  over  night 
near  the  place  that  had  been  selected,  so  that  tluy 
were  compelled  to  change  the  place  t(j  two  miles 
farther  on  toward  Meachani's.  Having  learned,  as  I 
believed,  what  was  necessary,  I  sent  fin-  Wells,  Fargo 
&  Co's  division  agent,  Charles  Woodward,  and  made 
him  acquainted  with  all  the  facts.  I  suggested  that 
the  best  way  would  be  to  let  them  go  ahead  with  the 
robbery,  and  afterward  go  quietly  to  work  and  arrest 
the  whole  band,  which  course  of  action  was  agreed 
upon.     On   the    2d   day   of  August,  at   about   five 


696 


BANDITTI. 


o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  saw  some  four  or  five  dead 
limbs  lying  across  the  road,  and  as  the  stage  passed 
over  them,  causing  them  to  snap  and  break,  the 
robbers,  at  this  signal,  jumped  from  their  hidinuj 
places,  and  before  I  could  put  my  foot  on  the  brake,  I 
was  looking  down  the  muzzle  of  a  double-barreled 
shotgun,  within  six  feet  of  me.  The  robbers  cried 
out  *  halt  1 '  each  one  repeating  it,  which  I  did.  They 
then  ordered  the  messenger,  J.  Sheppard,  to  throw 
up  his  hands,  which  he  did;  then  they  told  him  to 
throw  his  gun  down.  He  said  he  did  not  have  his 
gun  They  told  him  the  third  time  to  throw  it  down, 
and  also  remarked  that  they  would  not  tell  him  again, 
when  I  reached  over  and  took  his  gun  and  threw  it 
to  one  side  of  the  road.  They  then  ordered  the  mes- 
senger to  get  down,  and  the  passengers,  of  whom 
there  were  three,  to  get  out  of  the  stage,  and  marched 
them,  with  their  hands  above  their  heads,  to  about 
twenty  yards  in  front  of  the  team,  where  two  of  the 
robbers  stood  guard  over  them. 

"  I  remained  in  my  seat.  One  of  the  robbers  told 
me  to  throw  out  the  treasure-box,  and  then  to  throw 
out  everything  in  the  boot,  which  I  did.  I  next 
heard  them  at  work  breaking  open  the  treasure-box 
h.  the  rear  of  the  stage,  and  as  I  knew  there  was 
nothiuij  but  rocks  in  it — Woodward  took  the  treasure 
out  at  Uniontown — I  was  afraid  that  they  miglit 
suspect  that  I  had  given  some  information,  and  if  tJiey 
did,  I  had  concluded  my  time  had  come;  but,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  they  did  not  suspect  anything  was 
wrong.  They  then  opened  the  mail,  and  the  passengers' 
baggage,  and  took  such  things  as  they  consid- 
ered valuable.  Next,  they  went  through  the  pas- 
sengers' pockets.  After  this  I  heard  one  of  them 
remark  that  *  this  was  the  damnedest,  poorest  crowd 
he  had  ever  struck.'  They  then  took  my  leaders 
from  me,  and  ordered  me  to  drive  up  and  let  the  pas- 
sengers get  in,  when  they  ordered  all  aboard  and  f  >r 
me  to  drive  on,  and  that  no  one  should  look  back. 


AN  EXTENSIVE  CATTURB. 


601 


We  had  proceeded  more  than  half  a  mile  before  any 
of  them  spoke,  when  one  of  them  observed  that  he 
felt  a  little  hungry. 

"  From  information  that  I  gave,  John  Billings  and 
Melvin  Bailey  were  arrested  at  Walla  Walla  on  the 
2r)th  of  August.  On  the  night  of  the  27th  and 
m«>ming  of  the  28th,  in  Grand  Kond  valley,  Dr  La 
Burr,  McFay,  Dave  Johnson,  James  Wheeler,  and 
Johnson,  wore  arrested.  On  the  evening  of  tlie  21>th 
I  arrived  at  Boise  city,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
30th  I  found  there  was  no  one  of  the  party  there  but 
Jolm  Wheeler.  As  soon  as  an  opportunity  otfored  I 
took  him  out  to  the  edge  of  the  town  to  have  a 
private  talk.  T  informed  him  that  Billings  and  an 
old  friend  of  mine  had  robbed  the  Warren's  express, 
fortv-five  miles  out  from  Lewiston,  and  that  tliev  had 
killed  the  expressman,  and  broke  a  merchant's  thigh 
who  was  with  him  and  attempted  to  esca})e;  tliat 
they  got  $12,000  in  treasure,  and  carried  it  about 
twenty  miles  and  cached  it  in  a  clitF  of  rocks, 
that  they  had  come  back  to  Walla  Walla  valley,  and 
were  now  at  work  in  the  harvest  field. 

"This  story  I  told  for  the  purpose  of  finding  out 
wlu^re  the  rest  of  the  party  were,  and  it  was  entirely 
without  foundation.  I  then  asked  him  where  the 
rest  of  the  boys  were,  and  he  told  me  they  had  gone 
to  Silver  City  to  make  a  raid  on  Beachey's  safe ;  that 
they  would  do  it  soon  if  they  had  not  already.  He 
then  got  to  talking:  about  Billings,  and  he  said  tliat 
lie  blamed  Billings  for  being  too  fast;  that  if  it  liad 
not  been  for  him  Welch  would  not  have  been  killed 
in  the  Lemhi  robbery  last  fall.  I  asked  him  if  he 
saw  Welch  killed.  He  said  he  did;  that  he  was  the 
tall  one  they  spoke  of  being  among  the  robbers. 
About  ten  minutes  after  this  conversation  with  me  he 
was  arrested  and  taken  to  prison  by  parties  who  came 
with  me  from  Umatilla  for  that  purpose.  In  a  short 
time  we  were  on  our  way  to  Silver  City  in  pursuit  of 
the  rest  of  the   rt)bbers.     We  here  arrested  three. 


1  ■!  > 


ij;i||i 


;"! 


M 


III 


BANDITTI. 


George  Savage,  Goodwin,  and  one  young  man  whoso 
name  I  do  not  know,  and  brought  them  down  to 
Boise,  where  we  got  Wheeler,  and  continued  on  our 
journey.  When  withhi  a  mile  or  two  of  La  Grande, 
it  bluing  very  dark  and  rainy,  Savage  and  Wheekr 
made  good  their  escape  frym  the  stage.  We  contni- 
ucd  on  to  town,  and  purchased  horses  and  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  fugitives.  On  the  second  day,  about 
tw.>  o'clock,  we  captured  Wheeler  within  about 
three  miles  of  La  Burr's  house.  All  the  other  pris- 
oners arrived  safe  in  Portland;  Corey  and  Savage 
being  tlie  only  two  of  the  band  at  large." 

On  the  Elko  road  in  September  1868  eight  masked 
men  armed  with  Henry  rifles,  shotguns,  and  pistols, 
near  Cold  Creek  station,  called  to  the  stage  driver  to 
stop  and  dismount. 

"  Take  the  horses  by  the  bits  then,"  said  Faulks,  for 
such  was  his  name.  "I  have  a  frisky  team  to-night. " 
The  robbers  complied  with  this  reasonable  request,  as 
horses  were  not  to  be  brought  to  a  stand  by  guns. 
Next  the  driver  was  told  to  unhitch  and  take  charge 
of  his  team.  Two  of  the  five  passengers  were  women, 
who  were  politely  assured  by  the  chief  of  the  band 
that  they  should  not  be  molested. 

"If  we  are  attacked,  it  will  be  about  here,"  remarked 
Mr  Bichard  to  Shadrock  Davis,  the  stage-agent,  by 
whom  he  was  seated  on  the  box,  with  a  slug-loaded 
shot-gun  across  his  lap.  It  was  on  the  Fort  Yunui 
road,  in  November  1869,  and  the  place  was  a  ravine 
near  Pilot  Knob.  Scarcely  was  the  sentence  uttered, 
when  from  the  darkness  the  word  "haltl"  was  heard, 
and  two  men  appeared  before  the  leaders.  Bichard 
raised  his  gun  and  snapped  the  cap,  but  the  charge 
did  nob  explode.  He  then  fired  the  other  barrel, 
when  one  of  the  robbers  cried,  "My  God,  I  am  shot!" 
and  fell  dead.  Other  banditti  now  can'e  up,  and  a 
skirmish  with  the  passengers,  who  were  prepared  for 
them,  followed.  Finally  the  robbers  were  driven  ott", 
after  they  had  killed  one  of  the  horses.     Three  of 


ARTISTIC  WORK, 


C99 


them  were  subsequently  captured.  The  desert  is  a 
l)ad  place  for  banditti.  Water  and  provisions  are 
scarce,  and  the  places  for  obtainin^j  them  are  wide 
apart,  so  that  if  tlie  attempt  prove  unsuccessful,  th«ir 
cajiture  is  almost  certain.  In  this  instance,  one  of 
tliem  came  into  a  station  rather  than  die  ui)<»n  the 
desert. 

On  Wednesday  night,  the  20th  of  October,  18G9, 
the  moon  shone  brightlv  as  the  stage  trundled  out  of 
Angeles  on  the  Santa  Biirbara  road.  Seven  passen- 
gers were  inside;  Clift'was  the  driver,  and  beside  him 
sat  the  ex-postal  agent  and  correspondent  of  tiie  San 
Francisco  Times.  Quarter  past  six  was  the  hour  of 
departure,  and  the  occupants  of  the  coach  were  not 
yet  comfortably  seated  when,  reaching  a  point  about 
a  mile  from  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  four  men,  wear- 
ing masks  of  black  cloth,  with  eye-holes,  and  tiid 
round  the  neck,  stepped  forward  from  the  road-side, 
wliere  they  had  been  .sitting.  Two  of  them  cauglit 
tlie  leaders  by  th^  reins,  and  a  third,  apparently  chief 
of  the  band,  rushed  up  to  the  wheel,  and  presenting  a 
pistol,  hi  a  clear,  authoritative,  but  not  unpleasant, 
voice,  cried,  "Hold  up  there;  put  down  that  brake  I" 
The  driver  obeyed. 

"  Keep  your  horses  quiet ;  let  that  gentleman  1  nsidc 
you  throw  out  the  express  boxes,  and  there  will  be  no 
trouble."  Then  turning  to  the  ex-postal  man,  he  said, 
"Now,  hurry  up  that  express  matter."  Slowly  the 
ex-postal  man  drew  out  one  of  the  boxes,  and  dr<»p[ud 
it  upon  the  road. 

"The  other  box,  and  be  quick  about  it."  Tliis  was 
not  spoken  in  a  harsh  or  ungentlemanly  tone,  but  tin  re 
was  that  quiet,  self-possessed  determination  in  the 
voice  that  put  an  immediate  end  to  the  ex-postal 
man's  meditations,  and  the  second  box  lay  beside  the 
first.  The  ex-postal  man,  thinking  his  work  done, 
now  took  his  seat,  when  another  order  came. 

"Get  down,  and  step  to  the  rear  of  the  coach." 
This  was  spoken  iu  a  most  afiable  manner,  as  though 


700 


BAXDITTI. 


discipline  now  secured,  the  speaker  could  afford  to  l»o 
pleasant.  At  the  spot  indicated  stood  the  fourth  roh- 
ber,  joined  bv  one  from  the  front. 

"Have  you  any  fire-arms?"  he  demanded  of  the  ex- 
postal  man,  his  new  acquaintance. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  drawing  from  his  breast  a 
pistol.  Proceeding  to  the  stage  door,  the  chief  ad- 
dressed one  of  the  passengers. 

"  Step  out,  sir;  you  have  a  belt,  I  believe,"  and  there- 
upon took  from  him  one  thousand  dollars  in  money  am  I  a 
derringer.  The  passenger  was  placed  close  to  the  ex- 
postal  man,  face  to  face,  their  noses  almost  touchiiiLf. 
The  other  passengers  were  then  ordered  out,  their 
money  and  valual>le8  taken  from  them,  after  which 
they  were  arranged  in  pairs,  in  positif)n  similar  to  tlic 
first.  About  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollai-s  in  all 
was  thus  secured,  when  the  chief  robVjer  ordered  tlie 
passengers  in,  and  said  to  Clifl',  "Drive  on,  now,  ami 
be  sure  you  don't  come  back." 

Often,  on  both  the  northern  and  southern  overland 
stage  routes,  the  stations  were  attacked,  the  inmates 
killed,  the  hr)uses  robbed,  and  the  stock  driven  oti'. 
The  f(»llowing  is  but  one  of  scores  of  like  occurren- 
ces. On  Christmas  eve,  hi  1870,  three  Mexicans  rode 
up  to  the  Mission  Camp  station  on  the  Tucson  road, 
thirty-six  miles  east  of  Arizona  city,  killed  the  inmat<  s, 
three  men  and  one  woman,  rifled  the  premises,  and 
starting  off  were  sfM»n  over  the  line  into  Sonora. 

It  is  not  (then  we  find  a  whole  hotel  seized  by  Ijan- 
ditti,  as  happened  in  the  case  of  the  Hoffman  H<tu>e, 
at  Firebaugh's  ferry,  the  26th  of  February,  l.s73.  It 
was  after  supper,  when  the  guests  were  seated  rounil 
the  fire  chatting  and  smoking,  that  there  suddenly 
appeared  in  their  midst  a  band  of  armed  men,  who «  r- 
dered  ever}'  one  present  to  prostrate  himself  upon  the 
flo*!r.  face  downward,  if  he  did  not  wi.sh  the  a.s.sistan<u 
of  a  bullet  in  the  operation.  All  were  humbly  obedi- 
ent, and  the  work  of  plunder  was  quietly  performed — 
so  «}uietly,  indeed,  that  the  landlord,  who  was  absent 


TRAIN  ROBBERIES. 


701 


at  the  time,  knew  nothing  of  it  until  he  returned.  On 
( ntering  the  door,  he  found  his  nose  in  uncomfortable 
])roxiniity  to  the  barrel  of  a  six-shooter,  and  taking 
tlie  hint,  he  innnediately  handed  the  bandit  treasurer 
the  key  to  his  strong-box.  Meanwhile  the  Visalia 
stage  arrived,  the  driver  of  which,  with  all  the  jias- 
SLiigers,  were  soon  laid  beside  the  other  live  corpses. 
And  all  this  for  $400  in  money  and  $200  in  clothing. 
Of  the  marauding  party,  one  was  French  and  the 
others  Spanish.     It  hardly  paid. 

Quite  an  artistic  piece  of  work  was  done  on  the 
eastward-bound  train  from  Verdi  the  4th  of  November, 
1 870.  As  the  train  was  moving  from  the  station,  five 
armed  men  jumix?d  aboard  the  express-car,  and  took 
possession  of  the  train.  The  engineer  was  directed  to 
stop  at  a  stone-quarry  four  miles  west  of  Reno.  There 
the  robbers  were  joined  by  three  confederates,  and 
S42,000  in  gold  were  taken;  $80,000  in  silver  were 
left  strewn  about  tlie  car  floor,  being  too  cumbersome 
to  carry.  This  illustrates  the  disadvantage  of  a  me- 
talllc  currency,  and  speaks  volumes  for  the  demoneti- 
zation of  silver.  During  the  robbery,  the  passenger 
cars  were  uncoupled  from  the  others,  and  placed  under 
guard.  Their  purpose  accomi)lished,  the  robbers  or- 
dered the  enghieer  to  take  them  one  mile  farther,  and 
there  drop  them,  which  being  done,  they  struck  out 
with  their   bootv  toward  Washoe  and  V 


irgnua 


and  the  rifled  train  proceeded  on  its  way. 

Arrived  at  Reno  the  alarm  was  gi^en.  The  tele- 
;j;raph  wires  had  been  cut  by  the  robbers,  but  they 
wore  quickly  rejoined  and  soon  the  lightning  was  car- 
rying the  intelligence  in  every  direction.  Large 
rewards  were  offered  by  the  express  and  rail?  'i  1  coni- 
panies.  Scouting  parties  were  sent  out  from  Reno, 
and  detectives  employed  at  San  Francisco,  Sacra- 
mento, and  Virginia.  The  first  arrest  was  that  of 
Charles  Roberts,  keeper  of  the  hotel  in  Antelope 
valley,  whose  house  was  known  to  be  a  rendezvous 
for  desperadoes.     To  save  lumself  Roberts  made  such 


% 


m 


m 


BANDITTI. 


exposition  as  led  to  the  capture  of  otl  ,.  Tlltdti 
C<»i-kirill  was  taken  into  custody  at  the  iiotel.  Sol. 
J«>ii«-.s  was  arrested  as  lie  was  entering  Clover  valley, 
In  Plumas  county,  by  a  scouting  party,  and  soon  fan- 
citd  his  intirest  lay  in  conducting  his  captors  to 
the  8[M»t  where  he  and  Cockerill  had  planted  tin  ir 
.share  of  the  plunder,  some  $7,000  or  $8,000.  One  hy 
one  the  robbers  were  nearly  all  captured,  and  much  dt' 
the  treasure  recovered.  The  name  of  the  ringleader 
was  J.  Davis,  formerly  a  mine  superintendent  at  Yir- 
ixinia  citv,  Nevada, 

About  this  time  an  eastward  bound  passenj^cr 
train  was  robbed  on  the  Union  Pacific  road.  Bi<^ 
Springs,  Nt-bras-ka,  was  a  lonely  telegraph  station. 
If)  "2  miles  east  of  Cheyenne,  at  which  the  train  sto})iM(l 
when  signaled  to  do  so.  The  train  was  due  at  10.48 
p.  M,  Al>out  half  past  nine  on  the  night  of  the  IStli 
of  Si'pttMnlier,  1877,  thirteen  masked  men  rode  up  to 
the  station,  cut  the  wires,  demolished  the  telegraj)li 
instruments,  and  securing  Barnhai-t,  ^  keeper,  oi- 
dert'd   him  to  put  out  the  red  ligl  id  give  the 

si'^nal  tliat  orders  there  awaited  the  tunn. 

Barnhart  obeyed.  Obedience  is  a  cardinal  virtuu 
in  this  region,  and  one  very  generally  practised  win  u 
irt-nth-men  of  the  road  connnand.  Barnhart  did  not 
want  to  die.  The  railway  was  not  his  religion; 
besides,  thirty  dollars  a  month  wages  did  not  include 
martyrdom.  It  is  well  enough  to  talk  to  poor  nu  n 
about  being  faithful,  and  dying  at  their  post ;  but, 
how  faithful  are  rich  men?  how  much  sacrifice  of  sdf 
for  othei*3  may  we  look  for  from  a  railway  president 
or  express  manager?  The  train  arrived  on  time  and 
.stop[)ed.  The  engineer  and  fireman  were  soon  secured, 
and  a  i^uard  stationed  at  each  door.  The  CdU- 
ductor  on  coming  out  upon  the  platform  found  his 
head  between  two  revolvers.  He  was  ordered  to 
throw  up  his  hands,  which  command  he  failed  not  to 
obey.  From  the  express  car  was  then  taken  $05,000 
in  coin  and  some  in  currency,  and  the  passengers  were 


relieved 
valuables 
robbers  ( 
They    m< 
Icavintr    ; 

whif'h  ha 

to  force  0 

Before 

water  on 

engineer ( 

George  V 

lie  manifc 

than  any  < 

sliutting  0 

to  the  .sigi 

tliat,"  ami 

si»rang    th 

the  f()()tboj 

tlie  dome. 

guard.     ^V 

pretended 

was  ready 

of  til e  robb 

Charles  '. 

d(deful   sto] 

'light,   he   f 

station  he  \ 

"gent's  priv 

the  window-, 

TJie  robber; 

Weapons,  br 

S(.nie  .$400  i; 

They  thei 

tion  tlirougl 

Mni-k  of  the 

niid  whose  C( 

at  Ogden,  C 

a  mined  it  att 

fucked  pistol 


KXTKXSIVE  OPERATTOXa. 


703 


relieved  of  their  nu»ney,  watrhos,  tickets,  and  otlier 
valuables.  Tlu-  arrival  of  a  frcljjflit  train  jiut  tlio 
r(»l)bL'rs  out  a  little,  and  hastened  tluMr  <lr|tarture. 
They  niount«'d  their  horses  and  rodi;  nortliward, 
IcaviniT  S^JOO.OOO  unmolested  hi  tlie  throU'-li-safe, 
whieh  havinj'  a  combination  lock  they  had  not  time 
to  force  open. 

Before  leavinvj  the  train  the  rohhers  had  thrown 
water  on  the  engine  fires,  hut  after  thiy  had  «^(»ne  the 
engineer  fjuiekl\'  kindled  them  with  tin;  waste*  tallow, 
(ieorge  Vroman  was  tlie  name  of  this  engineer,  and 
he  manifested  more  j)n\se!jce  of  mind,  Jind  hnivery, 
than  any  of  the  others.  As  the  train  slackened,  after 
shutting  off  steam  and  nversing  his  engine  hi  answer 
to  the  signal,  a  voice  called  out,  "Come  down  out  of 
tliJit,"  and  a  shot  whiz/ed  past  his  ear.  \  loman 
sprang  through  the  window  of  the  cah,  ran  along 
the  footboard,  climbt'd  over  tl  ■  boiler,  and  hid  bchiiid 
the  dome.  There  he  was  discovered  and  ])laced  under 
guard.  When  ordi'red  to  emjity  the  water  tanks  he 
pri'tended  to  ol)ey,  but  evaded  the  order,  so  that  he 
was  r(a<ly  to  move  on  very  soon  after  the  <le[>aituro 
of  the  robbtrs. 

Charles  Miller,  the  express  messenger,  told  a  most) 
doleful  storv.  Xtver  should  he  for!j;et  that  horrible 
night,  he  sjiid.  As  the  train  neared  the  captured 
station  h«!  was  wakened  from  a  })leasant  sle(>p  l»y  the 
agent's  privat*!  signal.  He  arose  and  looked  out  of 
the  window,  saw  the  red  light,  and  opened  his  door. 
The  robbers  sprang  in,  and  eovi'ring  hiin  with  their 
Weapons,  broke  open  the  way-safe  and  took  from  it 
Slime  $400  in  currency. 

They  then  directed  their  attention  to  the  combina- 
tion through-safe,  which  was  fastened  to  the  iron- 
work of  the  car,  under  the  messenger's  foldiiiix  berth, 
and  whose  combination  was  known  only  to  the  agents 
at  Ogden,  Cheyenne,  and  Omaha.  The  thieves  ex- 
amined it  attentively,  w^liile  one  of  them  thrusting  his 
cucked  pistol  in  Miller's  face  ordered  him  to  ojieu  it. 


i-'i  I 


701 


BANDITTI. 


"  1  cannot  open  it,"  said  Miller  instinctively  pushino; 
Pciiclo  the  dangerous  iron. 

"You  will,  will  you?"  oxclainied  the  robber  jam - 
mini*'  the  weapon  hito  Miller's  face  and  cutting  his 
upper  lip  so  that  the  blood  flowed  freely.  This 
practice  with  the  cocked  pistol  was  continued  for  some 
time,  until  his  head  was  badly  bruised,  when  other 
terrorism  was  resorted  to,  as  shoving  him  down  upon 
tlie  floor  and  jerking  him  up,  throwing  him  over  a 
chair,  and  like  unpleasurable  gymnastics.  The  mes- 
senger protested  he  could  not  open  the  safe,  and 
begged  for  mercy,  until  at  last,  overcome  with 
l)ahi,  he  implored  the  thieves  to  kill  him  and 
have  done  with  it.  The  conductor,  hearing  tl;(; 
messenger's  cries,  assured  the  robbers  that  it  was 
utterly  beyond  his  power  to  open  the  safe,  and 
ex})lained  to  them  liow  it  was,  so  as  finally  to  convince 
them.  The  arrival  of  the  freight  train  before  men- 
tioned put  a  stop  to  further  proceeilings.  As 
culler's  tormentor  turned  from  him  to  take  his  final 
de[)arture,  he  placed  his  revolver  agahist  his  head  and 
hissed, — "You  dirty  whelp;  if  I  thought  you  knew 
that  ccnnbination  I  would  blow  your  brains  out." 

After  a  detention  of  an  hour,  the  cut  wires  were; 
lapped,  the  alarm  was  given,  and  the  train  moved  on. 
The  railway  and  express  companies  ofl'ered  §5,000 
each  for  the  capture  of  the  robbers  and  the  recovery 
of  the  money.  The  robbers  were  pursued,  and  within 
a  week,  two  of  them  were  overtaken  between  Denv(  r 
and  Wallace.  Showing  fight  they  were  killed,  anil 
$liO,000  of  the  stolen  money  was  recovered. 

But  this  is  wandering  far  from  our  pastoral  high- 
waymen. The  examples  here  given,  however,  show 
quite  a  stride  of  progress  in  the  profession,  from  tiio 
roatlwork  of  the  dashing  Murieta  and  Vazquez  to 
robbing  railway  trains  beside  the  wires  speeding 
lightning  intelligence  1 


'  m 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 

Sell  itum  est  in  viscera  te^  ral; 
Quasque  recmdiderat,  Stygiis(iue  ailiuoverat  uiubria, 
£tfo<liuutur  opes,  irritanicnta  inaloruni. 

—(Jnil. 


m"'\ 


m 


We  have  elsewhere  seen  how  civilization  on  the 
shores  of  San  Francisco  bay  had  its  beginning;  it 
was  also  during  the  days  of  Pastoral  California  that 
the  foundations  of  the  future  metropolis  were  here 
laid.  It  was  here  upon  the  border  of  Yerba  Buena 
cove  that  the  quiet  hold  on  men  of  the  pastoral  period 
was  rudely  snapped  asunder  by  the  first  great  throes 
of  progress  incident  to  the  gold-digging  era;  and  it  is 
liere,  more  properly  than  elsewhere,  that  we  shviuld 
take  onr  leave  of  the  old-time  regime,  and  introduce 
the  new.  It  is  here,  more  plahdy  than  elst^wher* , 
that  we  see  coming  from  ovc-r  the  shimmering  sea, 
from  tlie  far  western  embrace  of  sky  and  ocean,  the 
golden,  glittering  light  of  tlie  setting  sun,  which 
marks  the  passing  hence  of  the  gf)lden  age;  on  the 
morrow  begins  the  a<jce  of  gold 

Civilization  was  a  long  time  in  conung  hither.  The 
highest  enlightenment  of  reason  was  not  (juick  to  com- 
plete its  circuit  round  the  globe.  It  should  not  l>e 
forgotten  that  Pastoral  California,  vegetating  between 
tlie  points  of  time  176'.)  and  1848,  was  the  beginning 
of  the  end  of  man's  intellectual  encompassinent  of 
the  earth.  Nor  would  it  appear  unnatur.il.  that  after 
a  westwanl  ijjlance  at  the  seemin<;lv  limitless  ocean, 
the  mind  should  turn  backward  to  dwell  for  a  moment 

CAL.  I'AST.     ii 


706 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  OREAT  METROPOLIS. 


on  the  ways  by  which  this  suprcino  achievunient  liad 
wrought  itself  out. 

From  tb.e  Armenian  Garden,  following  orthodox 
mvtholou'v,  or  from  the  Bactriau  as  the  (jlirmans 
have  it;  from  Ethiopia,  Egypt,  or  Arabia;  from  the 
rich  and  beautiful  valleys  of  the  Tigris  and  the  Eu- 
l)]iratt'S,  or  from  the  Gobi  desert;  from  ]^abylon's  tnw- 
tr-top,  or  from  the  mounts  of  Caucasas,  Altai,  or  Atlas 
— from  the  primordial  centres  of  population,  the 
hyi)othetical  cradle  of  the  human  race,  wherever  or 
wliatever  these  may  have  been,  thence  men  primeval 
looked  to  the  east  and  to  the  wi'st.  and  taking  ujudi 
them  their  several  roles  they  l^egan  their  march  of 
centuries,  which  was  to  end  only  on  their  reaching 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  On  every  side  of  tliis  geo- 
graj)]iieal  centre — so  runs  the  tale — primeval  waters 
covered  the  earth,  and  as  these  waters  recedi'd  tlie 
limits  of  terrestrial  life  we'ri*  extended,  and  the  race 
dispersed;  yetsome  say  that  there  was  no  on(^  comiiioii 
})riiuordial  centre  at  all,  but  that  every  rc'gion  sutli- 
cientl}'  favored  by  nature  liad  its  own  centri'  of  pojm- 
lation,  thus  making  men  everywhere  products  of  tlie 
soil. 

ICowever  this  may  have  been,  certain  it  is  that  luu'o- 
pean  civilization  was,  for  many  ages,  confined  t.;  narrow- 
central  limits  within  the  tempei-ate  zone,  and  that  Ik- 
vond  lliese  li  nits,  as  bevondthe  limits  of  the  knowaMe 
of  every  age  and  every  belief,  were  the  realms  of  faii(% , 
iiiliospitable  dimes,  and  sup«'riiatural  domains  filled 
with  creatures  of  the  imagination,  uncouth  nionsti  i-; 
ai)d  beautiful  faii'i«'S,  seraphsand  h(»bgobliiis,aiigelsaiMl 
di'vils.  Jove  reigned  on  ^r<tunt  Olympus,  and  I'liito 
pi'esided  over  tlu'  infernal  regions;  nu^anwhih^  this 
earth  was  nxuisured  an<l  mapped,  the  stars  were  told, 
and  the  track  of  the  sun  marked  out  as  it  made  ii> 
daily  circuit  over  the  head.s  and  before  the  eyes  of 
men.     0[>inion  was  no  less  dogmatic  tlu>n  thaniiow, 

Strabo,  tilt!  Greek  geographer,  und«'rtook  to  delini' 
the  boundaries  of  the  then  known  world;  after  Imn 


the   Pto 

Alexanc 

all    the 

Works  w 

staihlard 

say    froi 

world  ei 

Mediteri 

J^ed  .sea. 

ward  a  I 

no  man 

througli. 

Wert!  cro 

Halls,  wil 

to  tlie  no: 

blackened 

Hpparentlj 

migration' 

to  .siy.      ] 

'nen  of  sc 

the  true  c^ 

to[»  an  1  b( 

^''"IS,   O,!   tl 

nnd   these 

walls,   a  V 

\\as  ab«»ve 

'I'sli  to  att 

otlior,  ther 

'•'niain  <-oo 

"f  latitude, 

niark  out  f< 

tlie  Westwa 

enturies  r( 

'•■•st  (»ii  tho 

•  lid.  that  t(» 

« ■died  flio  S 

I'i'iT  and  mi 

I'l'ito  had  p 


I  .        r 

oiian  L'^eocr 


ONE  OF  THE  EARTH'S  ENDS. 


707 


the  Roman,  Pompoiiius  Mela,  and  later  still  the 
Alrxandrian,  l*t<>K'niy,  who  enihodied  in  his  systtni 
all  the  kno\\lt'd«4o  of  his  prcdeeesscn's,  aii<l  whose 
works  with  their  twont}'  and  more  revisions  were  tlie 
standai'd  text-hooks  for  thirteen  eenturies—  that  is  to 
sav    from   the    sceond    to    the    fifteinth.      I'tolemv's 


wo 


rid  emhraeed   littU;  more  than    tlie   shores  of  tl 


10 


Mediterranean,  those  of  the  Persian  gulf  and  the 
]ie(l  sea.  Nortiiward  was  a  helt  of  eold,  and  south- 
ward a  helt  of  heat — a  fri»>id  and  a  fierv  zone,  that 
no  man  mi-jlit  inhahit,  nor  even  so  much  as  juisa 
throu;^h.  Nevertheless,  somehow  in  due  time  men 
wen^  crowded  throu«j;ii  or  over  these  fr(»st  and  fire 
walls.  wiilin!j;ly  or  unwillingly  it  may  have  heen,  f(trced 
to  the  nortii  and  to  the  south,  and  were  hieached  and 
hlackene<l  therihv;  hut  contemporaneous  wise  men 
a|)iiarently  knew  little  of  it:  nor  of  thesi-  harharic 
miujrations.  forced  or  otherwise,  have  I  here  any thiiisjj 
to  say.  It  is  sufficient  to  know  that  in  tlH»se  days,  to 
nien  of  science  and  philosophy,  the  world,  whieji  was 
the  trne  cosmos  or  unive-rse.  had  ends  and  sides,  and 
tojt  and  l)(»ttom;  t<)  the  east  and  to  the  west  were  the 
ends.  Oil  the  north  and  on  the  south  wt  ve  the  si(hs; 
and   tlw'se   sides,   as   hefore  sjiid,    were    imjuiietrahle 


walls. 


a  wjdl     >f  frost  and   a  wall   of  tir^ 


II 


eaven 


was  aijove  and  hell  lu'iieatli:  and  hrinj;'  unahle  in  tin; 
lltsh  t<)  attain  th»!  one,  nnd  unwillin;^;  to  exploie  tlie 

•  •tlnr,  there  was  no  help  for  tliese  ancients  hut  to 
remain  (••toped  uj)  within  some  thirty  or  forty  dej^rees 
i)'(  latitude,  a!id  from  their  ahoriLfinal  centre  slowly  to 
mark  out  for  themsflves  jiaths  to  the  eastuar<h  ajid  to 
tlie  westward.  And  this  they  <lid ;  and  after  certain 
'(•nturies  reached  the  earths  end      tluit   toward  the 

•  ast  on  the  shores  of  tlie  China  sea  heiiiM'  a  veiitahlt^ 
I  lid.  that  toward  the  west  on  the  slmi-cs  of  what  they 
t  ailed  the  Sea  of  Diirkness.  a  hyp»»thetical  or  imaui- 
nary  and  mistaken  end.     True,  lon^;   l>etore  Ptolemy, 

Plato  had  | ple<l  .\tlantis.  and  the  leartied    Alexan- 

(hian  <jeo<'ra|)her  kiu-w  of  the  Fortunate  Isles,  now 


wu 


708 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  I'.iETROPOLIS. 


called  the  Canaries,  lying  some  distance  out  in  this 
sea  of  darkness,  and  made  them  his  western  limit  or 
first  meridian;  which,  indeed,  save  as  a  nucleus  of 
poetic  myths,  seems  at  that  time  to  have  been  their 
only  use.  But  for  several  thousand  years  it  was 
thought  that  the  ends  of  the  earth  had  been  reached, 
that  they  were  separated  only  by  the  sea  of  dark- 
ness, and  that  they  were  no  great  distance  apait. 
Even  the  daring  Genoese  himself  died  in  this  belief, 
supposing  that  he  had  only  crossed  over  from  one  end 
of  the  earth  to  tJie  other. 

Later,  notwithstanding  the  sea  of  darkness  with 
its  real  perils  and  its  fabulous  monsters,  the  leaven  of 
progress  working  in  compressed  humanity,  caused 
Euro[)ean  civilization  to  burst  its  boundaries,  and  a 
farther  west  was  found ;  first,  from  the  ninth  to  the 
eleventh  centuries,  by  way  of  Scandinavia  to  Ice- 
land, and  Greenland,  and  Helluland,  and  Vinland,  as 
recorded  hi  the  sagas  of  the  northmen;  and  then 
again  in  the  fifteenth  century,  when,  after  a  refresh- 
ing media3val  slumber,  mankind  awoke  and  heard  the 
very  whids  and  waves  of  the  dark  sea  crying  for  in- 
vestigation, wjiispermg  of  rich  realms  beyond,  of 
laiuls  and  gold  and  slaves  ;  then  it  was  when  this  be- 
yond would  no  longer  rest  'quietly  undiscovered,  that 
Isal)ella  of  S[)ain  and  the  Genoese  navigator  entered 
into  a  little  speculation,  if  so  be  they  might  therel)y 
control  a  hemispjiere  betv/een  them.  Strangely 
enough  these  tardy  adventurers  found  the  New- 
World  already  peopled;  whence  they  tried  to  ttll 
but  could  not.  The  fathers  gazed  upon  naked  red- 
painted  men  and  women,  then  rusjied  to  holy  writ 
and  cried  Behold  the  scattered  tribes  of  Israeli 
Philosophers  examined  tawny  skin  and  lank  hair  and 
astutely  considered  form  and  features;  then  sonu 
said  they  were  Phoenicians,  others  Egyptians,  Scan- 
dinavians, Africans,  Chinese,  Japanese,  until  tli< 
wiiole  eastern  hemisphere  was  ransacked  to  find  ;i 
father  for  the  Americaus, 


Bui 

ing  w« 

only,  I 

journe 

lowing 

cape  ol 

end,  an 

World. 

the  car 

ings  of 

fadin<»-  < 

measun 

by    one 

never-tlii 

enough 

way  arc 

for  Ain( 

almost  fi 

survevetl 

attenij)ts 

inutin-)Ui 

bus  niiir] 

lave  fou 
it,  for  he 
Indians, 
Grand   J 
Polo.      C 
Japan,  ai 
touched 
was  so,  a 
it  was  mi 
navigator.' 
•>f  tiie  B[ 
"igh  at  tJi 
The  fir.s 
America 
Kodrigo  d 
3)arien  in 
iu  1513;  ci 


MISTAKEN  IDEAS. 


700 


But  the  end  was  not  yet.  The  Spaniards  by  sail- 
ing west  had  reached  no  new  western  eartli's  end,  but 
only,  as  they  supposed,  the  old  east  end.  Instead  of 
journeying  eastward  overland  througli  India,  or  fol- 
lowing the  newer  route  of  Prince  Honry  rt)und  the 
cape  of  Good  Hope,  they  had  cut  across  from  (>nd  to 
end,  and  distanced  Portugal  and  England,  and  all  the 
World.  But  alas  for  tJie  geography  of  Ptolemy,  for 
the  careful  calculations  of  Columbus,  for  the  measur- 
ings  of  worlds  unknown,  and  of  soas  unsailed  1  So  are 
fading  giadually  all  the  lines  and  angles  of  every  ad- 
measurement of  every  beyond  I  The  globe  was  larger 
bv  one  third  than  the  fifteenth  centurv  measure: 
nevertheless,  as  the  Genoese  surmised,  sailing  fur 
enouijh  in  that  direction  would  bring  him  in  some 
way  around  to  the  other  end.  That  is  to  say,  but 
for  America,  which  lay  stretched  out  in  mid  ocean 
almost  from  pole  to  pole,  and  until  every  foot  of  it  was 
surveyed,  European  navigators  did  not  cease  their 
attempts  to  find  a  passage  through,  and  but  for  a 
mutinms  crew  that  clamored  loudly  for  land,  Colum- 
bus might  have  reached  India,  might  by  sailing  west 
have  found  the  east;  nay,  he  was  sure  he  had  found 
it.  for  he  called  the  cimntry  India  West,  the  peo))le 
Indians,  and  straightway  set  about  looking  for  tiie 
Grand  Klian  and  the  magnifi*  ent  cities  of  Marco 
Polo.  Cul>a  he  knew  to  be  Zii)ainju,  that  is  to  sav 
Japa!i,  and  he  made  his  seamen  swear  that  they  had 
touched  tlie  coast  of  Asia.  But  .swearing  that  it 
was  so,  and  dying  in  that  belief,  did  not  make  it  so; 
it  was  nmch  the  same,  however,  to  tlie  unconscious 
navigators  who  sailed  to  and  fro  as  among  tin-  Islaiuls 
of  the  Blessed,  fiuu  ving  themselves  meanwhile  well- 
nigli  at  their  antipodes. 

TIk  fir.st  Spaniard  to  touch  the  continent  of  North 
America  was  the  adventurous  notary  of  Triana, 
Kodrigo  de  Bastidas,  who  sailed  along  the  shores  of 
l^arien  in  1501;  but  not  until  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa, 
in  151<3;  crossed  the  Darieu  isthmus,  and  stood  upon 


t  :i ' 


710 


FOUNDIXa  OF  TirE  GREAT  METROPCLrS. 


the  border  of  the  broad  Pacific,  was  tlio  ultimate  of 
this  western  earth's  end  attainetl.  Entcriiiijj  the  wat(  i', 
he  stood  there  knee  deep  In  brine,  ranting  to  tlu' 
winds  and  waves,  clainiint;  sovereignty  over  half  H.v 
world,  talking  to  luitions  beneath  his  feet,  to  multi- 
tuples  of  savage  islanders,  talking  to  Kamtchatka,  to 
China,  to  Australia,  and  to  the  two  Americas,  ten 
thousand  miles  of  western  S(>aboard,  talking  to  the  old 
otlier  earth's  end,  talking  westward  to  tlie  east,  liall- 
ing  across  half  a  hemisphere  of  ocean  old-time  migra- 
tors from  the  opposite  direction.  And,  hideed,  he 
was  the  first  from  the  Gobi  desert  thus  privileged  so 
to  talk. 

Next  the  licentiate,  Gaspar  de  Espinosa,  explored 
the  shores  of  this  new  South  Sea  one  hundred  leagues 
northwestwardly,  and  after  him  Gil  Gonzalez,  a  little 
farther;  then  Hernan  Cortes,  with  his  keen-scented 
band,  despoiled  ^Tontezuma  the  Second  of  his  IMexican 
empire",  and  afterward  surveyed  the  gulf  of  Cortes, 
now  California,  taking  possession  of  all  the  lands  he 
could  hold  on  every  side;  I*ascual  de  Andagoya  sailed 
southward  from  Pananul,  and  was  followed  by  Fran- 
cisco Pizarro,  who  vietl  successfully  with  all  his  bretli- 
ren  in  avarice  and  cruelty ;  Nuno  dv.  Guzman  penetrated 
northward  from  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  Cabeza  di' 
Vaca  crossed  fr<mi  Florida  to  Sinaloa.  Ulloa,  Coro- 
nado,  and  jNIendoza  took  possession  of  the  seven  cities 
of  Cil)ola,  now  New  Mexico,  and  the  country  round 
about;  hundreds  of  priests  and  pilferers,  for  the  lo\e 
of  God  and  the  love  of  gold,  s})read  out  in  every  di- 
recti«Hi;  zealous  fathers,  Jesuit,  Dominican,  and  Fran- 
ciscan, ready  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  st)uls,  planted 
a  line  of  missions,  at  intervals  of  fifteen  leagues  or 
thereabouts,  nearly  athf)usand  milcs  in  extent,  stretch- 
ing from  Cape  St  Lucas  through  the  two  California^ 
to  San  Francisco  bav — a  marvel  of  missionarv  enter- 
prise  unexampled  in  the  annals  of  the  church ;  Cabrillo 
and  the  English  ]>irate,  Drake,  sailed  northward  aloiiu 
the  shores  of  California ;  Moiialdo  and  Juan  de  Fue;i 


voynoffH 

Cook,  1 

tinned  t 

beyond; 

Hudson 

sians  fn: 

ern  eart 

What 

had   l)('o 

desert  t( 

eartli's  c 

sevent.'i 

otlier    m 

tlieir  wai 

not  of  ti 

were  *  ivi 

Kelial,  IK 

Besides  i 

than  tlie\ 

or  to  his"^ 

than  was 

account. 

to  and  kil 

made  a  ii 

them   tlie: 

lands  thei 

either  exti 

seventh  p£ 

^'nd  of  a  : 

puritan,  pi 

unholy  eru 

despoilcrs 

and  enjoyii 

'^t  the  flimi 

^uch  diubo 

tized,"eno( 

^vay  millioi 

riirist.      "( 

Cort'Js  to  ]i 


STRANciE  HUMANITY. 


711 


voyng(d  to  the  iina;jjinary  strait  of  Aiiian,  and  Captain 
Cook,  Hoili'j^a  V  Quadra,  Maurclk'.  and  Artca^a  mn- 
tinut'd  tlit^  survey  of  the  coast  to  Mount  St  Klias  and 
Ix'vond;  French  and  En<j;lish  fur-liuntcrs  crossed  from 
Huds(»n  l)ay  and  tlie  Mississippi  river,  an<l  the  ]lus- 
sians  from  Kamtoliatka — and  tlie  findin«_j  of  the  west- 
ern  «Mrth's  end  was  complete. 

What  then?  Six  th<»usand,  or  sixty  thousand,  years 
had  heen  consumed  in  this  journey  from  tlie  (Johi 
desert  to  San  Francisco,  distant  apart  scarce  half  the 
eartli's  circumference  alouL?  the  line  of  the  thirty- 
seventli  parallel  straiglit  as  the  hird  flies.  True, 
otli<'r  men,  somehow,  from  somewhere,  had  found 
their  way  thither  before  Vasco  Nunez;  hut  they  w«'re 
not  of  this  fold,  thev  entered  not  hv  the  jrate,  thev 
were  i^ivilization's  hlack  sheep,  not  of  Chi'ist  hut  of 
Kelial,  not  children  of  (rod  hut  children  of  tlie  devil. 
Besides  which,  tliey  occupied  too  much  land — luori! 
than  they  could  }>roperly  account  for  to  their  maker, 
or  to  his  viceuferent  of  St  Peti'r's,  and  had  more  Ljold 
than  was  jjjood  for  naked  wild  men  k(^epin<if  no  hank 
account.  So  the  oithodox  Cxohi  desert  men  turned 
to  and  killed  them  oft",  theon'tically,  because  (Jod  had 
made  a  mistake  after  buildiui.;  America  in  inittiii'^ 
them  there,  practically  because;  they  wanted  their 
lands  themselves.  ll<'nce,  as  a  recorded  bei^iniiiii;^  at 
either  extremity  of  this  te?i  thousand  miles  of  thirty- 
seventh  parallel,  we  have  the  oj'iyin  of  a  lace  and  the 
end  of  a  race,  a  cradle  and  a  i^rave.  Stran^^c!  that 
jturitaii,  priest,  and  i)lunderer  should  join  hands  in  an 
unholy  crusade  on  men  whose  only  <"rime  aLjaiiist  their 
despoilers  was  in  bfinij^  what  (Jod  had  made  them, 
and  enjoyintj^  what  (iod  had  n'i\en  them.  And  I<>'k 
at  the  flimsy  attempt  at  justification  by  elvili/atii'ii  tor 
such  <liabolicalism.  "J^etter  be  in  hell  than  uiibap- 
tlzed,"  cried  Zumilrra;^a  and  his<-onfrei-es,  and  strai;_;ht- 
wav  millions  were  slaughtered  for  the  met  k  and  lowlv 
riirist.  "Castirians  wei'o  not  made  for  woik,''  said 
CortJs  to  his  com[)anions;  "why  shouM  we  hhor  v,  ith 


Isii::  J 


Ill' 


111!  i!»'| 


41 


.,  •« 


t^i    ij 


712 


FOUNDTXG  OP  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


our  hands  for  that  which  wc  can  more  easily  win  witli 
our  swords?" — so  other  millions  were  reduced  to 
slavery,  and  made  to  plant  maize,  and  dig  for  gold. 
Even  our  latter-day  jurists  write  in  their  books, 
"Barbarous  nations  have  no  right  to  hold  large  tracts 
of  uncultivated  lands  needful  to  overcrowded  civiliza- 
tion"; and  yet  the  civilized  gentleman  may  have  his 
ten  or  twenty  thousand  acres  of  forest  or  park  wliiK- 
as  many  fenccd-out  paupers  starve.  Why  have  sav- 
ages not  tlio  rights  of  civilized  men  ?  Why  may  they 
not  enjoy  their  heritage,  and  unfold  after  their  fash- 
ion ?  Did  the  almighty  make  the  world  cultivated, 
and  man  civilized,  or  gave  he  rights  to  one  over  an- 
other? Say,  rather,  that  savagism  has  not  the  might 
to  hold  its  lands;  or  better  still,  say  nothing  about  it, 
and  let  myterious  progress  have  its  way.  Of  a  truth, 
the  Gobi  desert  men  made  of  this  western  earth's  end 
a  rare  slaughter-house  when  they  had  found  it.  There 
was  no  escape  for  the  poor  unbaptized  ;  Vasco  Nunez 
with  wet  feet  rang  out  their  requiem  from  the  shorts 
of  Panamd  bay,  and  the  end  of  their  thousand  or  ten 
thousand  ages  of  unwritten  history  is  at  hand.  Whence 
they  came  and  why,  what  they  left  accomplished,  and 
whither  they  have  gone,  who  shall  say? 

Truly  may  we  declare  the  finding  of  this  western 
earth's  end  to  be  accomplished.  There  is  no  more 
left  of  this  little  world  within  the  walls  of  frost  and 
fire,  no  more  unoccupied  temperate  zone,  no  more  of 
God's  ix<»vcrnment  lands  fit  for  a  white  man  to  live  on, 
which  may  be  had  for  the  clearing  of  it.  The  former 
littleness  of  man  and  the  <jreatness  of  his  surrounding's 
may  now  be  contrasted  with  the  present  greatness  of 
man  and  the  littleness  of  his  surroundings;  for  thus 
were  occupied  six  thousand,  or  sixty  thousand,  years 
in  accomplishing  a  ten  thousand  miles' journey,  which 
may  now  be  made  between  moons. 

Now,  with  the  western  earth's  end  found,  and  its 
aboilgjjial  occupants  comfortably  put  to  rest,  what  is 


civilization  going  to  do  about  it? 


It  is  well  enough 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  CITILIZ.VTIOX. 


713 


to  look  back  throucfh  history  that  we  may  loam  what 
others  have  done  under  like  conditions,  but  nowhere 
do  we  find  the  conditions ;  nowhere  in  the  annals  of 
our  race  do  we  find  a  society  or  a  civilization  similarly 
conditioned  to  that  of  the  Pacific  states  of  North 
America  to-day.  No  other  part  of  America  or  of  the 
globe  was  so  settled.  Never  before  was  one  half  tlie 
worM  discovered,  seized,  and  appropriated  In*  the  other 
half;  never  before  were  the  native  races  of  sf»  vast  an 
area  annihilated  by  their  conquerors;  never  brfore 
have  all  the  civilized  and  semi-civilized  nations  of  the 
Ldobe  combined  their  energies  to  form  a  new  creation. 
Many  nations  have  been  subdued,  annihilated  by 
other  nations;  many  colonies  have  been  planted  in 
various  parts,  at  various  times,  by  various  |)eoplcs, 
but  never  before  did  all  the  world  unite  for  purposes 
of  colonization  and  settlement.  The  colonics  founded 
by  Cartliatjinians  and  PhcEuicians  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean,  ami  later  those  of  Greece  and  Koine 
in  Asia,  Africa,  and  other  parts  of  Europe,  were  sim- 
ply one  with  the  mother  country,  having  no  life,  or 
n;itionality,  or  individuality,  and  thougli  they  lived  to 
be  a  thousand  years  old,  so  long  as  the  mother  v/as 
stronor  enouiih,  or  until  she  died,  she  nursed  them. 
Europe  partitioned  among  her  nations  the  two  Amer- 
icas, and  yet  the  recipients  were  not  satisfie<l.  Each 
was  keenly  jealous  of  all  the  others,  constantly  fearful 
lest  som<!  i)art  of  their  sometimes  unki'own  territc^ry 
should  be  infringed  on,  or  that  some  straggling  mer- 
chant or  trapper  should  carry  away  SvMne  of  their 
gold,  or  peltries,  or  slaves.  Even  Isabella  of  Castile, 
a  devoted  spouse  and  high-minded  woman,  would  not 
allow  her  husband's  sul)jects  the  same  N«'W  World 
])rivileges  as  her  own;  in(le«d,  for  some  time  after  its 
discovery,  none  but  Castillians  miijht  ijo  to  the  I?idies 
without  special  license.  All  this,  however,  is  fiow  at 
an  end:  colonization  was  well  enough  in  its  way,  but 
like  superstition,  and  war.  and  despotism,  and  bigotry, 
— all  at  certain  epochs  essential  to  human  progress, — 


\l 


714 


FOUNDIXt;  OF  THK  OREAT  MKTIlOrOl.R 


this  lattor-tlav  civilization  of  (»u):=*  wants  lume  of  thoni. 

The  wniKI  has  hci-oiuf  s<»  small  of  latt ,  and  its  s«a- 
eral  ])arts  hmught  into  surh  noanu'ss  of  irlationsliiji. 
that  thci't'  is  no  ni<»i<'  room  for  coloniziition:  and  tlioM- 
sujx'rannuatt'd  siM-ictits,  th<»se  old  oft'sprin^i  that  still 
rlin'4  to  tlicir  mother's  apron-string  would  <!o  wt  !1. 
for  hoth  partnt  and  child,  to  sever  the  connecti'm  jjs 
soon  as  piissihle.  Were  Canada  to  assume  a  manlv 
indtjM-ndtiHe,  and  l»ecome  a  \  ital  actuality,  land  wuul«l 
not  he  worth  twice  as  much  on  one  side  of  the  Xia^raia 
river  as  «in  the  other. 

California  is  no  colony,  nor  in  the  ordinaiy  accepta- 
tion of  the  term,  has  it  ever  heen.  It  has  hien  aii'l 
is  wliat  no  other  part  of  the  W(trld  ever  has  1m»ii  or 
will  he.  It  is  a  s[K»t  reserved  hy  providen4«'  for  tli<' 
solution  of  the  «j[randest  prohlem  incident  to  humanity. 
It  is  tlie  last  parcel  of  temperate  zone,  k«'pt  fresh  1  y 
nature  for  the  jilanting  of  a  new  emjiire,  whereunt  • 
all  tlie  natii»ns  of  the  earth,  with  all  their  comhiiu.l 


nu 


(lianieal    contrivances   and    mental    activiti« 


uv 


contriluitin'.!  of  their  ener<i;ies.  It  is  the  spe<ial  do- 
main of  the  new  social  science,  where  stM-ial  ivolution 
may  find  freest  l>lay,  where,  stri]>ped  of  many  of  tl  ■ 
old-time  prejudi<es.  men  think  for  tluinselves.  an  I 
wher<'  the  survival  of  the  fittest  in  the  worlds  ait. 
industry,  s<-ienee,  literature,  and  opinion  is  sure  t<« 
j>revail.  Into  its  lap  are  emptied  the  worM's  ston- 
jiouse  of  knowledge,  tlie  accumulation  of  all  humaa 
Latest  horn  of  nations,  all  nati«»ns  a-- 


exiurienc*' 


semlile  at  the  hirth.  At  once  the  frontier  and  teriiii- 
nus  of  progress,  it  stands  out  in  hold,  infantih'  higne--. 
l*]ssentiallv  (-osmopolitan.  ht)th  theoreticallv  an<l  in- 
stinctively.  It  hi-longs  to  no  j)olitv,  sect,  or  cretd,  hut 
to  humanity;  any  citizen  of  the  world  may,  in  a  short 
time — too  short  a  time — hecome  its  citizen,  mad«- oi  . 
with  its  jKople  and  its  interests.  Xominally  join.  <l 
to  a  confederation  of  states,  with  which  it  is  in  hearty 
sympathy,  and  from  which  it  hopes  never  to  l»e  call"! 
ui)on  to  separate,  really  it  does  much  as  it  phases,  ai.J 


feels  the 

other  sid 

And  { 

Jiarts  oft 

te rests  as 

l>arts  of  • 

like  the  ] 

its  hordei 

flow  then 

ifs    natur 

'■very  oth 

and  gold  i 

the  one  orj 

under  son 

the  reniot 

this,  there 

or  lesser  t 

the  wando 

<()rds  of  ai 

piovuig  iiii 

tliy  enterp 

fossilizing 

•  h-awinnf  th 

i'< 'deem  nig 

twined   art: 

'^"Mietiiiies 

put  aside  o 

i>in,  of  fan, 

•hating  hen 

(■<  'i-ners  of  f 

Xow,  wit 

inghere  hy 

iiietropolis, 

future  of  th 

course  of  h 

<'itainty  he 

<'  !•  '  )ur  Paei 

ii'ition  or  of 

tory  ot'  e(|Ui 


A  C;  LANCE  FORV\'Amx 


T10 


fi'ols  tlic  pulsations  of  jn'ospcritios  aiul  panics  on  the 
other  side  of  the  oontimnt  onlv  in  a  faint  i^icixree. 

And  as  with  CaHfoinia,  so  with  the  rest.  Few 
jiarts  of  the  world  present  such  uniijue  and  varied  in- 
terests as  this  western  coast  of  North  America.  Few 
parts  of  the  world  ever  so  drew  (»n  every  otlu  r  part; 
like  the  iirevailiin'  winds  and  oci-anic  currents  alontr 
its  borders,  the  intelli<ji'nce  and  industries  nf  all  nations 
How  thereto.  Few  parts  of  the  world,  in  I'ej^ard  to 
its  natural  products,  were  ever  so  drawn  upon  hy 
every  other  i>art;  jjjrain  from  valleys  and  table-lands, 
and  gold  from  rich  gulches  and  metal-wined  siirras, 
the  one  giving  life  to  man,  and  the  other  to  connnt^rce, 
under  some  one  of  tlu'ir  several  influences  })enttrate 
the  remotest  channels  of  human  intercourse,  l^i'sides 
this,  there  are  nund)erU'ss  correlative  cords  of  greater 
or  lesser  tension — cords  of  remembrance,  that  draw 
tlir  wanderer  ever  toward  his  rarly  home;  opj)UgnMnt 
coi'ds  of  and)ition,  avarice,  which  at  the  first  were  im- 
]iro\ing  industries,  laudable  activities,  and  j^raiscwor- 
tliy  enterprise,  but  which  later  stiffen  into  shackle  s, 
t'nssilizing  the  features,  and  steeling  the  heart,  and 
(h'awinix  the  victim  ever  farther  and  farther  from  the 
ivdeeming  memories  of  a  jiun-r  life;  cords  of  Inter- 
twiuid  affections,  not  without  overstntchings,  and 
sometimes  snappings,  but  which  will  not  1)0  wholly 
|>ut  aside  or  ujnooted ;  cords  of  prejudice,  of  patriot- 
ism, of  fanaticism,  of  numbcrh-ss  loves  and  hates,  ra- 
diating hence  as  from  a  connnon  centre  to  the  fartlu'st 
c'trners  of  Christendom  and  pagandom. 

Xow,  without  attempting  the  role  of  prophet,  stand- 
in-'  here  bv  Yerba  ]^urna  cove,  on  the  site  of  the  future 
iiietropolis,  there  are  some  things  connected  with  the 
future  of  this  Pacific  domain  wliicii,  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  human  events,  may  with  some  degree  of 
ct  itainty  be  anticipated.  For  example,  we  may  claim 
f'  r  our  Pacific  empire,  whether  it  be  composed  of  one 
nation  or  of  sevei'al,  a  unity  found  in  no  other  terri- 
tory of  e(i[ual  importance  and  extent    on  the  globe. 


f'la  ( 


i       I 


f.:^': 


716 


FOUXniXfi  OF  THE  OREAT  MEIROPOUS. 


First,  tlio  lM>undaries  of  this  territory  are  well  dofir^d ; 
not  imaginary,  nor  hyijotlietically  drawn,  but  fi\t(l 
and  df'terniined  as  walls  of  adamant,  and  by  nut  mo 
lirrs^'lf  On  tlie  one  side  is  the  continental  axis,  in 
the  form  of  a  8erie»  of  continuous,  irregularly-ternutd 
mountain  ranges,  which,  as  a  mountain  system,  witli- 
out  including  that  of  South  America,  rightly  belong- 
irig  to  it,  is  the  longest  and  broadest  line  of  ekvati d 
surfiice  on  the  earth.  And  if  this  Rocky  mouiititiii 
chain  Ik^  not  protection  or  Impediment  enough,  tlnre 
is  yt't  another  higher,  more  sharply -defined,  and  pif- 
cipitous  parallel  range,  w»th  a  nomenclature  beginniiii^ 
at  the  north  with  the  Alaskan  mountains,  continurj 
by  tin*  Cas<"ade  range,  the  Sierra  Nevada,  ahd  fin.illy 
suljsiding  toward  the  southern  extremity  of  Jjowi  r 
California — an  inner  wall,  giving  to  the  country  its 
cjimat*',  and  to  the  people  their  character:  checkiii'^ 
the  moisture-laden  currents  from  the  Japan  sci, 
wrinirin<;  from  the  clouds  their  fertili?in(X  dew.  and 
throwing  it  back  up()n  the  western  slope;  meanwliile 
chfeking  somewl  at  the  arid  Rocky  mountain  jv'-  that 
Koinctinirs  sweeps  down  from  the  treeless  st''Opt"  and 
elevated  plains  to  the  eastward;  walling  in  warmth 
a!id  humiditv,  and  walling  out  cold  and  dryness,  tluis 
ijivintr  to  the  Pacific  coast  a  hl<dier  averaije  tcmptii- 
tur»',  and  toward  the  north,  where  the  Jajian  emit  nts 
fii-st  strike  the  continent,  a  moister  climate,  tliaii  tluit 
of  corresponding  eastern  latitudes.  On  the  other  sidi 
is  a  common  oceanic  hiirhwav,  invitlntx  to  free  hittr- 
<ours«'.  This  two-told  inHuence,  the  one  barring  ont 
contiguous  nations  while  walling  in  the  states  of  tin 
Pacific,  the  <>tln'r  bringing  into  nearness  the  inhahi- 
tants  of  the  whoh'  .sral»oar«l,  and  letting  li'dit  in  from 
all  the  world,  will  shape  the  destiny  of  our  futuic 
empire. 

Though  continental,  this  western  strip  of  Paclf'c 
8eal»oard  is  essfntially  oceanic.  There  will  be  liitli' 
n«'<'fl  here  of  fighting  for  an  outlet  to  p«'nt  up  inchn- 
tries.     Our  whole  domain  fronts  on  the  world's  lar^-  st 


maritime 

Construct 

from  thf 

border  of 

thence  .sc 

the  Isthii 

Rio  del 

will  scare 

But  1  (I 

eni  porti< 

nent  nan 

last  of  wl 

tantalizinj 

mere  thn 

Wiiat  eloi 

exi.st  b-tw 

Surelv  M« 

exception 

central,  no 

as  this  .sa 

washed  by 

Convenient 

Kurope,  to 

tlie  natura 

^^<>rld  .sliou 

id  ways  in  i 

u'lound  of  1 

l<n()wledges 

iiierchandis( 

<''nt  central 

and  great  i 

the    nio.st    ] 

There,  indet 

tln-ir  highef 

the   Rooky  : 

liuinid  air  o 

li'-althful  rec 

or  series  of  j 

where  reigns 


A   MICHTY  SEABOARD. 


717 


maritime  thorouj^lifan;.  Aa  tliis  planot  is  laid  out  and 
constructed,  we  have  a  first-class  location.  Mtiisured 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  river,  alonuj  the 
b<>rdcrof  the  Ar^t'c  ( )cean  westward  to  Bcrinj^  .strait, 
thence  soutliward  alon<^  the  Pacific  to  Panama,  a<ros8 
the  Isthmus,  and  northward  along  the  gulf  shores  to 
Hio  del  Nortt\  and  s.'ven  thousand  miles  of  travel 
will  sc-arcely  complete  the  circuit. 

But  low  stands  the  matter  in  reirard  to  the  south- 
cm  portion  of  our  Pacific  territory,  where  the  conti- 
nent narrows  down  to  a  succession  of  isthnmses,  the 
last  of  which,  obnoxious  to  connnerce — all  the  more 
tantalizing  by  reason  of  its  insignificance — is  but  a 
nitre  thread,  holding  together  the  two  continents. 
What  elements  of  unity  are  here?  what  affinity  can 
exist  !».'tween  this  and  the  rt^gion  to  the  northward  ? 
Surelv  Afexlco  and  Central  America  should  form  an 
exception  to  the  rule.  There  is  no  spot  on  earth  so 
central,  none  so  easily  accessible  to  every  other  spot, 
as  this  same  strinj;  of  Lsthnmses.  Its  sliores  are 
washed  by  the  two  mightiest  of  oceans;  it  is  e«iually 
convenient  to  both  sides  of  the  two  Americas,  to 
Kuro[>e,  to  Asia,  to  Africa,  and  to  Australia.  It  is 
tiie  natural  pivot  upon  which  the  coimnerce  of  the 
\\orld  should  turn;  the  balance  of  trade  should  be 
always  in  its  favor.  It  should  be  the  common  fair- 
u'lound  of  nations  for  the  interchaui^e  <)f  the-  world's 
knowledges;  of  arts,  of  industries,  and  of  science;  of 
merchandise,  money,  and  mind.  Besides  its  magnifi- 
cent central  situation,  with  the  eyes  of  all  continents 
and  gri-at  i.slands  ever  upon  it,  its  interior  is  one  of 
the  m<»st  lovelv  and  favorable  retreats  for  man. 
There,  indeed,  the  primitive'  raci-s  of  America  attained 
their  hiijhest  culture.  Descondhig  from  tlu^  !iorth, 
the  Rocky  mountain  chain  as  it  etiters  the  h(»t  and 
liuinid  air  of  the  tropics,  rises  into  cooler  and  more 
lit-althful  regions,  and  flattens  out  In  a  broad  plateau, 
•  ii'  series  of  plateaux,  delightful  for  the  abode  of  man, 
whore  reigns  perpetual  spring,  and  fruits  and  flowers 


»1  I 


t  ^  Di 


l.hi'. 


ih! 


>  '■'i.i  I 


m 


718 


FOUXDINO  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


Tun(T  roaso  to  come  and  «»(>, — a  lia}>pv  Absynl.in 
Vnllev,  lit  for  JMato'w  llepulilic,  or  Morc's  Utopia. 

Wliat,  tlK'ii,  in-cvt'iits  tills  fair  doniain  from  asaeitiiiLT 
its  sovereignty,  and  l)ecoining  the  new  Venice  ?  Siniply 
tliis:  it  is  walled  up,  shut  in  on  every  side  hut  ouf, 
and  tliat  openinjjj  to  the  north  and  into  the  temperate 
Zone  of  our  l*aeifie  territory.  T^ist  this  fair  land 
should  play  the  wanton  with  less  favored  spots,  natuie 
surrounds  her  honlers  with  a  miasmatic  (irrra  cal'n ii>i\ 
which  renders  the  occupation  of  her  shores  inij)ossil  Ik 
to  any  hut  the  acclimated.  So  deadly  is  tin;  influeiite 
on  Europeans  of  the  swampy  exhalations  from  the 
horder-lands  of  ^Fe.xico  and  Central  America,  tliat 
the  oft-repeatetl  attempts  to  found  t  leie  larg<'  cities 
has  in  evi'ry  instance  proved  a  disastrous  failure. 
From  the  earliest  times  of  which  we  have  anv  kn(»\vl- 
edge,  the  ahoriginal  inhahitants  of  the  highlands  cnuld 
not  live  ujton  the  sea-coast.  Now,  JVIexlcaii  nur- 
chants,  of  European  origin,  doing  husiness  in  tlie  sea- 
port towns,  often  have  their  ri'sidence  in  the  hills  or 
nittuntains  hack,  visiting  their  places  of  husinrss  ,it 
intervals,  and  hasti'uing  hack  at  the  earliest  jiossihle 
moment.  I  might  cite  twcMity  examjiles  when'  tlie 
S|»aiiiai-ds  have  attempted  to  plant  cities  r»n  either  side 
of  this  land,  and  failed,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  twl<f  ;is 
many  thousand  lives,--  instance  A^Tagua.  Santa  ^rariii 
<le  la  Antigua,  Portohello,  old  l*ananui,  Kspiritu 
Santo,  and  the:  like.  l[ence  it  is  that  the  only  siitr 
and  natural  j>athway  for  tin;  occupants  of  JMexicaii 
and  Central  American  }tlateaux  is  northward  alon.;' 
tlirlr  tahle-laiids,  and  into  the  more  nortlunly  }tart  nf 
our  I'aciHe  States  domain.  Let  him  who  does  nnt 
see  the  natural  oneness  of  this  n-gion,  put  two  di' 
three  lines  of  railways  from  Alaska  to  the  isthnms  uf 
Pananul  so  that  intercomnumication,  that  prinu^ 
element  of  progress,  can  Ik;  fri'e  an<l  easily  acc'nii- 
pllshed,  and  the  scei>tic  will  not  have  long  to  wait 
f.r  results. 

With   a  geneial   average  climate  cold  enough   to 


INFLUENTIAL  CAUSES. 


718 


stnnulatc  to  industr}',  but  not  so  cold  as  to  inako 
c'oiiit'ort  (.h'puucl  on  tho  entire  [)roilu(t  of  man's  hilxir; 
warm  enouuli  to  invite  to  reiininLi  leisure,  but  not  so 


liot  as  to  enervate  t)r 


saj 


tl 


le  eueriru'S  o 


f  body 


or  nuiu 


witli  rail)  enougli  to  warrant,  for  the  most  part,  an 
abundant  harvest  but  not  sufficient — except  aloni^'  the 
borders  of  tho  aforesaid  southern  jiart,  insijjjnilicaiit  in 
area  as  compared  to  the  whole — to  produce  a  ndun- 
(laut  or  uncontn ►liable  vejjjetation,  here  are  all  the 
elements  and  stimulants  of  hieh  cultun;.  Imleed, 
that  the  advanced  civilization  of  the  Azt«cs,  Mayas, 
and  (Quiches,  of  the  southern  tal)le-lands,  was  not 
likewise  f(>und  in  the  e(|ually  favorable  parts  to  the 
northward,  nmst  1  (^  attributed,  not  to  soil  or  climate, 
hut  to  unkn(»"vii  ineidiMital  or  "Xtrinsic  causes,  to  wars 
and  social  C(Mivulsioiis,  to  tin  turninjjjs  and  over-turn- 
iiiL>s  ot  the  long  unrecorded  |)ast.  So  far  as  w«'  can 
now  see,  there  is  nothing  nere  to  jtrevent  man  from 
being  master,  nothing  ^o  prevent  the  complete  suh- 
onlination  of  nature,  and  the  complete  devtlop- 
inent  of  mankind  in  perpetual  unfoldings.  Although 
e\t(Miding  almost  from  pole  to  e<|uator.  intersecting 
iiearlv  all  the  northern  latitudes,  there  are  fewer 
extremes  of  climate  in  what  may  be;  termed  the  habi- 
tahle  portions  of  the  l?acilie  States  than  one  at  the 
tirst  glance  would  suppose.  And  this  frt'edom  from 
extremes  I  hold  to  b(!  the  fundamental  element  of 
i>rogrt>ss,  of  perfect  living,  and  hap]»y  dying;  this 
freedom  is  a  fi'eedoin  from  the  greatest  curse  human- 
ity is  heir  to,  from  indeed  thti  only  evil,  the  iinpeison- 
iitioii    of  all    evil, — extvcmes    of  o|»inion,   of  action; 


Xatu 


11' 


extre(n<'s  in  religion,  in  )>o!ity,  and  in  society, 
lierself  teaches  us  the  K  s.son -.  our  very  niotlur  earth 
tor  the  highest  perfecting  of  her  cliildi'en  nmst  b(> 
UKHJerate,  neither  too  nuieh  g.'ntleness  noi*  too  nuich 
li.irshness,   neither  sterilit\    ni»r  rechmdancw  neither 


i.'ji 


k  hill.' 


s  and  barren  plams, 


lest  th 


leo  1 


le    sial'V^ 


iior  an  undue  or  superabundant  vegetation,  lest  man 


r    i . 


910 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


bo  ovcrwhelined,  and  swallowed  up  by  It;  for  in  citlicr 
case  how  shall  he  obtain  the  mastery  over  nuiterial 
things,  still  less  over  ignorance  and  superstition  ? 

Along  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  ocean  and  the 
strait  of  Bering,  the  Eskimo,  for  three-fourths  of  tlie 
year,  dozes  torpidly  In  his  den,  and  niust  forever  so 
doze,  unless  his  dhnate  changes.  His  three  niontlis 
of  nightless  summer  are  an  insufficient  compi'nsat'Kii 
for  his  three  nn)nth8  of  sunless  winter,  and  the  six 
months  of  glinunering  twilight.  The  lowlands  (t 
Ce!itral  America,  under  a  vertical  sun,  which  lifts  un- 
ceasingly the  waters  from  either  ocean,  and  pours 
them  on  the  land,  covering  the  swanijiy  soil  with  a 
dense  dan>p  foliage  of  hot-house  growtli  and  decay, 
generating  disease  and  death,  is  a  fitti-r  home  for 
noxious  reptiles  and  wild  beasts  than  for  clvili/td 
man.  A.  fringe  of  cold  and  heat  at  either  end,  and 
on  the  side  dryness;  for  In-sides  the  ill-fated  hyjur- 
borean  and  tropical  man,  the  root  and  reptile-eating^ 
cav(!-dweller  of  the  (Jreat  Basin,  between  tlu^  Sitiia 
Nevada  and  the  Rockv  numntains,  are  e(|Uidlv  unfor- 
tuiiate.  There  alternate'  barren  hills  and  treeless 
plains  and  rainless  seas  of  sand,  which  afford  cold 
comfort  for  man  and  beast.  Thus  we  find  the  st'at  of 
oui  imiurial  domain  well-ni-'h  eircumseiibtd  bv  ill- 
favored  elements,  while  one  of  the  fain'st  portions  nt 
eartli  lies  within,  basking  l«'fore  the  broad  I'acifie  sea. 
At  either  end  ami  on  tiie  western  side  are  the  extrt-nies, 
cold  and  he.at,  and  dryness,  and  these  and  all  otli*  r 
extremes  men  do  w«Ti  everywhere  to  shun — but  the  ill- 
favored  borders  as  compan-d  to  the  territory  t'lulosrd 
is  insignificant  both  in  arra  and  im|M)rtancr.  At  tin- 
extn-nu*  north  and  south  rain  falls  often  and  abun 
dantly,  while  tlie  portion  intt-rmediate  is  watered  iil 
ternat«'ly — tlu;  noithern  part  in  the  so-call«'d  wintrr 
months,  and  the  southern  part  in  the  sununer.  It 
were  easy  to  show,  likewise,  that  in  the  scarcity  "t" 
ijreat  naviixable  rixirs,  railwavs  and  the  ocean  will 
direct  traffic,  making  one  place  almost  as  accessible  ;is 


TlIE  WOULD   ENC()Ml'ASSi:i). 


791 


anoth»=r,  throwiiitjf  all  into  rontinuitv  with  less  pri»- 
vinci.ilisin    and    claiiship   than    air    fonnd    in    (iMrr 


sociotif.s. 

In  the  geological  t'oiniation  of  tlir  l^icifir  (loii'ain, 
natun's  ronvul.Nivi'  tiirot  s  are  evcrvwluit.'  niMnili  -t. 
Its  origin  is  iunruus  ratlur  than  a«jn((»us;  fire  is  the 
aiiliitrit  ot"  its  hills,  and  in  place  of  large  rivers,  and 
inland  seas,  and  hioad  juaiiics  that  clun'.K  tcii/c  the 
eastern  sIojk',  there  arc  mighty  mountain  ranges 
thrown  intn  smdight  from  hclow,  and  covered  with 
voloanii'  ]n  aks  which  stand  like  jthitonic  snioki-stacks 
all  along  the  seahoard  from  Saint  Klijis  to  Xiciira^ua, 
while  till-  Seething  ( «eyser-<-haldrons,  and  innnni*  lahlo 
thermal  and  sul|thurie  s|>i  ings  that  form  the  safetN- 
valves  of  sul (terra ncan  l<d)oratoi'ies.  »xive  waminy;  that 
the  underKin-j;  for'^c-fircs  are  not  \ct  wliollv  extin- 
guished.      JOven    the    ha/v    niorning    air,    lestiiig    on 


green  liill  <(r  more  distant  |nn|tle  sieii 
j'ccidiai'  creiitiun. 


a. 


hetol> 


ens  Its 


In  the  ahsence  of  man\'  extensi\e  luirliors  in  ni 


ar 


!»r(»\imity  to  each  otliei',  ))o|inlatioii  and  eommeice 
will  itc  Concent I'ated  ;  there  will  he  teWer  large  cities 
nil  the  Western  than  tlieie  are  on  tlie  eastein  <'oast. 
The  ]iii»icij»al  indentations  of  the  western  <-oast  are 
the  open  hay  of  Panama,  the  smaller  parts  of  Xicoya 
i  ud  Fonsci-a,  tin;  great  gulf  of  < 'alifoinia,  the  haxs  of 
San    Diego  an«l    Sa!i    Francisco,    the    mouth   of    the 


<  'ohnnliia   ri\er.  and    th 


^oU 


nds  in    the   vicinit\    of 


\  ancouver,  CJueen  Ciiarlotte  and  Kadiak  islands. 
As  if  to  make  amends  forth*'  scarcity  «»f  goo<l  haihors 
along  tiie  shore  line  of  their  vast  na\igal»le  wateis, 
midway  hetween  its  h«»t  and  cold  » Mreines  was  fash- 
ioned one.  whi<h  in  its  formation,  betokens  the  most 
>kilfid  art  and  i'airest  handiwoik. 


i    ^'! 


Such  Were  the  palls  hy  wlii<l»  the  Gohl  de^t  rt 
men  found  their  way  to  this  w«stern  earth's  end.  anti 
made  readv  t<»  plant  a  new  Hahvlon  at  Yerha  liuena 
<'\f.     (Miniiites  e.»me   and  g<»;  «)n  the  same  spot  ot 

4  A  I,.  I'aoT,     <•> 


FOUXI)IX(i    OF    iIIK  CHEAT   MKTllOTOIJS. 


eart!i  we  soo  oncologic  evidences  of  vast  |»rii(»ds.  now 
of  Arctic  winter,  and  now  of  tro[)ical  sununer.  Tluit 
wITkIi  was  once  sea  is  now  land,  and  wlicrc  seas  oikc 
r()lliil  mountains  n(»w  point  their  sununits  lieavi  n- 
wai'd.  So  it  is  with  men  in  their  hopes  and  feiirs, 
their  l)ehefs  and  hhnd  imaginings,  their  hot  desires, 
and  mad  and>itions. 

Immmeral)lo  as  are  tlie  secrets  of  tlie  universe, 
they  rev(>al  themselves  to  man  l>ut  slowly.  So  itw.is 
when  civilization  crept  from  primeval  centers  seekin.^r 
uvw  channels  like  tlu'  melted  snow  sent  hy  the  all- 
awakening  sun  down  fnMU  the  mountain  top  upnn 
the  arid  plain.  Cautiotisly  the  clouded  int«'llect  per|is 
from  old-time  surroun<Hngs  over  the  sea  of  darkness 
out  into  the  savage  wilderness  beyond  the  limits  v^ 
the  advancing  light. 

Why  our  old  teachers,  so  eager  her(>  to  make  us 
uiulerstand,  should  he  so  backward  to  enlighten  us 
wlien  tliev  ijfet  to  heaven  and  know  as  tlnv  are 
known,  none  can  tell.  When  in  I7<)'.>  the  Franelstaii 
fathers  went  forth  to  spy  out  the  land  n(»rtliwar»l 
from  San  Diego  hay,  they  marked  the  places  fa\ni'. 
ahk^  to  Iheir  missions,  and  from  the  calendar  of  saints 
and  angelsdrew  nanu's  to  tell  the  .several  spots.  X<i\\. 
Padre  .lum'peio,  history  relates,  was  deeply  solicidus 
that  tlu^  patron  of  his  ordir,  thrice  blessed  St  Frniicis, 
should  ha\(^  due  recognition  in  the  bestowal  of  naim  <, 
to  which  honor  the  saint  himself  seemed  inditrereiit, 
for  never  a  day  and  a  bay  would  he  give  them  to- 
gether. In  vain  the  padre  )»resident  besought  ( Ind 
and  asked  the  virgin's  aid.  Then  he  iirged  the  mattrr 
U|MM)  the  visitador  general.  (JaKez.  who  blunt l\  n- 
plied.  "  If  our  seraphic  father.  Saint  Francis  of  A ssisj. 
Would  liave  hisnanu^to  signalize  some  station  on  tli<  so 
shores,  1(  t  him  show  us  a  good  haven." 

So  wlu-n  the  little  band  under  F'ather  Crespf,  after 
wearily  plodding  along  an  unbroken  sea-cuast  tViiii 
San  Diego,  first  stoo«l  upon  the  highlands  oveilonkin',' 
a    broad    placid    lake-like  and  well-nigh    land-locked 


slieet,  1 

«Md    fill 

and  sea 
sweet  J 
'•Sureb 
Fran<i.s( 
"iggai-<|J 
broad  a  I 

bni<I(.,-.s, 

with  |.a 
•sixty  niij 
\vith  a  si 
!»»•  there, 
hi  beaut  1 
Iiit^  it,  tii 

iiig  f^eawa 
^vealfIl  of 
'lian  a  mi 
"1,^'  Nvith  t 

tile  WoiM 

^\'iich  .Sep 

tlie    .sea   a 

""i.i^Iity  ni( 

■^treteliiii^r 

two  tli<»us 

^V"»rj(|'s  (•n( 

wlii«-j|  i.s  t( 

•■"id    li('a|)ii 

eli(».stn   spo 

<'ii«i('uvor. 

On   tlie 

way  bctw,., 

tlilec     niilcv 

-^^Wi'il  V..,b 
"'"  San  Fn, 
'"»M  <»f  the 
I'lesidj,,  of  ; 
•'t  the  narr 
^'''»'  'Jiiniatu 


n-i 


SA>J    FIIANCISCO   n.\Y, 


TBS 


shoct,  fiin<:f«Ml  with  verduro,  dotted  witli  drccii  isles, 
and  tilled  with  noisy  wat«'r-fowls,  and  riotous  seals 
and  sea-lions,  while  over  tin;  j^litteiint;  wateis  the  soft 
sweet  hazy  ( 'alif'ornian  air  east  its  peeuliar  ehanii, 
"  Sunlv, "  thi'V  said,  "this  must  he  tiu"  ha\  (»r  San 
Fianeiseo."  AikI  so  it  was  called.  I  Manned  hv  no 
ni<;jj^ai<lly  arehiteet,  sculpture*!  hv  no  hunjj^lini;'  hand, 
hroad  and  (leep  like  a  highland  loeh.  with  well  lounded 
hor<lers,  and  sentinel  islands,  and  massive  poitals, 
witli  I'ays  within  hays,  and  stretchinn'  altogether 
sixty  miles  in  leui^th,  averatjini^  six  miles  in  width, 
ith  a  shore  line  «»f  two  hundred  ami  seventv   miles 


w 
or 


th 


lereahouts. 


Sj 


in    IMancisco    l>;iv   is  unsuipassec 


d 


In  heautv  and  utilitv  hv  anv  the  sun  shines  U|K»n. 
Into  it  How  the  San  J<ta(|uin  and  Sacramento,  tlojit- 
iiij;-  seaward    the    wond»'ous   mineral   and   ati;ri<ultuial 


w< 


altli  of  tlitir  vallevs.  while  hetween  t 


wo  ell 


tn 


less 


than  a  mile  asunder,  is  the  oi:ly  eliann<-l  coinmunieat- 
iii;4  with  the  ocean,  the  ( Jolden  (Jate,  whicii  opens  to 


the  w<)rld  Calit'ornia's  treasure 


II 


ere  on  a  penmsula 


which  separates  the  waters  of  the  hay  from  those  of 
the  sea  are  now  heinijf  laid  the  foundations  of  a 
mii^hty  metropolis,  the  <|ueen  city  of  this  coast,  while 
si i('tchln|j^  out  two  thousand  miles  to  the  north,  and 
tufi  thousauil  mih'S  to  the  south,  lies  the  western 
World's  end,  rea<ly  and  waitiui^  for  the  L^rcat  prohlem 
which  is  to  he  worked  out  hy  the  hrinLjiniL;  together, 
and  lieapin«4  up,  of  liwman  experiences,  a  fair  and 
ehosen  Spot  wliereou  nuiii  may  achieve  his  ultniate 
endeavor. 

On  the  northern  end  of  the  peninsula,  almut  half 
way  lutween  the  (lolden  ( Jate  and  Claik  l*oi)it,  and 
three  miles  northwest  of  what  was  suh.st  (jUenlly 
tilled  ^'elha  huena  cove  where  first  the  present  (  ity 
of  San  Francisco  heinan  to  t^row.  at  a  little  inilenla- 
tion  of  till*  shore,  was  plante<i.  in  the  year  I77'>,  tlit; 
I'residio  of  San  Francisco,  and  on  a  ntcky  euiinenee, 
at  the  naii'ctwest  point  of  the  (io|d«'n  (late,  J!  fort. 
The  niiniature  l>av  in  front  of  It  where  all  vessels  th-n 


i4 


I  If 


7M 


FOUXDIXC   OF  THE  GRKAT  MEIUOI'ULIS, 


anchortxl  M'as  called  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  aiiii 
the  iiiisyioM,  which  was  estahlisiied  mnua  four  milt  s 
away  over  the  sand-hills  toward  the  south,  on  a  little 
•jfulf — or  lake  the  father  called  it — that  ran  Up  frtnii 
the  l)ay,  was  at  first  called  the  mission  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, l)ut  afterward  was  often  termed  the  n)issi<»ii  of 
Doloi'es.  There  was  then  no  town.  A  few  so-calh d 
settlers  conijfrejj^ated  ahout  the  presidio,  or  took  up 
their  residence  at  the  mission;  hut  all  the  peninsula, 
bay,  mission,  ])residio,  and  s(!ttlement  were  known 
only  by  the  name  of  San  Francisco.  Yerl)a  ]^U(  ii.i 
cove  was  more  sheltered  than  thtq)()rt  of  the  presidio, 
so  that  vessels  often  lay  at  anchor  there  for  trreater 
safety.  It  was  likewise  nearer  to  the  mission,  and  a 
better  landinuf  for  that  point.  Roads  ran  from  Yerla 
Bui'na  to  the  mission  and  to  the  presidio,  and  from 
the  presidio  to  the  fort,  and  to  the  mission. 

The  first  marriajyc  celibrated  in  the  churcli  of  the 
pri'sidio  of  San  Francisco  was  on  the  'JSth  of  Xn- 
vend)er,  177(5,  between  Francisco  Antonio  Cordrro. 
a  S(;ldier  of  the  jSIonterey  company,  and  Juana  Fran 
cisca  l^into,  daughter  of  Pablo  Pinto,  'a  sol<rnr  of  tin 
presldial  com[rany  of  San  Francisco.  Conlero  was 
born  in  Lonto,  Lower  California,  and  his  bride  in 
the  city  of  Si'ialoa.  Father  Palou  })erformed  the 
marriage  ceiemony.  The  next  marriagi'  was  that  <>t' 
Jose  Francisco  Sinova,  a  soldier  from  Spain,  anil 
^iari'a  Gi'rtri'idis  Pohorcjues,  of  Sinaloa. 

On  th(^  tenth  day  of  August  previous,  Palou  luid 
bajttized  the  first  whiti^  ch.ild  born  in  the  ]>n'sidio  of 
San  Francisco,  Francisco  Soto,  a  son  of  the  sohlii  r 
Ignacit)  Soto  and  his  wife  Maria  i^arbaro  de  Lug" 
The  first  person  buried  in  the  presidio  church  Wii> 
Manuela  Luz  Munoz. 

On   the  ti'stimony  of  Juan   Salvio  Pachcco,  wli  > 
came  from  Monterey  in  1810  as  a  soldier  in  the  mi!i- 
tarv  companv  assi<j;neil  to  the  itresidio  in  San   Fian 
cisco,  the  first  of  tlu'  adobe  buildings  at  the  loif  Wi  i 
then  built,   and   others  in    process   of   constructluu 


x\n  wei 
years  la 
arrived. 

off  they 

were  in'j 

^"l(h"er  at 

j'loidi,,  \ 

uitli  to 

were  pcni 

The  oi- 

l(»\vs:    7^, 

points,  thi 

whicli,  w 

•■"id  Sacra 

iii-ni  of  th 

mint,  the  : 

'Kcidently 
J-nid  in  tlii 
ii'ibitation. 
iial  proper! 
use. 

'''f'lieand 

\i'^ited  thi.s 

Chwa  on  til 

l'i"esi(h"o  (.f 

'lay.      Ther 

I'^uacio  ^f;, 

.iitillerv.  ail 

'iiglit  iii  the 

<'f'  day  m(»u 

"'\pre.s.sin<i-  ) 

^"'•'•«»\v  that 

'■'  <'ondition  i 

N'cretary,  Z 

•'""ars  .shouj 

•■"ifipany  wli 

\\''ll-deservin 

'•ii'iia.  ascen 

iis   TeiegrapJi 


VISIT  (W   KCITKANDfA. 


728 


All 


w< 


'!•(>    finislicd    wln'ti    lie    left    tlu*   StTV 


ire 


fift 


(•fi» 


vcars 


lat 


IT. 


M 


issii>n 


Dol 


«»ros  Wi 


IS   Iti.ilt    lu'fort'    li 


aiiivcd.  At  tlint  tiiiif,  wlitii  ^ffxicu  was  tlmtwiiij;; 
<itr  tlio  yokt-  of  S|uiin.  tlic  Hiianrcs  of  tin >  iLjovmuiK  iit 
wvw.  ill  a  sad  state,  and  loyalty  was  purdiascd  Ity  tlic 
soldier  at  the  pricf  of  his  wa^cs.  Tlic  soldit-rs  of  the 
]irc.sldi(»  were  faithful  to  Spain;  Spain  liad  not  whrrc- 

ith  to  pay  thcni;  {'ons«'<iut'ntly  for  ten  years  tliey 
were  penniless. 

The  oriixin  of  the  name  of  Yerha  Buena  is  as  fol- 
lows:  Between  what  was  later  Claik  and  I'ineon 
points,  there  was  a  cove   or  ei-escent  at   the   head   of 

hich,  where  later  was  the   junction  of  ^^ont|^<tlnery 


w 


u 


ind  Sacramento  streets,  was  a   little   laL^una 


ttl. 


lak. 


or 


aim  of  tlu-  hay.  (»n  whose  horders  yrew  a  kin<l  of 
mint,  the  seeds  of  which  Wel-e  supposed  to  have  heell 
accld(>ntly  (h'opped  there  hy  the  sailors  who  used  to 
land  in  this  cove  lon^j;  hefoic  tliei-e  was  any  human 
liahitation.  The  people  [)rized  the  I-,  -i-h  for  its  mediei- 
iial  pi'o[»ertit's,  and   ;j;atiiei';'d  and  dried   it   for  family 


use 


b]cheandia.  the  jefe-politicoand  comandante  i^eini'al, 
visited  this  j>lac(!  in  IS27.  Leavin^j;  mission  Santa 
Clara  on  the  mornin«jj  of  Atay  LMitii,  ju'  reached  tlio 
]nisi«Jio  of  San    Fran<-iseo  at  three  o'clock   the  samo 


.iav 


Tl 


lere   .s7/    ticimri'i    Was    recelVe(|    hv    the    oHjccrs 


i'^naci<»  AFai'tine/ an<l  Jose  Sanchez  amid  a  sal\o  of 
.•;!tillei'y,  and  the  rinniiiL^  of  hells.  He  |tassed  t!ic 
i'i.!;lit  in  the  «(uarters  pr'e|)ared  for  him.  at  the  hri-ak 
«'t'  day  mounted  his  horse  and  I'eviewed  the  tro<>|»s, 
i\j)i('ssinLj  his  pleasui'e  a 


it  Ifi 


eir  |>rofici(iic\ .  and   Ins 


•rr<»w  that  sucli  hrave  fellows  should  he  in  so  ra'^i^rd 


;i  I'o 


n<lition  and   look 


so  care-worn. 


Addr 


essm^    his 


ci'etarv,  Zauiorano.    Ii<^  directed  that   two  hun<lred 

ollars  should   he  delivered   to  the   hal»ilita<lo  of  the 

impany   wherewith   to   purchase  clothiiiL:     for   such 

•ll-deservin«4 veterans.      The  jefe  li(>\t  visited  Veiha 

Uiieiia,  ascended  one  of  the  se\-en   hills,  later  known 


\\. 


ib 


T 


eienjraph    iiil 


\\ 


hich    o\erlooked    the    pi 


place,  aiu 


''■■f' 


790 


FOU\niN<;  OF  THE  CREAT  METROPOLTS. 


caiTU'd  away  by  tlio  ontliusiasm  ovitkod  by  tlie  ium^- 
nllitviit  st'i'iio  befbii'  him,  oxelainu'cl.  "  How  btautit'ul  1 
Tlvw  NVdiuk-rful !  Mi'xico  clofs  not  know  what  a  jtwtl 
she  [H>ssc'SJ<es  hero."  Whiloattho  jti'isidio  Kchi'aiidia, 
wlht  was  an  euj^hucr  otticer,  s|H>iit  .scviial  dawn  draw- 
in*':  i)laiis  for  the  buildiiiy;  of  forts  urar  tlic  outraiicc 
of  tlio  bay,  takinjj;  iioto  als(j  of  tlio  islands  of  Alca- 
tra/  aihl  AnL;vh'S  as  [)v">iiits  of  dtfcnce. 

When  ready  t()  return  Echeanch'a  made  a  speech  to 
the  i^arrison  of  the  presidio,  praising  the  men  for  the 
good  services  they  had  done  to  the  cause  of  civili/a- 
tion,  and  assured  them  that  lie  would  consider  it  a 
hiiih  honor  to  lead  them  to  the  field  of  glorv.  In 
conclusion  he  said  *' Your  officers  have  made  me  aware 
of  one  fact  that  you  are  displeased  because  the  gov- 
ernment of  Mi'xico  has  sent  criminals  to  settle  in  the 
country  that  during  s«)  many  years  you  have  defendid 
with  une<|ual  bravery.  I  recognize  the  justict;  of 
your  iomplaints;  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  I 
will  s})are  no  eHbrts  to  hiduce  the  government  of 
^Mexico  tv)  change  Us  })urposc  of  colonizing  California 
with  convicts." 

One  niiiht  durin«'-  the  vi'ar  1840,  a  i'antlu>r,  which 
had  l)eeu  observi'd  for  several  days  ])rowling  about  tlie 
settlement,  si'ized  and  carried  off  an  Lulian  boy  eiglit 
years  old  frt>m  the  yard  of  ^Ir  Leese,  where  now  is 
the  corner  of  Clay  and  l)u}>ont  streets.  The  boy  was 
not  rescued,  nor  ever  afterward  seen.  During  tlic 
same  yearCaptain  I'helps  whose  ship,  the  .ihrt,  owned 
bv  Brvant,  Sturois  &  Co.  of  Bostt)n,  then  lav  at 
Yerba  Jiuena,  sent  his  second  otHcer  with  a  boats 
cri'W  to  cut  firewo(>d  at  Hincon  point.  IMacing  the 
tirkin  containing  their  provlsi«)ns  in  the  fork  of  a  tnc 
the  sailors  went  to  work.  At  noon,  ongoing  for  tluir 
dinni'r,  they  found  a  female  grizzly  bear  and  her  culs 
j)osted  round  the  firkin  tooly  discussing  its  content >. 
Not  relishing  the  air  and  manner  of  the  matron,  tin' 
sailors  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  and  ruhhing  down  to  \]\>' 
buacli   made  for  the  ship  as  fast  as   possible.     This 


soen»'  (] 

Streit  ) 

In    I 

authori 

the    pc, 

wiljino- 

dire<t<'tj 
municip 

tJien  <(»i 
the  pi-e 
anijili'  p, 

Figue 

to  trade 

prohibit* 

alm(»st  u 

I>racticc  i 

duties  h.i 

toni-liou.>- 

I^^ranci.se* 

being  alv 

of   (allfn 

unchorini 
l<»ng  tiin( 
or  port, 
till  ir   car 
Jiri\  il(...,. 

d.|  Castil 
eeiver  of  i 
T]m>  ale 
the  Yerba 
iiiii)ortanc 
loa    to  tr; 
^''rinieisco 
^^  Jestra  h 
1^'gitimate 
(}!n\  Oet(d 
itants  and 
latter  was 
aiid  tlie  p( 


THK  llEOINXINO  OF  YEUHA   HUKXA. 


soono  (M'cumd  not  far  from  wlu're  was  plari<l  I'hIsoim 
stn-ft  wharf. 

Ill  l>;{4.  (n'lici'al  Jose  Fi«^ut*roa,  the  chit  f  ei\il 
auth<»rity  of  ('ahf»»rnia.  in  acctud  witli  the  \vi>h»  s  of 
thi'  |K'o|»le  of  San  Francisco  presidio,  wlio  weie  un- 
willini;  to  continue  lony:<r  uiuler  ntilitarv  auihoritv, 
directed  tliat  a  |>o|)uhir  election  sliould  he  hi  Id  f<>ru 
niunicijud  corimratii>n.  8ul>-lieutenant  M.  (J.  \  alh  jo. 
then  conianthmte  of  the  place,  was  orderi'd  to  r* move 
the  pit'sidial  i>r  cavalry  company  to  S«>nonia,  and 
am]>le  powei-s  were  t;iven  him  to  form  a  colony  there. 

Fiuuen»a  was  next  asked  t«)  permit  Verha  Ihiena 
to  trad«'  with  foreiijn  vessels,  whi«h  hitherto  had  hren 
prohiMted,  the  law  ri'Cjuirinjj;  that  vessels  should  lay 
almost  under  the  jjjuns  of  the  fort.  This  had  !•« .  n  the 
practice  from  the  earlust  days  of  the  pr«sklii>,  althoni;h 
duties  had  luen  paiil  on  ships  and  cargoes  at  tin-  «us- 
»f    Monteri'V,  an<l  vi'ssels    came    to    San 


tom-1 


louse 


rancisco  under  .special   license.     Ueiiera 


\\\ 


( 


d   Fi- 


rutroa. 


beinjj;  always  desirous  »»f  jtromotini;  the  adxamt  im nt 
t>f  Califoinia,  decreed  that  the  fondeadeio.  oi  the 
anchorinv:;-j4n»un<l,  of  Yerha  l^uena — so  <all«  d  for  a 
loiii;  time  past—  .slmuld  1k' thereafter  the  tiaditiLi  plac 
or  j>ort,  opi'ii  to  foiii>:;n  vessels  which  had  i  nit  led 
their  car!Ljoes  at  the  AFonterey  custom-hou>f.  this 
piivih^f  iM'injjj  al.-^n'Xtendi'd  to  whalin!.'"  slii|i>.  iN-dro 
d'l  Castillo,  an  (»ld  residi'ut,  was  tlun  ai>point«d  a  n- 
celver  of  puhlic  revenue, 

The  aleald*',  Fran<isco  SanclHZ,  heini;  .s;itisfi.  d  that 
the  Yerha  l^ui-na  an<liora«jj;e  was  likely  to  attain  ;j;r»at 
importance  from  tluse  con<'essions.  ]utition«  d  I'iun*- 
roa  to  transfer  and  found  the  numieipality  of  San 
^^•an<iseo  at  the  mission  of  San  Francisco  de  Asis.  or 


»tra  Senora  d«'  los  J)«»loi( 


The  foiinei'  \\a>  tin 


K\^itimate  name  of  the  mission,  and  on  Saint    Fiancis 
day.  Octolu'r  4th.  was  yearly  celehnited  hv  tin-  inhah- 
itants  and  missionaries  with  fea.sts  and  rej(»ieinu  .  the 
latter  was  looked  upon  as  a  patroness  of  the  mission, 
and  the  people  used  to  shorten  the  name,  and  from 


k'l 


tV} 


i  U 


<r- 


7-:s 


FOUXIiIXf;  OF  TTIE  ORKAT   METKOrOIJS. 


tustoin  jiuriiiiij  niaiiy  years  <'aiiu'  to  <all  tlie  t'staldish- 


iiitiit  la  iiiisioii  .<le  ])oloi 


TS. 


The  iiaiiif  i>t' tli<-  iiiis>i<iii 


of  San    Fraiiris<-«»  Solano  was  als(»  i-li;iii«^t'il   oy  us;»<^e 
to  Soiioiua,  whiih  is  a  namt-  «»t'  the  al)oii''iiiL-s  «tt'  tlic 


tiact' 


rui.Huaiit  to  the  |M;titioii  of  Saiu'ln-z,  (Jnui-al  Vi- 
<>;iu  Toa  tiaiist'ernd  tlu*  iiiuiiicipalitv  of  San  Franris«o 
to  the  mission  ]>oloies,  liiantin;^  to  it  jiiiis^li«tion  <tver 
the  whole  territory  of  the  presidio,  imlmlini;  Vt  rha 
IJiieiia,  the  ranihos  situat<'rl  in  the  Contia  ('o>ta.  and 
even  as  far  as  that  of  Ijiis  J*ul;j;as  on  the  8«»uth;  all 
these  places  were  thus  put  under  the  niunii-i|Kil  •gov- 
ernment of  San  Francisco  rcsidin*;  in  the  mission  Do- 
lores. 

At  this  time.  Jose  Joa<|uin  Kstudillo,  an  «»ld  military 
olHei'r  of  tin-  |»resi<'Ii«»  <»f  San  Franeis«o,  was  r«>idlnL; 
in  C'onti"a  CosUi  with  a  larj^e  family,  and  havin'j;  no 
land  of  his  own,  he  a«l<lressed  a  petition  to  Fi^mioa 
modestly  a.skin'4  for  th»-  place  callt  d  Verha  Hn<ria.  to 
cstaldish  there  a  small  rancho.  Fi'^ueroa  eans<d  an 
invt'sti<^'ation  t*»  he  mad*'  hy  the  territoiial  d<  putati«)n. 
.fuan  ]i.  .\lvarado,  who  later  ln-iam*-  !Lrov»rnor  of 
(\difoinia.  was  then  a  memher  of  that  Uianl.  and  op- 


p<»st  d  the  |Mtition.  heiiiij;  promp 


.ted  tl 


ieret<^.  as  In-  .sivs 


in  a  l<tt«r  which  I  have  in  my  possession,  ''hy  the 
conviction  that  as  the  port  ha<l  heen  o|wned  to  foi-ei^n 
trade  hy  Fi.;ueroa.  It  was  veiy  natural  that  a  connner- 
«ial  town  should  he  fonnd<d  in  this  place,  and  ther.  - 
fore  ini'Xpedient  that  the  laml  should  he  i^ranted  to  a 
siir^Ie  jM  rson.  Whereupon  the  jM-tition  was  not 
•granted.  This  ixpediente.  which  was  fornierl  in  the 
most  I'^al  niann«r.  was  seen  hy  nie  in  tlie  |M>sse.ssion 
of  a  lawyi'r  in  San  Francisco  when  the  revisin.:  com- 
mission were  examinin*^  I'nited  States  titles,  and  I 
was  ((.nsulted   upon   its  validity.      I   testiti«d  that  it 


had 


none 


for  tl 


!«'  rijisons  aoove  st 


■t  foith.     The  result 


was  that  Fi|4Ueroa  issued  a  <lecree  authoriziu'^  families 
to  ask  for  lots  in  Veiha  Bucna,  one  humlred  vai-Uri 
sijuare  for  each  family." 


RECOLLEC  TIOXS  OF  ALVARAPO. 


:'29 


The  affairs  «»t'  V»  rUa  liunia  rrinaliicd  in  this  staff 
till  the  dtatli  »»f  Fi«ruin»a,  wliicli  (Mcunvd  in  Au-'ust 

is;};-). 

"In  this  same  y<ar."  continues  Alvarado,  "Avhilst 
n  tlic  custoni-house  at  Monti  rev. 


\v;is  an  cnipiuvo  n 


>1. 


holding  the  oftin-  of  insjuctorand  ('oniniamlaMt  nt'tlif 
rrvtiuic  ijfuards.  I  was  coniiMissionod  l»\'  the  thief  of 
said  custom  housi'  to  ins|te«-t  the  revi-nue  eollcet- 
Inir  otliee  at  San  Fianrisc.*.  anrl  !<•  report  uixm  tl 


lie 


state  of  tradii  in  the  |)la«-e,  paiticulaily  ^^ith  refer<iu'c 
to  whaling?  vessels,  which  in  larj^e  nunihers  visited  the 
j>ort  evei-y  year  t<»  procuic  fresli  stores,  and  j»ass  tlio 
winter,  information  liaxint^  l»een  re<'ei\('d  that  they 
wi're  carrylui,'  on  a  larjjjt,'  ct)ntral>an«l  trade  hy  landinij; 
;j,()ods,  or  transt'eriin*^  tjiem  to  otln-r  v«'ssels  that  had 
heen  alieadv  tlespatejied  at  the  ^^onterev  custom- 
liouse  with  tlieii-  duties  settled  for,  a  practice  most 
detrinu'iifal  to  the  Interests  of  tlu'  jtuhlic  ti'easury. 
After  a  thoi'oU'ih  invest i|j;at ion.  I  hecame  convinced 
that  some  measure  should  he  at  <aice  adopted  in  this 
njatter.  for  thi'  place,  tlKUii^h  contain'ii*^  at  the  time 


ited, 


nevel 


■thel 


ess.   a 


])erliaj>s  a  do/en   houses,  represen 

ra])id  pi<)*;i-ess  in  tra<le.      On  my  return  to  the  caj>ital, 

1  lai«l  the  facts  hefore  the  collector  <»f  customs. 

"In  the  following:  v-ar,  IH.'UI,  svmptoms  of  revolu- 
tion  were  notice«l  in  the  coimtiv.  arisin>jj  from  the 
<jji'eatl\'  disturhed  condition  of    Mexico,      'I'lu^    result 


was  a  revolution  m  this  country,  caused  l>y  th<'  dillt  r- 
ences  of  opinion  between  the  inhahitants  of  the  south 
and  tlu'  north,  and  duriiii^^  which  period  Yerha  J^uena 
atliiirs  remaine<l  unchanged. 

"In  IS,'{'.),  when  the  authorities  of  Mexico  sent  mo 
the  conunission  of  !4"o\(rnoi'.  and  then*  was  appointed. 
ao;rceahlv  to  the  central  constitution,  a  suh  pi'efeet  for 
the  northern  district,  this  officer  was  ordeied  to  reside 
at  tlu>  mission  I)olor»'s.  The  sul>-])ref'ect's  name  was 
Don  Francisco  (Juerrero.  to  whom  1  <j;ave  oideis  to 
lay  out  Yei'ha  l>uena.  measurinij,  fii->t  a  pul»lic  plaza, 
and  to  divide  the  rest  of  the  level  jj-ruund  into  stniets, 


1 

i 

II 

( 

ll 

iiiii 

730 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  OREAT  MKTUUPOLIS. 


tlius  ;»'ivlMp;  t«»  tlio  placo  tlu'  cliararttT  and  form  of  ;. 
ifv;ular  t«»w»!.  (iufin  TO  a|>|><iiiit((l  for  this  jturposr  ,i 
|N  rsnii  iiaiiitrl  liioclic.  a  n  sidciit  of  tlit;  jihuH'.  fnMiu  riy 
a  sliip-iiiast«r.  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  considtrcd 
as  tin-  ordy  |H'rsoii  ('()ni|Mtint  to  etlert  tl»e  nu  asun  - 
nient.  It  was  dmio;  tin-  plaza  was  laid  out  as  now 
existing;  under  tlie  name  of  l*<»rtsmoutli  s<jiiare,  oi 
|»lazj».  The  rest  v.:if-i  laid  out  in  streets,  whieh  eni- 
hraeed  tin*  '^nmnd  within  Paelfic,  IMne,  and  Stockton 
Htre.  ts,  and  to  the  bay.  the  rest  <»f  the  ground  bein^ 
then  r(»nsidered  unfit  to  huild  on. 

"1  may  Im,'  mistaken  ahout  the  exact  time  when  1 
issue^l  this  <»nler,  hut  vou  can  i-asiiv  aseeitain  it.  1 
am  «|uite  sine  that  tlie  piesent  city  noNeinnurit  has 
ni\  original  order.  I  also  ordained  that  <::rants  ot 
fifty  vara  lots  should  l»e  made,  hindin^j  the;  «;rante«  s 
to  t<  n<-«'  their  lots  and  to  huild  on  them." 

'I'his  is  the  historv  of  Y»'rha  liueiia;  thus  orirnnized 


an 


rl  arraii'nd,  it  was  foun<l   hv  the   AmerieaM> 


Yeiha  iiuena  was  a  newly  created  town,  tlui  Mexieaii 
auth  irities  ]\iu\  not  tim<>  to  organize  and  ineorporati 
it.  so  that  all  that  it  lawfully  »)ccu|»ied  was  the  M;ruuii(l 
hiid  out  in  streets  and  plazas  under  ]^io(h»'s  plan. 
DurinLT  Alvarado's  adminisNation,  hy  re<juest  of  the 
inhahitants  of  Contra  Costa,  he  detached  that  region 
from  the  nmnicipal  jurisdiction  of  San  Krancisco,  aiid 
ap|>olnted  a  justice  of  the  peace,  who  had  his  r(  sidenc  i 
on  the  raneho  San  Lorenzo. 

Thus  came  ahout  the  hej^inniniLj  of  Yerha  liuenn, 
wiiich  was.  indeed,  the  hc^innin;^  of  the  i^reat  nietio 
polis.  thoU'^h  the  site  of  th»'  latter  Was  not  yet  deter 
mined.      Indee^l,  few  trouhled  themselves  ahout  tin 
future  ixreatniss  of  the  coimtry,  though  there  wt  iv 
pome  wiios*'  minds  (M'casionally  were  accustomc*!  t" 
dwell  thereon — men  of  Jiealthy  ima<j[ination  and  sau' 
counsel,  not;ii)ly   HoIniI  Si-mph'.  Thomas  ( ).  Larkin, 
and   y\.  (I.  \'allejo,  who  thoutjlit  upon  and    helieve.l 
in  the  future  of  the  country,  and  were  of  opini(»n  tlmt 
the  time  had  come  when  a  spot  should  l)c  .seleeled  tlie 


SITE   FOU  AX   EM  PERI  AL  CITY 


731 


most  favf»ral»K'  f(»r  u  «^rt'at  roiniiuTcial  (>in]M)nuin. 

Ami  liaviii«4  looked  ahout  tliciii  \\>v  tin'  lust  |>la<'0, 
and  liavluj^  tuuinl  it,  N'alicjo  said  to  tlu-  otlic  r.s,  'N'oii 


Kliali  .s< 


•l<«t  tin;  site,  and  I  will  funiisli  vou  sikIi  liind 


as 


you  r»'«|uin',  tu'iy  your  |irivat  nty  sliall  Ixar  tli* 


iia'iif  o 


if  Miv  lulovcd   wit'r,    Fiancisi 


a. 


1'l 


lis  was  III 


tlu' autumn  of  IS4f;.  Tin*  two  inm  who  tlu'i(U|>ou 
UfiTptcd  this  trust,  in  practic'al  sii'^atity,  husjnt  ss  al»il- 
itv,  wealth,  and  iiol'itital  inHuinco  coinhincd.  wcic 
Hc'cond  X't  none  then  upon  tlm  <*oast.  M(»ri  "(Vt  r,  they 
Were  honest  men,  som»'thin«i[  akin  t()  patriots;  and  al- 
thou»^h  ni»t  ahove  the  <'onsideiation  of  mon<  y  in  the 
premises,  yet,  while  thinkin;^  to  do  the  hest  fur  them- 
seKi  s,  they  tliou;4ht  to  do  the  hest  for  the  present 
puhlie.  and  for  iHjsterity. 

(Jlaiiee  round  the  hay;  for  it  is  not  noressary  to 
Consider  if  hv  the'  hav  of  San  Fraixiseo,  or  at  some 
orht-r  |M»lnt,  the  metropolitan  city  of  the  west  coast  of 


Xorth  America  should  he  planted  ;  from  j'aiianiii  t 
Sitka  there  is  no  other  place.  (Glance  round  it  then, 
and  pla«'e  your  Hn<^t'r  if  yeu  can  on  another  s[Ktt  so 
SU'tahle  as  the  on«'  selecti'd  hy  these  thr»'e  wise  Kieii, 
Kasy  enou^^h  of  ae<'ess  to  the  ocean,  easy  of  access  to 
the  j^reat  valley  of  California,  with  deep  waters,  j^uod 
anehora«;e.  hluif  hanks,  and  soft  healthful  aiis,  round 
all  the  i^lohe  nature  nowhere  laid  out  tin;  iLjrounds  uf 
a  larLje  city  more  heautifully  or  with  L,'reater  care. 
An  im|Mrial  pla<'e  men  could  liavt;  made  of  it.  Fi'oiit- 
uvj^  0:1  e'ltluT  sidi'  of  the  strait  of  Carijuine/,  and  e\- 
tendini,'  hjU'kward  and  eastward  as  far  as  they  rni^lit 
I'hoosi*  to  f^o,  there  Would  he  iio  restriction,  ntillieriii 
land  nor  water  faeilities.  With  natuic!  seconded,  and 
not  wh<»lly  suImIuiiI,  in  laying'  <»ut  i  city  there,  the 
streets  wlndin|4  nra«-efully  ov.r  and  ahout  the  sn\ooth 
round  hill.s,  and  not  pitch«-d  at  them  in  straiijht  lines 
and  anj^lcs,  as  tht;  mad  hull  jLf«>cs;  with  spacious  urhan 
parks,  and  suhurhan  homestead  plats  measured  not  l»y 
inches  hut  hy  aeres;  with  the  stiait  and  river  sj)Mniied 
by  cuatly  ami  subsiantial  hridges,  the  whole  takhiij  in 


(  '  11 


I'  I 


732 


FOUXI)INTi    OF    lUr.  <;Rr.AT   MKTUOPOFJS. 


\vl'j)t  now  <'(iiiniiis)'s  J^ciilcia,  ]\raiti»ii'z,  A'allijo,  and 
I\Ijiit'  Island,  Collinsvillc  and  Antiocli,  and  as  nnitli 
niuic  as  ix.ij^lit  !)('  i»'(|uii»'d,  I  vcnturi'  onco  moif  to 
assrj't,  that  taken  as  a  wliitlc  there  is  no  sjiot  on  e.iit  h 
su|H)ini- to  it.  Well  an<l  artistically  laid  out,  Jirti^ti- 
rally  and  well  l)nilt,  well  and  homstly  ujoverned.  and 
with  men  <»t'  ahility  and  inte;j;i-ity  for  citi/ens.  and 
graced  hy  virtu(»usand  intelli^r'-nt  women  withal,  tin- 
|>lae«'  woid<l  have  Ineii  as  nearly  patadise  as  this  earth 
shall  evei'  produce.  Athens,  1-fonic,  Paris,  Ltnidon, 
\'enice.  X'ienna,  St  l*etershui'!jj,  and  tlu'  rest  of  tlieni 
do  nut  sui'jtass  what  this  could  he. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  cold,  hleak,  circumscrihcd, 
san<l-l!l(>wn.  and  fo>4--soaked  |teninsuja  on  which  the 
city  of  San  Francisco  is  actually  jtlaced,  A\as  ah(»ut  as 
ill-chosm  as  possihle.  And  for  it  let  the  names  of 
those  who  thwarted  the  purposes  of  hetter  nit  ii  ht- 
anathematized,  I  repaid  it  a  hase  act,  hrside  whicli 
oi<liiiiir\'  infamv  wei'e  tame,  an  act  imiMisiu'''  endless 
expense.  iiKM in \ cnience,  discomfoit,  and  disease  u|>oii 
milHoiis  of  men  for  piol>;d»ly  thousands  <tf  years,  that 
two  or  thret^  persons  happenin;^  t()  possess  the  jioWer 
shouM  for  jtetty  and  personal  motives  ha\»'  so  tieated 
( 'alifniiiia,  her  present  u,«'nerat ion,  and  her  posterity. 
\\'asirin;4ton  A.  Hart  let  t.  alcalde,  worked  upon  hy 
some  half  do/ell  persons  w1h»  hail  invested  a  few  hun- 
dred diillai's  in  ^^•rila  Ihiena  lots  and  shanty-htiildln;^. 
and  .Iose|ih  L.  Folsom,  ijuai'tei'master,  and  larne  lot- 
holder,  w  ho  died  early  and  dei'ived  little  henefit  there- 
from, are  those  to  whom  we  are   [)rinci|»ally  indehted 


for   this    mist  a 


Ke 


That    in    earlv   times    it    was   the 


custom  of  ocean  .steamers  after  landin;^'  their  passen- 
'j;eis  at  San  Kranci.sci  tt>  pntceed  at  once  to  Henicia. 
and  there  remain  until  a-^ain  re([uired  for  service,  and 
that  the  I'nlted  Static  estahlished  in  the  .same  placi 
its  <lejMit  of  arms  and  supplies  for  the  military  stations 
on  the  I'acilic  coast,  t<»-4etlier  with  their  hari-acks, 
storehouses,  ma'j,azines.  and  shops,  and  also  reserxt-l 
Mare   island   \\>v  a   na\  v-vard,  assuredlv  were    itroots 


FRAXCISCA   BKNICtA. 


;« 


suftiolcnt  as  to  the  ri'lativo  natural  advaiitaojcs  of  the 


V 


•iiiiisula  of  San   Franci.sco  and  tlu'   sstrait  of  Car 


(jUlIU'/. 

An  oxrccdiiinly  hrllliaiit  strok«'  of  ciicunivcntion 
tlic  lot  JioUlcrs  of  tlu;  (\tv(!  tliouj.dit  it,  and  it  |»lias«'d 
tlit'iM  npiii'  tiHi  less  lu'cauHi^  it  displeased  Sniijilc, 
IjjirUin.  and  Vallcjo,  to  clianm' tlio  unknown,  loral, 
and  villai^c  name  of  Yerha  l^uena  to  th<'  world  re- 

Vessels 


now  nrd  apjH'llation  oT  r»an  r  rancisco 


that 


eltiuinn'  fi'itni  foreign  )iorts,  as  was  tlieir  custom,  to 
Sun  Francisco  hay,  local  names  heinij^  to  distant  parts 


miKnown,  on  arrival 


tl 


ler-    111 


Yerha    -Huena  cove  was 


Siin  Francisco  town.  That  settled  the  matter.  The 
place  wi's  convenient  to  shi])-niasters,  Iiowcmt  incon- 
Ni'nicntto  Californians;  it  suited  those  who  possi^ssid 
the  pow«'r  to  make  the  chaiii^e  ;  imd  n<»\v  throui;liout 
id!    time,    wIiiK-    moulder  the    h'tnes  of  liai-tlett   iind 


F..l> 


som,    the    {Mojilc    may    sit    U) 


whistle  for  a  remedv 


>n     the    fel 
I  th 


ice   an< 


hev  niav  simikI  thousant 


I 

(Is  of 


yenrs,  and  millions  upon  millions  of  money  in  a.  useless 
!Uid  «'nforced  crossing'  and  it(!i»ssiii^-  of  the  liay  for 
an  infinilelv  worse  spot  than  was  tlier*-  awaiting  tlu-ni 
on  the  other  side. 

It  was  in  Jaiuuny,  IH47,  that  hy  the  alcnlde's  order 
tin'  name  Verha  Ihiena  waschaiii^ed  to  S.ni  l''i:inci,sco, 
too  nearlv  like  Francisca  for  hoth  to  reiiuiin  ;  and  the 
liitter  heiiiin'  not  yet  laid  out,  while  the  former  was 
iilready   a    hamlet    of  lively    pretensions,    (\ir«|uiiiez 


stinit   !'K 


Vlt 


Id 


d    th 


nul    the   saiKiy   peninsula  pte\jii 


Thus  ti,e  three  wise  men  Were  thrown  Itack  upon  the 
otl  r  name  of  Mrs  V'allejo.  Jieiiicln,  hy  which  to  c.-dl 
their  now  doomed  metropolis.  An<l  with  a  linn 
leliMiice  on  pi-o\  idence,  whidi  in  this  instiince  s;i<lly 
fiiiled  them,  they  Went  on,  and  the  following  .lime 
i.iid  out  Henicia  citv,  In  dimensions  one  mile  l»v  li\e 


mi 


The    first    1 


louse     u 


as     he<'ini     the    iTth     of 


Amjust,  and  hy  March.  IsiM,  two  hundred  lots  h:id 
lieeii  sold  at  an  JiveruLje  price  of  eighteen  dolhirs  ejtcji, 
and   fourteen   huiklhius  of  wood  and  ailohe  had   been 


734 


FOUNDTNO  OF  TIfK  ORKAT   MFTROPOLIS. 


on'otod,  one  bein«r  a  two-storv  houses  twoiitv  In'  fiftv- 
six  f'lH't. 

[  will  insert  luT*',  as  most  pertinent,  a  deseriprion 
of  Y«.!rl)a  l^uena  and  the  jjciiinsnla.  taken  tVom  tlie 
Califnniia  Star  of  January  ;{0.  IH47.  hciniL;  )>ait  of  .in 
editorial  writti-n  while  the  name   Verha    Huena   vet 


•jjraeed  the  head  of  its  eolunnii 


lS  a 


lit 


enirv  <'oiii- 


j)()sitlon  it  does  not  eoiii|)are  v<'iy  favoialtlv  with  our 
''ditorials  of  the  present  day:  inde<'d.  it  would  seaioly 
take  a  preniiuni  in  one  of  our  ('hint  se  selmols;  ut  \(  r 
theless.    it    is   worth   as  much    to   us    as   nnv    of  tin 


stanzas  of  CI lilde  Harold.     I  ^ive  it  verhatim;  oitlin<^- 
raphv,  syntax,  and  punctuation. 

*'  Yerha  Hueiia.  tin.'  name  df  our  town  which  mraiis 
fioon  MKHIJS,  is  situated  on  tin-  southwest  side  (»f  thr 
)>rlnciple  arm  of  San  Francisco  hay,  ahout  five  nilK  s 
fi-om  the  ocean,  on  a  nariuw  i»eck  of  land  varying 
from  four  to  ten  miles  in  width.  The  naiiowest  jdarc 
heill'^  sixteen  miles  south  West  of  the  t<»wn.  It  i  in 
latitude  '\7'  4;V  north.  This  narrow  slip  <tf  lai  !  i 
ahout  sixty  miles  in  lent^th.  extendinj^  fi<»m  the  poini 
funied  hy  tlu'  hay  and  the  <weaii,  to  the  valley  of  S.in 
.Fose,  Tht^  site  of  the  town  is  handsomer  aii<l  cnm 
inandin'j;  -  hein*^  an  incliiK'd  pl;itn  of  ahout  a  mile  in 
extent  from  the  water's  edvje  to  the  hills  in  tin  riiii'. 
Two  points  of  land, —  one  on  each  side,  extendin'j;  into 
the  i)ay  form  a  cres<'ent  or  small  hay  in  tin-  shapf  ot' 
a  crescent  in  front,  whieh  heais  the  name  of  t  he  town. 
These  points  afford  a  tine  \i(W  of  the  sunoimdin«i 
c<»untry      the  snow  capped  mountains  in  tin   distant 


tl 


le    u'rei'U    valh'VH    iM-ne.ith    tin  ni 


the    I 


trautihil 


smooth  ami  unrutHed  hay  in  fi-ont  and  on  lither  ^itll■. 
at  oiH-e  hurst  upon  the  eye.  There  is  in  front  of  the 
town  a  small  Isl.md,  risinjj;  hi;4h  ah<»vc  the  surface  of" 
the  itav.  ahout  two  milfs  lon-.^.  and  one  widr,  whi<li  i^ 
covered  the  ^I'eatei-  part  of  the  year  with  tin-  most 
cxuheraiit  herha'ie  of  untrodden  fi»  simess.  Thi> 
littlc>  island  is  ahout  thn-e  miles  from  tin'  shore. 
Between  it  and  the  town  is  the  [►rin«li)le  anchorage. 


Sl'KClMKN  OF   KAHI.Y   LirKKATUKK. 


XI 


Here   tlic    vrsstls   «it'  all    iiatioiiH  rest    in    saftly   and 

1»<arr,  ami  tlnir  Ha^^s  an-  disjilavftl  l»\  tlif  arumatic 
)l'^'^•/A'.  Two  liuii<lr(Ml  yards  tVum  tin-  slmii',  tlitic  is 
twt-nty  four  f'ttt  water,  and  a  sjiort  distantf  JK-ynnd 
tliat,  as  many  tatlinnis,  'I'ln-  Ittacli  In  tV<'Mt  of  tlir 
iinw  l>u>int  ss  part  of  tin*  town,  is  sin  Ivinv;;  luit  if  will 
no  doul)t  in  a  short  time  Itti-onir  tilltd  up  and  licconu; 
tlu'  most  valualiK'  j>art  ot  tlu-  placr. 

**Tlic  climatr  lure  is,  in  the  winter,  wlii<'h  is  tlie 
miny  season,  dam|)  ami  e]iill\.  l)uriii!L^  the  halanee 
<tf  th<-  year  it  is  <hy.  I»nt  ehllly,  in  <'onse(|ueiiee  of 
the  continual  striMm  winds  tVom  the  noith  and 
iioith  west.  Theic  is  I  Hit  littK'  variation  in  the 
atmospli'ie  throughout  the  yeai-; — the  thermoinetir 
run'.'inj;  from  fifty  ti\e  to  seyeiitv  devriees  Fahrenheit. 

"  ^^  l-lia    Huelia  Is  one  of  the  most  liealtll\'   |»laee>  oil 


the  whole  coast  of  the  I'acilic.      Sickness  (tf  aii\ 


kind 


is  rarely  known  anioiij.;  us.  The  saluhrity  of  the  cli- 
inatt-  heauty  of  the  site  of  the  town  its  conti'^uity 
to  the  iiioutli  of  the  hay  the  liiiest  liaihor  on  the 
whole  co;ist  in  fioiit  -tlie  I'icli  and  heautiful  country 
around  it.  all  conspii-e  to  render  it  i»ne  of  the  hot 
C'omnn  rcial  points  in  the  world. 

"The  town  is  new,  haviii'Lj  heeii  laid  oil'  in  l^;i!t  hy 
Cajitain  John  \  io;4et;  and  iioiwithstandinL;  all  tin' 
tri>uliles  ill   the    i'ountiy,   has  yradualU    iiaieased   in 


Hi/e  and    importance 


It 


now  contains  a  population 


of  ahoiit  ti\e  hundred  permanent  citi/ens.     Tsvo^rars 
a<:o  tin  re  were  hut  ahoiu  t\\<i  hundred. 


Till 


le  miles  .south  IS  the  mission  Jioloi-es  oil  Mis 


M 


Hion  creek,  surrounded  hy  a  small  \alley  «if  rich  heau 

tiful  land.       The  water  iVoiii    this   creek    cjin    <  ;isily   he 

hiouv^lit  hy  means  of  ai|Ueducts  to  any  point  to.siippj\ 


ye 
w 


■is.    I 


i>r  the  supply  of  the  citizelisthe  In'Stof  We 


ater  is  ohtaiiied  in  cMiy  j»ait  of  the  town  hy  hoiin-jf 
the  distance  of  forty  feet. 

"  In  l^oin^  ^K'Uth  fVoiii  ^^lltM  l^ieiia.  the  trav.llei- 
passes  oyer  this  narrow  neck  of  |:ind  ;  a  most  di  li'^ht- 
lul  leyiou  iulerspi  rjicd  with   hills,  yalleys,  uiid  iiiouu- 


736 


FOUNDING   OF  THE  (illF.AT   MKTKOI'OLIS. 


tains  -  the  valk-ys  lidi  mikI  hrautiTul — tin-  liillscovnvd 
with  tall  |tiln•^4,  red-wood  and  ceder  that  luive  witli- 
stood  tht  t<iii]>ests  aiid  whii  1  \\  iiids  of  a  ceiituiy,  and 
th<'  I  IK  mil  tains  risiii<'-  in  niaiestic  !j:i'andeur  to  tiie  clouds. 
In  ]»as.-in<4  out,  the  va'dey  of  San  Jose  o|tens  to  thr 
\ie\s  in  ail  tlie  lov«'lines8  of  the  (liniat<'  of  Italy  and 
InautN'  of  the  tioit'ics,  'I'his  vallev  is  aliout  sixt\ 
iiiil<s  in  h-n^tli  and  ten  in  widtli.  The  J^jriilo  wiiic  i, 
nil  aiis  an  incorporated  town  is  the  principal  place  ot" 
husiness  foi-  tlie  valh  V,  and  is  aliout  live  nuies  from 
Santa  Clara,  the  landiuL'  of  the  l/ay.or  as  it  is  ternml 
liere    '*tiie    emhareadaro,"       Passinu     on     from    here 


north  I  ast,  till  tiaveller  lu  a  lew  liours  iide  reaches 
the  St;;iiis,  which  sejiej-ate  till'  Su'isuii  l»r,y,  formed 
l>\'   the  contluence  of  tin    Sacramento  and   San  .Joii 


(juin  i livers,  from  that  of  San  l*ahl«».  Jli-re  it  s»t  ni.^ 
that  the  aceumulated  waters  of  a  thonsatid  yi  ars  had 
suddenly  nnt  the  opposin*^  mountain  asund»r  and 
fiowi  d  with  tr<-mendous  force  to  tlie  j^reat  hasin  of 
tiu'  dt<  p. 

"  ( >n  the  north  side  of  tlie  hay  frorii  the  straits  to 
Sousilito  is  on«'  of  the  iiiu'.st  districtB  of  countrv  in 
all  upper  Calitornia. 

■■  Next  to  N'orha  Hu("i\a.  Sousilito  is  tlu'  hest  jioint 
on  tlu'  wiiole  !)ay  for  j   commercial  town,      Itis-^<\rn 
miles  a    little  eaisi   of  north    from    this    pla<<'  on    tlif 
opposite  sitle  of  the  hay,  and  has  lon^j   Uei-n  a  watei' 
lu'H  point  for  ves.sels, 

"An  attiinpt,  has  rcc«>ntly  heen  ma<le  to  lay  oil'am' 
huild  up  a  li>wn  at  the  Htiuilf  to  supersede  the  tW" 
last  mentioned  j^laces.  1^,  will  no  iloul.t,  jiowuvei' 
Ix   an  entire  failure. 

"San  ['raneisj'o  hay  hcitijj;  the  safest  and  mogt 
conunodimis  harhor  on  th«'  entire  coast  of  tlif  VaciKc, 
some  point  on  it  must  i)e  tlu  oreat  mart  of  the  wtst- 
ern   world.     We  heliev  Verha    Hu  iia  is  the  ]Mttnt. 


eommandm<jf  as 


it  do*  s  now,  all  the  trade  of  the  sur 


roim<linu'  eountry.  and    ther«     hrin'i"  already  a   Iar;_;i 
ainuuiit  uf  laidlal  cuiiccutruted  iierc. 


CHANGE  OF  NAME. 


737 


''Tlu'town   of  Yuri  Ml  Buciia  is  calltnl   in  some  of 
the  oKl   11114)8  ot  tho  fountiy  San   Frant'i.sco.      It  is 


luit  known 


by  that 


nanio  \\v\v  Ijowfvrr 


"Tilt!  town  takt's  its  nanus  from  an  lu'iU  to  be 
fouiul  all  around  it  wliicli  is  said  to  inako  i^ood  tea; 
and  jKisscssin;^^  excellent  nu-dicinal  (lualitics,  it  is 
calliMl  tjfood  lu'rl)  or  Ytilia  limna." 

Tlu!  |»»"(Mli('tion  concirnini;  tli<!  crosn.'nt  is  fulfilled  ; 
tho  aroniatir  i)rt'ezo  which  displays  tho  Ha^^s  of  tho 
vrss»  Is  of  all  nations  that  rostcd  in  sufcty  and  pcaco 
luforo  tho  town  is  now,  alasl  sadly  diluLod  with  ooal 
snioko  and  foul  ottluvia.  I  find  San  Franois***  on 
st!V(n'al  old  maps,  drawn  oven  hoforo  tho  town  of 
Yovhit  l^miia  was  laid  out,  fu  foro  thoro  was  a  liouso 
thoro,  hut  tlio  naniu  invariably  dosi<^nat«'s  cillH'r  tho 
old  northirri  mission,  or  tho  hay,  bo(.li  of  whioh  wore 
rallod  Sail  Fraiicisoo.  Whon  this  nrtirli;  was  piintod 
in  th(!  ('(i/ijuniid  Shir  yoM  had  iM>t  Inen  disc. »\cn'd, 
tlu'  vallov  of  California  was  uuscttlod;  anv  distam-o 
hack  fr(»in  tht.;  shoros  of  San  Franoisoo  hay,  oxoopt  in 
tilt!  dirootion  of  San  J)ioi;;o,  sccinod  almost  out  of  tho 
world.  W  lull  thoroforo  it  was  propositi  to  plant  tho 
nu'trujiolis  (»n  tho  straits  (»f  Cartjuin*/  and  Suisun 
hay,  it  sr<  uumI  like  jijolnj^  fnr  oui,  of  tho  way.  To 
select  a  site  ooiiNcniont  Uf  sliipa  was  then  much  more 
thounht  of  than  tho  ooiivenitJiioo  «'f  an  interior  popu- 
lation. When  tho  valley  of  (alifornla  hi'i^an  to 
swarm  with  jjjold-seekers,  and  travellers  tJienoe  from 
San  Fianeiseo  must  thither  ^j^'o  south  sixty  miles  to 
clear  tlu;  hay  hefore  «.',oin;4  north,  or  el.st;  cro.ss  tho  hay 
ill  a  har^'e,  some  San  Franciscans  saw  their  mistako, 
thou^^h  few  of  them,  Jiaviiijjf  tlu-ir  lUarost  interests 
at  Mtako,  would  ever  aoknowledj^e  it. 

In  the  I'levciith  iiumher  of  its  issue,  which  was  on 
t!ie  'JOth  of  March  or  this  .'•aiiie  year,  the  diUhniin 
Sfnr  took  down  tho  nainoof  Y«rha  Uueiiaand  lioi.stod 
that  of  San   Fram-isco.     "Our  nadors  will  pen  I'ivo 


that  in   our  present  nunihor, 


sa) 


s   tl 


U!    eillt(»l 


lit. 


W(; 


havo  coiiforniod  to  tho  change  recently   made  in  tho 


3'Li  i 


Cajl.  I'akt.    47 


788 


FOUXDIXC   OF  THE  fJRKAT  M FTIK >roi.IS. 


n.imo  (tf  our  town,  l)v  pl.'uinti:  '"^t  <li<'  ln-ad  of  our 
jiapcr  Siiii  Francisco  instcjul  of  Yjiha  liuriia.  Tlic 
cliaiigc  lias  now  luvii  made  Icnally,  ami  we  acfjuicHcc 
ill  it,  tliouLTli  we  prefer  tlu;  old  name,  tlic  one  hy 
wliicli  the  jijace  lias  always  l)ren  known  in  this  roun- 
liy.  When  tlie  eiian<j:(>  was  first  att('ni|ite<l,  we 
vi(  wed  it  as  a  mere  assumption  of  authority,  with- 
out law  or  jtreeedent,  and  theiefore  adhered  t«)  the 
o!,i  uiinie  of  N'erha  Hueiia.  It  was  asserted  hy  the 
l;ite  aleidde.  Washiii'Lifton  A.  Hjirtlett,  that  the  )>l;i(r 
wn^  ('.'died  San  Pi.-ineisco  in  soiik;  old  Spanish  paper, 
wjiieh  he  profess(  d  t(»  liaA'e  in  his  possession."' 

I^et  us  j^lanee  now  at  the  business  pretentions  of 
the  new  town.  In  the  sam<^  iournal  of  Aj>ril  17th 
f  >llowin;i'.  W.  A.  Leidesdorif  advertises  lumlMi-from  the 
i^. 'dro;!  steam-iiiills;  Ward  and  Snnth  otl'er  for  sjdi 
tlse  .schooner  Cniiuiitxltin  Shiiln'ivl-:  Stout,  Sirrin*',  and 
Mender  n-^ree  to  fill  ortlei's  foi'  Santa  ( 'ru/.  hnnhei' : 
\\.  W.  Huel<elew  estahlishes  hitnself  as  a  jeW(  Ih  I'.  Ill 
May  W.    \V.  Seott  opens  a,  st(»re  at  Sonoma,  and  I! 


W 


ileolt  takes  the  smith   shop  m 


f  d.  ('.   I)i 


i\ 


S   I 


Sc  ( 


James  IJiddle,  eonimandin«j.-  the  |*aeilie  S'|uadi<tn.  in 
June  prohiiiits  the  e\pMttation  '>!'  (juiciv^Usi  r  froin 
('alifornia:   Ward  and  Smith  desire  to  sell  ten  thou- 


sami  iiounc 


Isfi 


ne  na\\   luead,  al.so  dj-v^oods,  ijfnx'eiMi 


and  ('ahfoinia  wines  an<l  hrandi 


es. 


The  -• 


eneral  iiu>-i 


ness  firms  of  ( {citron  and  ( 'otnpanv .  luilx-rl  .\.  I  'ark"  i 
adoJH    store.  Dickson  and  Hay,  Melius   and    Howard 
William    H.   Davis,    I'earsoii    l».    Shelly,  and    Slie!i\ 
and  Noj'ris  appeal-  in  the  columns  of  tlie  ('(il!l'nrin'<hi 
and  the  Star  in  .luly,  to;j|ether  with  William  l'etteta> 
hou>e  and   siu'n  painter.    L.     lOverhait  as    tailor,  aii'l 


.1 


(Sltev 


OK 


trre 


js  civil  en'iinecr  and  survexor 


Jol 


III 


(^)usens  informs  /ill  persons  that  the  sheep  on  N'erha 
l^uena  island  heloni^  to  him.  and  that  they  nnist  i>"t 
iie  molested.      Iv  J*,  .lones.  lawyer  and  late  editor  <  t' 

the  Sf/tr.  in  Au'..;ust,  assumes  the  mana!.';ement  of  th' 
l*ortsmouth   lionsi  ,  now  etilaru'ed  ,'md   havin;.;   a   h.n 


and  a  hiUiard  tahl 


e. 


( 


I  CO  !•''■•' 


M  I*: 


\ans,  I 


it  th 


hou- 


TTvE-AUniFKUOUs  M'SlNKss  MKN. 


:i'.» 


of  If.  Ifanis,  aUovc  tin-  slauiiilitcr  lioiist    of  ('«ms»  ns. 
•says  ill  St|iti'iiil)«T  that  Iir  will  to  «inl»  r  iniii%c  adolns 
for  liousrs.  cliiiiiiit  ys,  and  ovens.      I'ldwanl  F.  Kol^t  r, 
corner  Mont-'oinrrv  and  \Vasliin<'toii   .streets,  jidv«  r 
tises  tlie  hark   WJiittmi,  \{.  (Itifroii  master,  (o  .sail    t'oi 


I'ananiil    the  1st  of  Octohcr.     ('.  Ji.  I 


e  •.->.■>, 


Colin    I        ot 


\\'ashin;j;<on  and  Moutucinerv  stictts.  oiUi.-,  Ill'ty 
harrels  of  potatoes  tVom  thr  islands,  and  'jia|>t>  iV.-ni 
Sonoma.  \V.  II.  Das  is  h.i.s  »i<^ht  \ -om-  thou.sand  ft  et 
or()n"4ou  iumher  laiidmu' iVoiii  the  h.irk  .luml.     I 


I < iSl ' 


and  loyiiolds  want  .sun  <■  nu  n  to  di'^^  a  toitiidiition 
and  rai'c  for  a  mill  in  Xapa  \allt\.  'I'hf  Imildin^'. 
and  ot  lior  ini|ii'o\  (  ini-nts  at  th«  junction  of  tlic  San 
.loa<juin  and  Stanislaus  ai''  oil',  i*  d  for  .salr.      Mr  and 


Mrs  Skinner    a,s>uin<'    llu'    niaiia''(  ni«  n 


t     of    I 


How  II  S 


liot'l,  clian'4iii!L;'  iho  inanir   to    that    o 


f  l'it\   liot>  I.      .1, 


An 


\'io'4«t  oll'i'is  for  s.dc  tho  PoilsnaMit  h  houx 
drew  I  loeiijii  ii'i'  has  a  warm  sprini;  our  milo  fiwin 
SoiKiiiia  that  will  euro  rheumatism.  Su«-li  wirrsoinr 
iA'  tin'  I'lisuiiss  iinlieatioiis  at  San  l^'ianeisro  during 
(  hr  ytar  I  >  17.      This  year,  on  tlir  "Jot  h  of  (  tetohcr,  and 


ilioiil    llh'  ;,iini'    time    i'(.|' 

<lid 


si\i  ial   suh.M  nu<  nt    Mar.-,  a 


s(  ,iic  iiiiith  wind  did  st'rious  damaine  to  slii|i|»ino;. 
l>oh<  It  Simple  (stahlislMs  a  f  1 1  y  aero.^.s  ( 'aifpiiiit /. 


>trait  in 


M, 


IV 


11 


e   aniloUlM  (  s    his   Uvw    \vv\\    hou>e 


.t  j 


ifiiK  la   in   t\*o  notices  in    the 


olio 


i 


iinii  ;a    fit  \ ,    Sepit  I 


nlier 


( 'iihfni-iiniii.  dat  in*^ 
[7.  '    In    this    liist 


notice  he  .slatfs  that  he  i.s  then  "  huildin^  a  house  on 
tile  o|ijtositi'  sido  of  tho  strait,  f<il  tlio  colilf"!!  and 
,MC(»ininodat ion  of  jtersons  u  i.vhiic^  lo  pass  iVom  the 
soiitii  side,"  A  hoat  w.is  to  he  kt  pt  alway.s  on  <  iih«  i 
>ide  to  avoid  d>  t«'niion,  and  harley  and  corn  woiild  ho 
found  1  lure  for  sale  I'dr  cro,-.siir^f.  jioiscs  iniisl  pay 
I'lH' dollar,  men  lifty  ctHt.s,  horse  and  man  tuie  doll.ir 
There  w«  re  ijood   loads   from    lieiiicia   citv    to  Santa 


a  I  a,    li 


.\ 


iiiaoor s    I'anclio.  am 


I   to  N 


eW 


li 


elvetia. 


111 


It  will  he  perceixi  il,"  colicluoes  t  hf  propiiitiU',  "that 


IS  IS  tho  nearest  and  mm 


h  tl 


io  Ixst  lead  from 


Saul. 


< 'lata   to    New    lit  Ivetia,  and    tVoin    Santa    C'ru/,    t 


o 


740 


POUNDINO  OF  THE  P.REAT  METROI'OLrS. 


Bodi'ga."  Before  the  travel  to  the  mines,  the  fiiry 
paid  a  profit  of  one  liuinlretl  atid  fifty  dollars  a  month, 
and  was  deenied  ont^  of  the  h(!st  proptities  of  the 
kind  hi  California.  With  high  magnanimity  tlie  pro- 
ietors  donated  the   whole  imHi'ecU,  to»rcthi'r  witli 


pr 


several  lots,  for  the  henefit  of  schools,  whi«'h  conduct 
was  in  marked  contrast  to  the  slow  and  narrow  iM)licy 
pnivailing  at  San  Francisco. 

For  many  years  prior  to  Aiighi-Anu^rican  occupa- 
tion, war  and  trading  vessels  entered  tiie  hay  of  San 
Francisco,  whalers  lay  in  Sauwilit<»  hay,  and  ships  of 
cii'iMinmaviuration  anchored  off  th(^    presi«li 


io. 


T\ 


lere 


was  no  inland  conmierce,  for  W(!  can  hardlv  call  Sut- 


t<ir's 


occasion 


al    visits    such.     But    in   1H47,  hesides 


Sutter's  tweiity-t()n  sloop,  manned  hy  six  Indians,  ply- 
in<i  sonu'what  rei'ularlv  the  round  trip  in  three  werks 
hetwcen  Sail  Francisco  and  New  Helvetia,  then;  was 


a  smaller  sloop  used  occasionally,  ai 


d  another  vessel 


of  similar  construction  running  to  the  Mormon  settle- 
ment on  tlu'  Stanislaus.  The  2'Jd  of  August,  a  S(juare- 
rigi;ed  vessel,  the  hrig  Vrnticisat,  100  t<»ns,  entered 
San  J'aMo  hay  with  a  load  of  hnnher  foi'  Beiilcia. 

The  total  exports  for  tlui  <piarter  t-nding  iKcemlur 
31.  1847,  according  to  J.  Jj.  Folsom,  collector  of  the 
port  of  San  P'rancisco,  amounted  to  §t'.>,507.r)M,  of 
which  )ii;:{0,l},').'i.H3  were  for  pnuhiets  of  CalifomiM, 
shipped  ,^.'{20  to  the  Islands,  .S-JI,4  IH.af)  to  rem.  $:.f;o 
to  Ma/atlaii,  i?7,2H.').r)0  to  Sitka,  and  .^700  to  Tahiti. 
Of  the  $ll),a4;{.r.,S  foreign  products,  .«!-.»,0(;o  wc.rtii 
went  to  the  United  States,  .$!  •_»,44lMH,  of  whic  h  )?l  1.- 
.'UO  wei'c  gold  and  silvei'  coin,  went  to  tlie  Hawaiian 
Islands,  and  $4.H.'n.r)0  io  Afaaatlan.  The  imports 
wen'  .$.').'{, 581). 7:{,  of  which  .^n,7l)0..')4  came  from  tin- 
United  States,  37, 701. 5'.)  from  ()reg(.n,  !?M.fi7<!.  II 
from  Chili,  $:n, 740.7:?  from  tlu;  isluiuls,  8-J.471.M-- 
fi-om  Sitka,  $41)2.:)7  from  Hn^ii  n,  and  !?7IO..^)4  from 
ATexico.  Quite  a  comnw  rce,  and  far-reaching  witlial, 
and  on(!  of  which  tin?  emhrvo  m<'tropolis  mi<j;lit  well 
he  proud,  even  if  its  colK'ctor's  statement,  if  reported 


fOMMKlUF,  AND  NAVKiATTON'. 


741 


rorrertly.  dins  sln>\v  a  «lisfi«paiH'V  of  8100  in  one 
|)liM'«>,  $40  in  another,  $10  in  anotlii-r,  ami  i<>'>  in  an- 
otlur. 

(>!i  tin'  1st  of  .Fanuarv,  IH4S,  was  Htai-titl  a  so  rallt  <J 

n'<4ular  |>a<k«t  for  Sonoma.       Kor  this    |>iir|Nf«<-  Hn- 

niaiuiiXrincnt    rniployrtl    the    sloop    SlncUmi.    Uii-^us. 

nastci',  a}4«nt  at  Sonoma,  A.  Hot  |>p»n»r.  havin-.'  San 


ran4'is4-u  o 


n  MontlaA's.  ami  Sonoma  on  Wedn*  ><Iit\ 


V 

Till"  riaft  called  launrhcs  h.id  lurn  for  some  tim<  ply- 
inij  l>«tMr<'n  tlir  Napa  t  inl>ar«a«lt'ro  and  San  Franrixit. 
Nvla-n,  on  the  1st  »d'  F«'l>niarv,  tin*  t-lipprr-hnjlt  pii/.c 
stho(MH'r,  MnJfk  A'lJul,  crosscfl  San  PaWlo  hay.  and 
entt'rin<4  Xapa  eri-ck,  amhorcd  in  fonr  and  a  half 
fathoms  of  \vat»  rat  half  tide.  T.  Cordna  «;i\i^  n<>tirr 
in  tin-  ('nUfnfninn  of  A|>ril  '_M'»,  |S4f^,  that  he  will  nm 
a  monthly  lauiuh  fiom  San  Kranrisco  to  New  M«  <  k- 
Irnl 


mriif,  ill  the  Sacramento  \ alley,  toui'hinvf  at  N  ieho- 
las.  Algeirs.  the  endtarca«lero  of  Jie.ir  <reek.  II  iidy  s, 
at  the  mouth  of  Feather  river,  Sutter\ille.  l>ra/,-'iia, 
^[onte/uina,  and  Heni<ia  city;  in  coniieetion  with 
which  a  horse  and  wa<ron  would  run  rei«ul.irl\  1m  i\v.  en 
New   ^^l•^•klenl^u^i;  and  J)aniel  Silles'.  in    the  upper 


Si 


uraniento  valley 


II 


ere  was  river  am 


1  .sta'Lj 


re  navi- 


j^atinn.     «|uite  a  stretch  of  it. 

The  lM"L;innin;4  of  1,S4S  saw  .it  tlm  Cove  a  thrivinvj 
Seaport  town,  which,  with  the  surroundiiii;  shruli-elad 
hills  and  valleys,  presented  from  Si'^nal  Hill  a  \  iew  of 
,'{.")  adohe  piihlic  huihlin^s.  Wcll-stoeked  W;irehoU-eS. 
stores,  and  d\vellin»^s.  and    1<5()  snu'^  frame  huiltlinu'*, 


w 


Itll  tliell-  r<speetl\e  outhouses  ail<l  encl(»snres,  e^ilt- 
teiin.jf  in  whitewash  and  tVesh  paint.  IJuilders  n»tw 
hej^an  to  think  of  p«  rmanciicc,  and  |iut  hea\  ier  timiers 
and  hetter  material  into  their  houses.      More  wh;.r\«s 


Wele 


huilt, 


on   w 


hici 


1,    as    We 


as  on   the   heach   and 


temporaiv  landin^^s,  were  staeked  and  shewn  hide.-, 
hoxes,  and  hariels  of  merchandise,  and  the  u->ual  p.iia- 
|>hernalia  of  connneicial  industiy.  Hartrcs  with  white 
sails  skirted  the  hav  for  hides  and  tallow,  and  as- 
ceudcd  the  s»t  eanLs  with  ••oods.      Whalers,  and  ( )re.;< >n 


m 


742 


FOl'XPINV;   OF  THE  OIlEAT   MFTF:orOLI>. 


iukI  Calit'nniia  roast 'm<4  ViSsclH.  «^nton'<l  and  dtpaitid 
tlin»u<^li  tli«-  <i<)l<Ki«  (Jutr.  Till'  t'hrti*  II  <»f  tiflnK»l 
tru>t»t*.s  was  onlrml  l»v  the  town  authorities.  X<tr 
\vt  It   tlns«'  iin-paratioiis  mad*-  a  day  too  so<iii. 

With  its  Aiiuricaii  population,  its  (oiniiMn  ial  <  har 
a«tt  |-.  and  its  two  ntws|»a|»(rs,  in'm**  all  that  won 
))i'inttd  within  tin*  trrritorv,  San  Fnin<is<o  now  ht-i^aii 
to  assume  that  supreniacv  destined  to  \h-  jki|h  tual 
iiiiion<4  the  <-ities  of  the  coast.  Its  i^iowth.  though 
r.ijiiil,  was  iiie-^ular.  A  sjiasni  of  advaneenient  wa> 
foilowi'd  hy  a  jM-riod  of  eoniparative  «jui  t.  So  full  ot 
enei-^y  w»ie  the  |n'oj»1(.«,  »»  eai.;*'!-  to  iN-eonte  iinnudi- 
nf<  ly  lieh.  that  in  re;j;aid  to  increase  in  values  and 
Volume  of  husiiiess.  the  future  was  antiei|iated:  if 
iiiij-es  douhh  <|,  thev  uiust  douhle  a'^aiii  .-hoiilv,  and 
when  the  leaition  came,  which  event  was  certain, 
i»eo|»lc  cnmplain«d.  During  the  Mexican  war  |Mri«Ml. 
husiness  had  hei'U  Ljood.  Troops  had  Im  en  lamli-d. 
hiimii^rants  hy  .sea  had  arri\ed,  Jind  town  l««ts  had 
r;i|»idly  ailvanced.  In  the  ahsence  of  the>e  stiniulaiit>, 
the  year  l^4H  o|K-ned  dull,  and  tin'  citizens  deenuil  it 
iidvis;il)le  to  make  hetter  known  to  the  jnople  of  the 
eastern  states  the  capahilities  and  pros|H  «ts  <»f  Cali- 
fornia.     To  this  end   the  ( 'tili'luniin  >7"r  was  euLja^ed 


to  jirmt  an  a<-co 


un 


t  of  the  resources  of  the  ««iuntrv,  to 


ti'  written 


i.v  y.  J.  K 


our'4eau( 


It  will  \h:  remembered   that  the  governor.  Juan  1] 
Alvarado.    in     Ib'-^'J    dincted    tlu:    alcalde   of   Y<  rl 


i:i 


] 


)Ueiia.  f  raneist-oii 


le  II 


u< », 


tol 


iav( 


theC 


ovo  surve\ It 


M»  that  the  lots  which  were  tlieii   heiri'_'  triven  to  any 
who  Would   huild  on  tlu'm   should   not  In    v:ianttd  ai 


rand 


om,  am 


I    tl 


ns  worl 


was   «ri\en 


t<»  J 


ean 


lo'^et. 


In  IH4  I  cam*'  »ttlicers  and  servants  of  the  'jreat  Hud- 
son's 1>ay  ('onipany,  and  added  its  intluenee  u|h»ii  tin 
haiidet.  After  a  hrief  hi'eathin<.j  sjmII.  ap|M  aied  upoii 
the  plaza  the  sjiiiit  of  I77'».  in  the  form  of  the  .\nui- 
icaii  tla;4.  waft«-d  thitlnroversuhdued  Mexican  domain, 
and  s«'t  up  in  1S40  hy  John  H.  Mont.ir»merv.  <-"ni 
niandcr  of  the  sloop  Inrh-iuuudi,  who  ai»[»oiated  Wash- 


i  Hilton 

Yorha 

s(juare 

street. 

for  iLjo 

Jhieua 

<pi;irte 

where 

Unite( 

San 

ity  an* 

first  us 

The  o(v 

wlu!n  s 

next  d.i 

eiidud  < 

ISth  u\ 

8  I, .'(00. 

sur\  i\(i 

The  -JS) 

of  Tayl 

was  tilt 

to  the  d 

hoards, 

fired.     . 

tli(i  lattt 

UiMt.'d; 

A  Seei»M 

ISIS,    e, 

and   Mi' 

hall  at  tl 
pai'tieipii 
Were  exc 
A  yet  Lji 
hi'jr  2 2d 
painter,  ( 
furnlshet 
I ^ reset 
said,  and 


r0UT>M0L'TII   SHIP  AND  SQL'AIIK. 


74t 


iii'^ton  A.  liiirtl«tt,  oiu'  of  liis  lioutciuiiits,  nlcaldf  of 
YciIki  Jiuiiiu  ;  till-  iiuiii*' of  tlic  .ship  was  i^ivni  lo  tin- 
s(|uai'c,  and  tliat  of  the  coiiiiiiaiKlcr  to  tlic  {ti'iiK-ipal 
strt'i't.  liaitlitt  likfwis*!  sliowi'd  dtsi^ii,  and  that  not 
foi"  tj;ood,  winii  hf  i-haui^fd  thr  iianu'  fioin  Yiiha 
Jiiii'iia  to  San  Fiain-is«-o,  as  did  also  Folsnm.  tht' 
(|uait«'rinast«  r,  \vh»ii  lie  sil«(to<l  this  |)huT  as  the  point 
w  hcTi'  shoiihl  Ik-  k«pt  ill",  iiilituiy  stores  of  tliu 
United  States. 

San  Francis<*o  was  t-arly  active  in  deeds  of  liosjiital- 
ity  an«l  l)enevolenec  as  wtll  as  of  enteiprlsf.  The 
first  us<'  to  winch  tlie  first  house  was  put  was  fiustin^. 


Tl 


le  occasion  was 


the  <! 


av  o 


f  A 


nitricaii  ni(ti|)eiit|('ncc 


d< 


when  soino  sixty  quests  danced  all  ni^;ht,  and  all   the 


11U\ 


t<l 


IV,  so 


that  Mr   I 


jet'Se  s 


Fourth,  as  lie  reinarl 


IvS. 


ended  on  the  fifth.  Thanks'^u  iiiu;  was  ('elehr;it»(l  the 
ISth  of  Xoveiuhi  r.  1M47.  And  it  was  a  liheial  sum, 
$l,.»0(),  for  a  town  of  ."ioo  inhal)itants,  to  i^ive  to  the 
survivois  of  the  Doniier  [>ai'ty  in  Fehruary  IS47. 
Tht>  "JSth  of  ^fav.  the  town  was  illuminated  in  honoi' 
of  Taylor's  victory  at  J^ueiia  \'ista.  And  p.itrlotic 
was  the  villa'^e  withal.  p]vt  ly  tenement  pi'ctendiiiL,' 
to  the  dignity  of  dwellin-j;,  whethei-  of  cloth,  mud,  or 
hoards,  was  ]i^;ht<d  ;  honfires  wt  re  liL;hted,  and  ^uns 
fire(I.  July  ,L!;ave  two  jjjala  davs,  the  4th  and  the  7th, 
tht^  lattir  iH'inuf  the  anniversai'v  of  the  lioistin-j'  of  tlio 
United  States'  tla^j  hy  Connnodoic  Sloat  at  Mttntfrey. 
A  S'conil  illumination  occurred  the  I  Ith  of  .\u;iust, 
!H4S,  celehratinLj  p<ace  iM-twem  the  ITnited   Statis 


il   M 


e\lco. 


In  .lanuarv  l^4S,  theri-  was  a  masked 


hall  at  tht- American  llou 


iJetwe  M  fortv  and  liftv 
)»articipatits  attendid  in  costume;  the  refreshmei.ts 
weri-  excellent,  and  danciu'^  continued  nearly  all  ni^ht. 
A  vt't  Lfrander  atliiir  «>f  the  kind  occuri'i'd  the  follow- 
ino'  'I'ld  of  Fehruary.  T.  W.  l\'rry,  house  and  si^n 
paint*  r.  coriui-  of  ^[ont;^olJlery  and  Jackson  streets, 
furnlslu'd  tlie  masks. 

Urescntly  times  in'came  thill,  some  of  the  merchants 
baid,  and  the  depression,  indeed,  must  have  been  seri- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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1.8 


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► 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


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23  V\  EST  MmlN  St'RrET 

WEBSUR,  X.Y.  H580 

(7161  872-4SC3 


<? 


C/u 


744 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


ous  when  such  firms  as  W.  A.  Leidesdorff,  Melius  and 
Howard,  Robert  A.  Parker,  and  Ward  and  Smith, 
discontinue  in  March  not  only  their  advertisements, 
but  their  subscriptions,  from  the  Cab'fomian.  The 
publication  of  this  newspaper,  which  had  been  started 
in  Monterey  by  Chaplain  Colton  and  Robert  Soniple 
in  July  1846,  usin^  the  same  materials  employed  by 
the  Californians  for  printing  since  1834,  and  issued 
during  tlie  rest  of  that  year  in  the  old  capital,  was 
continued  in  San  Francisco  from  the  beginning  of 
January  1847.  On  the  other  hand,  Dickson  and  Hay, 
Shelly  and  Norris,  and  W.  H.  Davis  announced  busi- 
ness extension,  with  increased  facilities,  to  which  was 
coupled  the  complaint  that  half  the  community  were 
going  wild  into  land  and  other  speculations.  Proper- 
ties shifted  from  one  person  to  another,  and  none 
thought  sufficiently  of  improving.  "One  million  of 
hardy,  industrious  persons  are  wanted  to  drive  these 
money-gathering  drones  out  of  the  country,"  cries  the 
editor  of  the  Califomian.  How  few  of  us  know  of 
what  we  complain,  or  how  should  be  the  remedy  1 
Here  is  an  editor  at  this  early  day  railing  at  capital 
in  Calif(n'nia,  and  in  the  same  issue,  without  being 
aware  of  the  inconsistency,  is  comjilaining  of  the  ef- 
fects of  the  absence  of  it.  The  gold,  and  coal,  and 
copper,  and  silver  thrusting  their  notice  every  day 
upon  him,  he  does  not  know  what  to  do  with,  and  yet 
he  wishes  all  who  do  not  work  with  their  hands  well 
out  of  the  country. 

During  the  early  part  of  1 848  there  are  not  many 
business  changes.  C.  C.  Smith  and  Company  open  a 
store  at  New  Helvetia  in  January;  at  Sonoma,  M. 
J.  Haan  and  L.  G.  Blume  dissolve,  and  Victor 
Prutlon  and  M.  J.  Haan  form  a  copartnership.  In 
its  issue  of  the  22nd  of  January  three  colunms  of  the 
Star,  or  nearly  one-fifth  of  its  entire  space  is  occupied 
by  an  advertisement  of  Brandreth's  i)ills  in  Spanish 
and  English,  C.  L.  Ross,  agent.  Dickson  and  Hay 
removed  from  next  door  to  Leidcsdotf.  and  opened 


BUSINESS  MEN  OP  '48. 


745 


their  Bee  Hive  store  opjiosite  the  lumber  yard  of 
C.  L.  Ross,  beside  Mr  Ellis.  Win  Boerc  beijan  a 
cabiriot  manufactory  in  the  rear  c  f  the  adobe  store  on 
Clay  street. 

The  1 8th  of  February  C.  V.  Gillespie  appears  with 
an  assortment  of  Chinese  goods,  embroidered  shawls, 
handkerchiefs,  lacquered  ware,  vases,  and  j^unpowder 
from  Canton  direct  by  the  ship  Earjle.  The  Colon- 
nade House  was  opened  on  Kearny  street,  a  few  doors 
from  Portsmouth  square,  in  March,  by  Conway  and 
Westcott,  and  with  a  restaurant  and  reading  room 
became  a  leading  house.  William  S.  Clark  announces 
in  the  CaUfornian  the  15th  of  March,  that  he  has  a 
new  warehouse,  at  the  stone  pier  foot  of  Broadway,  to 
let.  On  Sacramento  street  between  Montgomery 
street  and  the  beach  William  Foster  opens  a  furniture 
establishment.  He  is  shortly  succeeded  by  McLean 
and  Osburn.  Shelly  and  Norris  advertise  in  the 
Cnllfnmian  as  wholesale  and  retail  merchants,  corner 
of  Kearny  and  Clay  streets.  Lazarus  Everhart  is  a 
fashionable  tailor  o.i  Montgomery  street.  Henry 
Hartman  establishes  a  tinsmith's  shop  on  Pacific 
street  between  Dupont  and  Stockton  streets,  i^avid 
Ramsay  could  find  no  name  for  the  place  where  his 
store  stood,  and  so  advertised  in  the  Califomiau,  the 
1 5th  of  March,  a  stock  of  teas,  sugars,  silks,  preserves, 
blankets,  matting,  cordage,  rice,  and  the  like  on 
the  street  nearly  opposite  tlie  custom  house. 
George  Denecke  is  a  baker.  Beside  publishing  the 
CaUfornian,  B.  R.  Buckelew  continued  his  watch, 
clock,  and  jewelry  business.  Folsom,  the  quarter- 
master, asked  for  sealed  proposals  for  180  tons  of  hay 
for  the  United  States.  It  must  be  of  oats  and  clover, 
cut  and  cured  while  the  oats  are  in  the  mi!k  and  the 
clover  in  the  bloom,  pressed  into  bales  and  delivered 
at  some  embarcadero  on  the  bay.  Robert  T.  Ridley 
would  pasture  animals  throughout  the  year  at  his 
rancho  three  miles  from  mission  San  Francisco  de 
Dolores.     Isaac  Williams,  rancho  del  Chino,  will  pay 


^40 


FOUNDING  OP  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


$1,000  or  $1,500  in  cattle  and  wild  mares  for  the 
building  of  an  adobe  fence. 

William  Atherton,  in  April  1848,  established  him- 
S(>lf  in  the  leather  business  at  San  Francisco,  his  tan- 
nery and  shop  being  on  the  corner  of  Shubrick  and 
Yallojo  streets.  The  CaJ/'fomian  of  April  5th  coui- 
plaiiis  that  John  Couzens,  the  butcher, — Cozens  he 
should  have  written  it — had  left  town  without  paying 
his  advertising  and  subscription  bill.  By  the  26th  of 
April  Jacob  Harlan  had  established  "a  livery  stable 
and  horse  bazar"  near  Was]  ihigton  Square;  house  and 
s]h[)  carpenters,  corner  of  Kearny  and  Pacific  streets, 
were  Hood  and  Wilson.  The  Shades  Tavern,  by  T. 
and  H.  Smith,  corner  of  Pacific  and  Stockton  streets, 
advertised  the  12th  of  April,  shows  how  the  business 
portion  of  the  town  was  extending  in  that  direction. 
Oliver  Mao-nent  wishes  to  sell  his  new  flourinij  mill 
near  the  San  Jose  embarcadero.  Dickson  and  Hay 
advertises  in  the  CaJifomian  of  April  26th  one  case 
of  stationery  for  sale.  T.  Cordua  offers  to  supply 
overland  travellers  to  the  east  at  San  Francisco  })rices, 
with  good  flour,  hams,  bacon,  and  smoked  beef;  also 
working  and  beef  cattle ;  all  at  his  farm,  New  Mecklen- 
burg, centre  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  and  near  where 
the  road  branches  off  to  the  United  States.  So  C.  C. 
Smith,  at  New  Helvetia,  offers  to  supply  persons  wish- 
ing to  return  to  the  States  with  horses,  nmles,  pack- 
saddles,  picket-ropes,  and  provisions. 

Over  Mr  Parker's  new  meat  and  vegetable  stand, 
called  Washington  market,  George  Eggleston,  this 
same  month,  set  up  a  new  sign,  the  sign  of  the  bleed- 
ing pig ;  and  it  bled  so  perfectly  in  the  picture  that 
the  editor  of  the  Califomian,  who  had  been  asked  to 
drink  on  the  occasion,  and  who  had  drank  several 
times  at  the  expense  of  Eggleston,  p,s  he  was  about  to 
retire  to  his  home,  turned,  and  regarding  the  work  of 
art  attentively  for  a  time,  at  length  exclaimed : — *•  I 
am  so  damned  deaf  that  I  cannot  hear  it  squeal." 

A  more   complete   list  of  the   principal   business 


bss 


MORE  BUSINESS   HOUSES. 


W7 


houses  in  San  Francisco  during  the  winter  of  1848-9 
would  embrace  C.  L.  Ross;  Melius  and  Howard; 
Dickson  and  Hay ;  Ward  and  Smith,  No.  3  ^Fdiit- 
gomer}'-  street;  J.  Bawden,  wholesale  connnissiou 
merchant,  foot  of  Broadway;  Sherman  and  Kut^kel, 
general  connnisslon  merchants,  comer  Clay  and  !Mont- 
goniery  streets;  Starkey,  Janion,  and  Company, 
commission  merchants;  A.  J.  Grayson,  general  mer- 
chandise, north-east  corner  of  City  Hotel  building; 
Davis  and  Carter,  general  merchants,  corner  Clav  and 
Montgomery  streets ;  William  S.  Clark,  auction  and 
connnission,  at  the  ship  wharf,  foot  of  Broatlway  ;  K. 
A.  Parker,  general  merchant,  Clay  street;  I.  ^Tont- 
gomery,  keeper  of  the  Shades  tavern  and  bowling 
alleys,  corner  of  Pacific  and  Stockton  streets,  and 
dealer  in  general  merchandise ;  De  Witt  and  Ifarrison, 
Sansomc  street ;  Finley,  Johnson  and  Co.,  commission 
merchants,  Portsmouth  House,  Clay  street ;  Wet- 
more  and  Oilman,  jobbing  and  commission;  Cross, 
Hobson  and  Co.,  commission  merchants;  Leighton, 
Swasey,  and  Co.,  general  merchants.  Clay  street ; 
Robert  Wells  and  Co.,  dry-goods  and  groceries;  J. 
Angelo,  varieties,  opposite  the  Shades ;  beside  V>.  R. 
Buckelew's  shop,  George  Storey  established  hiuisclf 
as  a  watch-maker  at  C.  Russ'  corner  ]\r(mtgonKiy 
and  Pine  streets.  Candy  men  were  E.  Welder  and 
Schlotthauer.  Anthony  Welter  made  boots  and 
shoes.  Naglee  and  Sintoii  advertise  town  lots.  Dring 
kept  the  adobe  store.  There  was  the  firm  of  E.  and 
H.  Grimes,  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the  senior  part- 
ner. C.  V.  Gillespie  was  notary  })ublic;  and  bouglit 
gold-dust.  Among  the  attorne3's  were  L.  AV.  IJas- 
ititigs;  T.  R.  Per  Lee;  E.  P.  Jones;  and  Francis  J. 
Lippitt.  The  name  of  J.  H(>nry  Poett  was  added  to 
tlie  })hysicians ;  also  K.  D.  Noel.  On  the  soutli  side 
of  Portsmouth  square  stood  the  City  Hotel,  kept  by 
J.  H.  Brown.  On  the  corner  of  Pacific  and  Sansome 
streets,  opposite  the  ship  anchorage  was  a  public 
house  kept  by  George  Denecke.     Beside  the  Wash- 


|;,'irl 

iibii^ 


WW 


748 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


ington  market  of  George  W.  Eggleston  and  Co., 
there  was  the  Central  market  of  which  Edmonson  and 
Anderson  were  proprietors ;  for  sale  there  were  meat 
and  vegetables,  and  a  schooner  was  kept  constantly 
plying  to  all  parts  of  the  bay  for  supplies.  Later  the  firm 
was  dissolved,  Edmonson  continuing.  Karl  Shlottour 
kept  a  bakery  in  the  rear  of  Washington  market ;  one 
was  kept  by  John  Bowden,  on  Broadway  near  the 
ship  wharf.  Willliam  Hood  and  Charles  Wilson 
were  house  and  ship  carpenters.  John  Weyland,  Clay 
street,  furnished  tents  for  the  gold  mines.  N.  K. 
Benton  joined  C.  L.  Ross  the  1st  of  January  under 
the  firm  name  Ross,  Benton,  and  Co.  In  the  new 
cream-colored  house  of  Mr  Wetmore,  just  above  the 
quatermaster's  office,  Richard  Carr  took  daguerreo- 
type portraits.  The  Shades  tavern  was  burned  the 
loth  of  January. 

Sales  by  auction  began  early,  and  later  as- 
sumed large  proportions.  Dickson  and  Hay  adver- 
tised in  the  California  Star,  Febuary  6,  1847,  an 
auction  sale  of  a  variety  of  merchandise  by  the 
schooner  Currcnnj  Lass  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
Howard  and  Melius  the  1st  of  March  sold  the  prize 
g0(xls  of  the  U.  S.  ship  Cyane,  consisting  of  dr}''-goods, 
liardware,  and  groceries.  The  Sarmiento,  a  vessel  of 
twenty  tons,  was  sold  by  Ward  and  Smith,  Mont- 
gomery street,  the  4th  of  September.  William  R. 
Grariier  offered  the  brig  Primavera  at  auction  the  9tli 
of  November.  Wm  McDonald  gave  notice  to  sell  by 
auction  part  of  the  cargo  of  the  Chilian  ship  Con  fed- 
cracion,  consisting  of  dry-goods,  provisions,  and 
liquors,  the  10th  of  November. 

In  January  1848  McDonald  and  Buchanan  formed 
a  copartnership,  and  opened  an  auction  and  commis- 
sion business  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Portsmouth 
Square.  W.  M.  Smith  offered  miscellaneous  mer- 
chandise at  auction  the  22nd.  The  seizure  of  tlie 
cargo  of  the  schooner  Marj/  Ann  for  breach  of  cus- 
toms regulations  gave  McDonald  and  Buchanan  a 


THE  MORMONS. 


749 


sale  the  4tli  of  February.  A  double-planked,  cedar- 
built  and  copper-fastened  launch  was  sold  at  auction 
by  W.  S.  Clark  at  the  foot  of  Clay  street  wharf  the 
22nd  of  February.  McDonald  and  Buchanan  held 
an  auction  sale  of  general  merchandise  the  2Gth  of 
February.  In  the  Califomian  of  March  15th,  Wil- 
liam S.  Clark  announces  himself  established  as  a  com- 
mission merchant  and  general  auctioneer,  near  the 
ship  anchorage  foot  of  Broadway. 

Religions  become  somewhat  entangled  in  the  new 
community,  a»  well  as  nationalities.  The  catholic  of 
course  was  the  orthodox  creed,  the  best  for  business, 
as  well  as  for  social  and  spiritual  advancement ;  yet 
Samuel  Brannan  made  Mormonism  pay,  as  long  as  he 
could  secure  for  lumself  a  tenth  of  all  the  earnings  of 
tlie  saints.  In  his  manipulations  of  piety  and  property 
which  followed,  Sam  well  understood  the  power  of 
printer's  ink.  He  had  brought  out  with  him,  on  the 
Brooklyn,  a  printing  press,  and  material  for  a  news- 
paper, which  he  started,  calling  it  the  f^tar.  This 
journal  being  accused  of  Mormon  proclivities,  the 
Califomian  of  April  26,  1848,  would  like  to  know 
whether  headlong  fanaticism,  urged  by  designing 
leaders,  may  not  endanger  the  peace  of  communities  ; 
and  that  wiien  the  doctrines  of  any  sect  or  society  in- 
terfere with  the  wholesome  operation  of  the  laws 
under  wliich  they  live,  if  means  should  not  be  taken 
for  the  suppression  of  such  pretended  religion.  Thus 
early  at  the  Cove  the  sects  begin  to  snarl. 

It  may  truthfully  be  said,  however,  that  when  the 
times,  the  trials,  the  discomforts,  the  harassing  anx- 
iety and  oftentimes  suffering  are  taken  into  account 
there  was  wonderfully  little  snarling  either  among 
saints  or  ainners.  It  speaks  volumes  for  humanity, 
for  the  young  and  adventurous  humanity  here  con- 
gregated in  particular,  that  there  was  so  little  fighting, 
so  few  murders  or  robberies  in  California  during  the 
first  flush  of  the  gold  discovery,  or  until  professional 
cut-throats  had  arrived  from  the  British  penal  colonies. 


m 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS. 


I  will  rest  here  with  my  narrative  of  the  progress 
of  the  young  metropolis,  to  be  taken  up  again  in  my 
Inter  Pacula,  as  v/hat  follows  properly  belongs  to  the 
goltl-digghig  era. 

At  tlie  close  of  Hcsiod's  golden  age,  the  men  then 
livhig  were  made  demons  or  genii;  some  became 
angels,  and  moved  invisibly  in  air.  Thus  it  was  when 
the  Age  of  Gold  terminated  the  Golden  Age  of  Cali- 
fornia, the  missionaries,  their  associates,  and  convicts, 
rapidly  were  sublimated;  some  of  them  became  angils, 
more  of  them  became  demons,  a  few  remain  to  this 
day  as  they  were  before  the  fall — manly  men. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


BrBLIOTxRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 

Car  roecasioii  a  toua  ses  chevcux  A  front;  quand  olio  est  oultre  passee, 
vom  lit!  la  i)f)uvez  plus  revocijuer;  elle  est  cliauve  par  lo  derricro  di;  la  teste, 
et  jamais  plus  ne  retourne.  — Jialitldi.i. 

For  a  country  and  a  period  so  little  known  as  Pas- 
toral California,  notliiniX  ran  bo  of  ijrcatcT  int(^r(>st  to 
a  lover  of  literature  tlian  a  description  of  tlie  books 
and  manuscripts  containing  information  upon  tlie  sub- 
ject. Particularly  is  this  the  case  when  so  few  of 
the  sources  of  information  are  in  print,  or  are  known 
to  students  of  history.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  of  the 
six  volumes  of  this  series  devoted  to  Pastoral  Cali- 
fornia, not  more  than  one  tenth  of  tlie  information 
contained  in  them  was  ever  before  in  print,  or  even  in 
the  EnLjlish  lanijuaore.  Mission  and  government 
archives,  and  state  and  family  papers  furnished  some 
material;  but  more  than  Jialf  of  all  that  has  been 
gathered  relating  to  this  interesting  epoch,  or  which 
is  now  in  existence  concernlntj  it,  Avas  taki^i  bv  Uie 
or  by  my  agents  from  the  mouths  of  living  witnesses. 

The  bibliography  of  California  is  naturally  divided 
into  two  periods  by  the  change  fi'om  ]\I(!xican  to 
Anglo-American  occupation,  which  was  effected  almost 
simultaneously  with  the  gold  discovery.  Th»!  first 
period  has  somethhig  over  1,G00  titles,  and  the  latter, 
which  is  constantly  increasing  hi  immber,  some  2,100. 
The  authorities  given  in  the  list  at  the  beginning  of  the 
first  volume  of  my  Tf/.sfon/  of  CaJifmiiia  contain  vir- 
tually the  history  of  California  from  the  earliest  days 
of  its  settlement  to  the  present  time.     Ever}"  scrap 

(751) 


762 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


of  paper  existing  in  the  public  archives,  secular  or 
ecclesiastical,  or  in  private  hands,  to  within  the  last 
twenty  years,  is  in  the  list;  the  papers  being  either 
original,  or  copied,  or  in  the  form  of  an  epitome  of 
the  original ;  to  which  nmst  be  added  the  recollec- 
tions of  Califoriiians,  Mexicans,  or  foreigners  who 
lived  in  the  country  prior  to  its  becoming  a  part  of 
tlic  United  States. 

The  first  bibliographical  period  of  California,  being 
that  of  California  Pastoral,  may  be  again  divided 
into  two  parts,  one  being  before  and  the  other  after 
Spanish  occupation  in  1769.  What  is  known  of  the 
country  before  this  date  is  mostly  in  printed  form ; 
on  Alta  California  between  the  years  1769  and  1848 
I  have  over  eleven  hundred  manuscripts,  not  to  men- 
tion many  thousand  papers  and  documents  of  from 
one  to  several  pages  each,  which  have  no  distinguish- 
ing titles,  and  are  not  quoted  separately  in  the  history. 

For  the  period  preceding  1769,  California  is  not  the 
exclusive  nor  even  the  chief  subject  of  any  book; 
and  yet,  no  less  than  fifty-six  treat  of  this  distant 
region,  and  of  the  voyages  hither.  This  number 
might  be  augmented  or  lessened  without  laying  my- 
self open  to  the  charge  of  inaccuracy.  Four  of  them, 
namely,  Acosta,  Hlstoria  Natural  y  Moral ;  Apostolicos 
Afancs  de  la  Compania  de  Jesus ;  Bemal  Diaz  del  Cas- 
tillo, Hlstoria  Verdadera  de  la  Conquista  de  Nueva 
Espana;  and  Villasenor,  TJieatro  Americano,  merely 
allude  to  California  as  a  part  of  the  vast  dominions 
of  the  Spanish  crown  in  America ;  and  one,  Sergas  of 
Esplayidian,  is  a  romance  giving  the  name  California 
to  the  province  before  this  region  was  discovered.  A 
large  number  of  the  books  are  cosmographical,  or 
once  popular  collections  of  voyages  and  travels. 
There  are  eight  works  of  voyages.  Cabrera  Bucno, 
Drake,  Hakluyt,  Herrera,  LimcJwten,  Purchas,  Torque- 
mada,  and  Venegas,  whose  books  contain  the  actual 
knowledge  then  existing  in  print.  The  rest  were  of 
interest  chiefly  because  of  their  quaint  cosmographical 


V(")YA(;ES  and  COSMOriPvArHTES. 


7.-3 


notions  or  conjocturcs  on  tlic  name  of  California. 
Tlicru  wore  sixteen  deseriptive  t'osino<jfraplii('al  works 
of  the  old  tyi)e,  namely,  America,  I>larn,  JfArift/, 
Gotffricdt,  Hcjihjn,  Lac f,  Loir,  Lnyf,  Mcrcator,  M(»i(ainis, 
MorclU,  0(jUhy,  ()rtclii(s,  Wed  Iiidhchc  Spicfjhcl,  and 
Wi/flUct.  To  thc^se  mav  be  added  four  ]']n'j;lisli 
records  of  a  somewhat  dilFerent  class,  Camdcii,  Cuiii])- 
hcU,  (.'oxc,  and  Davis,  Tlieii  there  are  sixti>en  of  the 
once  popular  collections  of  voyages  and  travels,  of 
which  via,  Hacke,  Harris,  Samrnhmrj,  Itainimo,  and 
Voyages  are  the  most  notable.  We  nmst  notic(\  be- 
sides, six  works  which  treat  of  voyages— none  of  them 
actually  to  California — or  the  lives  of  es[)eciid  navi- 
gators, the  authors  being,  Burton,  Clark,  Ddiiijilcr, 
Rof/crs,  ShcJvockc,  and  Ulloa.  To  these  may  b(3  addi'd 
a  number  of  important  documents  relating  to  this 
primitive  epoch,  which  appeared  in  print  only  in  mod- 
ern times;  they  are  to  be  found  in  yiscoislon,  Cahrllln, 
Cardnia,  Dcmarcaclon,  Lvavs,  Kiel,  and  Salmcron. 
California,  as  I  said  before,  was  l)ut  incidentally  al- 
luded to  in  such  books,  a  few  of  which  contain  what 
visitors  had  ascertained  regarding  this  coast.  The 
rest  are  full  .of  errors,  and  of  superficial  repetitions, 
drawn  out  of  the  writers'  brains  upon  the  mythical 
strait  of  Anian.  And  there  may  be  other  mhior 
documents  which  mtnition  California  in  connection 
with  the  Northern  Mystery.  Between  1701)  and 
1824  was  the  period  of  inland  exploration,  and  of  the 
establishment  of  Spanish  domination  in  California, 
which  was  effected  by  means  of  missions,  and  mili- 
tary  posts,  called  presidios,  and  a  little  later  of  pue- 
blos or  incorporated  towns.  For  this  epoch  I  Jiave 
four  hundred  titles,  sixty  of  the  works  being  in  ])rint. 
Among  the  latter  are  three  which  treat  exclusively 
of  California;  two  Costans6,  Dlarlo  Historlco  de  los 
llafjcs  de  Mar  y  Tlcrra  hechos  al  rtorfe  de  Callfonila, 
and  Monterey,  Exfracfo  de  Noticias,  Mexico,  1770,  fur- 
nishing important  records  of  the  first  expeditions  to 
San    Diego   and    Monterey    in    l76*J-70;  the    third, 


Cal.  Past.    48 


7o4 


BinLIOCJRArilY  OF  PASTOIIAL  CALIFOUN'IA. 


Palo'i,  Vkla  ik  Junipero  Scrra,  being  the  standard 
history  of  California  down  to  1784. 

Miguel  Costanso,  an  alferez,  or  sub-licutcnant  of 
royal  engineers,  was  the  cosniograplier  of  the  first 
expedition  despatched  from  Mexico  to  California,  and 
his  Dlario  Jlistorico  was  published  in  Mexleo  in  1776. 
In  later  years  he  acquind  distinction  as  an  engineer, 
and  liis  reports  of  17U4-5  on  defences  of  California, 
fortifications  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  drainage  of  the  valley 
of  ^lexico,  stamped  him  as  an  accomplished  ofSc  r. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  his  merits  W(  r(!  both 
ap[)reciated  and  rewarded.  In  1811  ho  was  still  liv- 
ing as  a  mariscal  de  campo,  or  major-general,  a  rank 
mon^  sparingly  bestowed  at  that  time  than  at  present, 
and  therefore  more  significant  of  merit. 

Francisco  Palou,  a  Franciscan  friar  of  the  colleije  of 
San  Fernando,  in  Mexico,  is  a  prominent  figure  in 
connection  with  the  first  fifteen  years  of  California 
historj'.  He  was  the  senior  priest,  next  to  the  fatiier- 
president,  Junipero  Serra,  and  during  a  temporjuy 
absence  of  the  latter  in  Mexico,  held  the  position  for 
a  few  months  during  1773  and  1774  of  acting  presi- 
dent, which  he  reluctantly  accepted,  in,  deference  to 
the  unanimous  wish  of  his  com])anions,  and  the  request 
of  the  commandant  of  the  new  settlements.  Father 
Palou  was  a  native  of  Palma,  in  the  Balearic  island 
of  ^[allorca,  and  born  ■  robably  about  1722.  In  1740 
h«-  became  a  pupil  of  .  'ather  Serra,  with  whom,  and 
with  Father  Juan  Cresjti,  another  Californian  priest, 
he  contracted  a  life-long  friendship,  forming  a  saintly 
trinity  who  devoted  all  their  powers,  physical 
and  mental,  to  the  apostolic  work  of  converting  and 
civilizing  the  natives.  Palou  came  to  Mexico  witli 
Seri'a,  joined  the  college  of  San  Fernando,  antl  beiii^ 
assigned  to  the  Sierra  Ciiorda  missions,  served  there 
from  1750  to  1750,  after  which  he  resided  several 
years  at  his  college.  After  the  expulsion  of  the  Jes- 
uits from  New  Spain,  the  missions  of  Lower  California 
being  eutrusteil  to  tlie  priests  of  San  Fernando,  Palou 


works;  of  franci.^co  palou. 


was  sent  there  under  President  S«rra,  and  in  1708 
took  eliarge  of  San  Franeisco  Javier.  Under  a 
Hul)SO(ju<'nt  arrangement  with  the  Dominicans,  the 
Lower  California  missions  wiTO  transfcrnd  to  that 
order.  President  Serra  departed  for  Upper  (  ahfor- 
nia  hi  1709,  and  Palou,  as  acting  president,  made  the 
formal  delivery  of  the  missions  in  1773,  and  started 
for  San  Diego  and  Monterey.  After  sening  some 
thne  in  the  San  Cilrlos,  he  went  to  found  the  San 
Francisco  hav  establishments.  Finallv,  ill  health 
compelled  him  to  ask  for  permission  to  return  to  his 
college,  which  was  granted  him  in  a  royal  order  of 
October  1784.  Meanwhile,  Serra  havin*;  died  in 
August  of  the  same  year,  Palou  succeed'  ^  him  ad 
interim  in  the  presidency,  and  acted  until  i^^ither 
Lasuen  was  appointed  to  the  office,  in  S'ptemher 
1785.  He  was  now  free  to  leave  Califo'  ia,  and  did 
so,  arriving  at  his  college  in  Feliruar^'  iVod.  Iii  July 
he  was  cliosen  guardian  of  his  college,  his  br  -thren 
thus  siiowmg  their  great  regard  for  him.  His  death 
oppurred  probably  in  1790,  altheugh  soine  assert  it 
was  a  few  years  later. 

Palou's  memory  should  always  .stand  high  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  not  only  a  founder  f>f  missions,  .an 
exemplary  priest,  and  a  man  with  a  liberal  mind  and 
of  broad  practical  views,  but  to  him  we  owe  the  first 
history  of  Alta  California.  His  fame  will  live  through 
his  VUla  (k  Jmdpcro  Serra,  and  Not icias  dc  Califoniias. 
In  the  preface  of  the  former,  issued  in  Mexico  in 
1787,  he  solennily  declares  that  all  his  statements  are 
truthful.  "Como  el  alma  de  la  Historia  es  la  verdad 
scncilla,  puedes  tener  el  consuelo,  ({ue  casi  todo  lo  (jue 
refiero  lo  he  presenciado,  y  lo  que  no,  me  lo  ban  re- 
ferido  otros  padres  misioneros  mis  companems  dignos 
de  fe."  The  other  work,  bearhnx  the  title  yi.tin'aa  de 
la  {Aiitifjua  y)  Nueva  Califomiia,  in  two  volumes,  was 
concluded  in  1783,  this  being  the  last  year  mentioned 
therein.  There  is  good  reason  to  iKslievo  that  some 
portion  of  it  was  written  as  early  as  1773,  at  San  Ciir- 


766 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


los  mission.  His  original  manuscript  at  the  college 
of  Sau  Fernando  has  disappeared,  but  under  a  royal 
order  of  1790  a  cop}'  was  prepared  in  1792,  the  accu- 
racy of  which  was  duly  attested.  This  work  is  divided 
into  four  parts.  Part  I.  gives  the  annals  of  Lower 
California  under  the  Franciscans,  from  1768  to  1773, 
and  forms  forty  chapters  of  the  first  volume ;  part  II. 
describes  the  expedition  to  Monterey,  and  the  foun- 
dation of  the  first  five  missi(ms,  covering  the  period 
from  1769  to  1773,  e.nd  occupying  fifty  chapters  of 
the  same  volume;  part  III.  is  a  collection  of  docu- 
ments— not  {:vrranged  in  chapters — on  events  of  1773- 
4 ;  and  part  IV.  continues  in  forty-one  chapters  the 
narrative  from  1775  to  1783.  The  author  clearly  in- 
dicates, in  a  preface  headed  Jesus,  Maria,  y  Jose,  his 
object  in  undertaking  this  laborious  task,  namely,  to 
provide  a  full  record,  for  tlie  future  use  of  the  chroni- 
cler of  his  religious  order,  of  tlio  apostolic  labors  of 
the  priests  of  San  Fernando  college  in  the  two  Cali- 
fornias  which  had  passed  under  his  observation,  with- 
out suppressing  any  facts,  not  even  those  which  pru- 
dence and  religious  piety  would  counsel  the  clironicler 
"dejar  para  el  secreto  del  archivo,  las  que  solo  se  es- 
criben  para  lo  que  pueda  convenir  para  tapar  la  boca 
it  los  emulos  del  ministerlo  apost61ico."  He  concludes 
with  the  following  assurance  as  to  the  manner  he  in- 
tended to  narrate  events,  "  todo  lo  cual  con  toda  sin- 
ceridad  y  verdad  rcferire  en  esta  recopilacion." 

Next  in  Importance  to  tlie  writings  of  Palou  come 
the  works  of  navigators  who  visited  California  and 
other  parts  of  the  western  coast,  and  gave  descrii)tions 
of  these  countries.  Such  were  Chamisso,  Choris,  Kot- 
zchiic,  Langsdorff,  La  Pcrouse,  Marchand,  Maurelle, 
Roqucfeu'il,  Rdacum  del  Vlage  hecho  por  las  goletas 
Sutil  y  Mcxicana,  and  Vancouver.  La  Perouse,  Van- 
couver, and  a  few  others  do  not  confine  themselves  to 
their  own  personal  observations,  but  furnish  other  ma- 
terial on  the  earliest  history  of  tiie  country,  wliicli 
thus  became  known  to  the  world  for  the  first  time. 


SPANISH  AND  ENGLISH  WORKS. 


757 


Fleurieu  and  Navarrete,  competent  editors,  added  to 
two  of  the  voyage-narratives  many  data  on  earlier  ex- 
plorations. There  are,  moreover,  the  general  works 
on  America  of  Alcedo,  Aiiqaetil,  Bonnycadle,  Birney, 
Forster,  Humboldt,  and  Raynal;  a  number  of  Mexican 
works,  Arricivita,  Clavigero,  Cortes,  Giiia,  Presidios, 
and  Rosignon,  which  contain  matter  on  California; 
and  as  many  collections  of  voyages  and  travels,  such 
as  those  of  Berenyer,  Kerr,  Laharpe,  Pinkertnn,  Viagero 
Universal,  and  Voyages,  furnish  some  information  on 
the  country  for  that  period. 

The  Gaceta  de  Mexico  is  the  only  Mexican  newspaper 
for  this  period  which  calls  for  mention  here.  There 
are  only  seven  printed  documents  or  articles  of  the 
Spanish  government  on  the  subject,  though  possibly 
many  documents  mention  California  as  a  province  of 
New  Spahi.  Two  essays  appear  with  the  books  of 
voyages  already  named,  which  were  contributed  by 
visitors.  William  Shaler,  a  shipmaster,  was  the  first 
American  visitor  whoso  narrative  appeared  in  print  in 
tlie  United  States.  This  man  was  later  Unitetl  States 
consul  in  one  of  the  Barbary  states,  and  afterward  at 
Habana,  where  he  died  of  cholera  in  1834.  Sola,  the 
last  Spanish  governor,  made  a  re})ort  on  California, 
which  was  printed  in  Mexico,  and  was  the  basis  of 
another-  by  Deputy  M.  M.  Castanares,  toward  the 
end  of  the  Mexican  domination.  Two  instructions 
for  Californians  were  put  in  type ;  one  of  the  Spanish 
vovaixe-collections  Grave  an  account  of  the  historv  and 
condition  in  reference  to  afl'airs  of  the  peninsula.  Some 
papers  of  tliis  time,  not  printed  till  many  years  later, 
are  quite  impt)rtant,  especially  those  given  in  Palou, 
Xoticias,  and  the  Documcntos  para  hi  Uistoria  de  Mexico. 
There  are  some  nineteen  titles  of  this  class. 

The  period  from  1824  to  1848  embraces  the 
Mexican  rule  till  1840.  and  the  conquest  and  military 
rule  of  the  United  States  to  the  gold  discovorv. 
This  might  properly  be  made  a  division,  historically, 
but   bibliographicaily  it  would    be  inconvenient,  for 


763 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


which  reason  I  treat  it  all  as  one  epoch.  My  list 
presents  seven  hundred  titles.  With  reference  to 
history,  we  have  the  narratives  of  fifteen  voyagers 
who  visited  this  coast:  Beachy,  Belcher,  Cleveland,  Coni- 
fer, Dana,  DuhauUCiUy,  Huish  (not  a  visitor),  Kotze- 
hue,  Laplace,  Mofras,  Morrell,  Petit-Tliouars,  Ruschen- 
herger,  ^Simpson,  and  Wilkes.  For  the  merits  of  the 
productions  I  would  place  Petit-Thouars  at  the  head 
of  the  list,  and  Coulter  at  the  foot.  Mofras  and 
Wilkes  are  pretentious,  but  by  no  means  the  most 
valuable.  We  must  add  some  scientific  works,  which 
resulted  from  some  of  these  voyages, — Hinds,  Ricliard- 
son,  and  several  productions  in  United  States  Exjdori'nf/ 
Expedition, — two  official  accounts  of  exploring  jour- 
neys across  the  continent, — Emory  and  Fremont; 
with  these  may  be  classed  several  accounts  of  California 
by  different  persons,  namely,  Bidivell,  Bilson,  Boscana, 
Bryant,  Fandiam,  Kellcy,  Pattie,  and  Rohinson,  gener- 
ally furnishing  also  a  narrative  of  the  trip  by  land  or 
soa.  There  are  four  compiled  historical  accounts  by 
foreigners  who  had  not  visited  the  country,  Cidttt, 
Forhca,  Grcenhow,  and  Hughes;  that  of  Forbes  deserves 
the  credit  it  has  always  enjo^^ed  as  a  standard  work. 
Forbes  obtained  nmch  of  his  information  from  resi- 
dents of  California  whose  original  manuscripts  have 
been  for  several  years  past  on  the  shelves  of  my 
library.  Then  there  were  half  a  dozen  or  more  works 
on  Oregon  which  brietly  mention  California,  and  sev- 
eral speeches  in  the  United  States  congress  or  else- 
where in  pamphlet  form,  among  which  are  notably 
those  of  Clark,  Hall,  TJiompson,  and  Webster.  This 
number  might  be  greatly  increased  by  taking  in  every 
printed  paper  in  which  California  is  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  Oregon  question  or  the  Mexican 
war.  To  all  such  titles  may  be  added  those  of  the 
general  works  of  Beyer,  Blagdon,  Barrow,  Comhier. 
IfOrhigny,  Irving,  Ijafond,  Lardner,  Murray,  and 
Tytlcr,  which  contain  allusions  to  the  province  of 
California. 


FIRST  PRINTIXG  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


m 


Among  the  Spanish  works  for  this  period  six  hold 
the  first  position.  Tlieir  titles  are  Boiica,  FUjueroa, 
Rcglamcrdo,  Ripalda,  liomero,  and  Vallejo.  These  are 
the  first  books  printed  in  California,  and  most  of 
them  were  entirely  unknown  until  I  alluded  to  them 
in  my  first  volume  on  Cahfornia.  Historically  speak- 
ing Figueroa's  Ma7iiJiesto  is  the  only  impoi-tant  one  of 
them.  The  RegJamentn  contains  the  by-laws  of  the 
territorial  deputation  or  legislature  of  California,  and 
was  printed  in  Monterey  in  1834.  This  copy  was 
kindly  presented  me  by  Carlos  Olvera  of  Monterey 
county,  whose  father  had  been  a  member  of  the  Cali- 
fornia assembly.  I  know  of  no  other  copy  in  exist- 
ence. There  may  be  named  in  connection  with  these 
books  several  pamphlets,  printed  in  Mexico,  but  treat- 
inor  of  California  affairs.  There  titles  are  VarriUo 
(Carlos  Antonio),  Castanarcs  (Manuel),  Fondo  Piailoso, 
Garcia  Diego  (first  bishop  of  the  Californias),  Junta 
de  Fomeido,  and  San  Miguel.  There  are,  moreover, 
sixteen  documents  of  the  Mexican  government,  under 
the  heading  of  Mexico,  which  give  valuable  data  on 
California,  and  if  those  in  wjiich  the  province  or  de- 
partment is  merely  mentioned  are  also  reckoned,  the 
number  would  be  greatly  enlarged.  Finally,  I  have 
thirtv-five   general  works  on   ^lexico,   all  of  which 

I/O  ' 

have  information,  often  very  valuable;  such  are  those 
of  Alaman,  Ayala,  Bcnnudcz,  Bmtamante,  Cancckida, 
Fscudcro,  Fonscca,  Guerrero^  Iriartc,  Muhienpfordt, 
Oajaca,  Rejon,  Riesgo,  Salci,  San  Miguel,  Scmhkiiizai<, 
Tlioitipso)!,  Uhzueta,  and  UlUie;  about  one  dozen  of 
these  are  the  writings  of  Ciirlos  Maria  Bustaniante, 
which  I  have  still  more  comj)lete  in  the  original 
authograph  manuscript. 

Proceeding  now  to  speak  of  documents,  the  pro- 
ducti(ms  of  the  California  press  are  entitled  to  the 
first  place.  There  are  fifty -five  of  them  separately 
printed;  some  titles  he'mg  Alrarado,  California,  Ca.stro, 
Cliico,  Diputacion,  Doctri)ia,  Figueroa,  Gutierrez,  Ifijor, 
Mason,    Micheltorcna,    Fla)!,    Pronunciamienio,   Riley ^ 


760 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


ShuhrkJc,  Valkjo,  and  Zamorano.  Three  or  four  of 
these  are  proclamations  of  United  States  officials,  one 
is  a  commercial  paper,  one  a  poetical  effusion,  and  an- 
other an  advertisement;  the  great  mass  of  them, 
however,  are  documents  which  emanated  from  the 
Hispano-Californian  government.  I  next  take  note 
of  a  series  of  documents  of  the  Mexican  jtrovernment  in 
collections  or  newspapers,  and  seven  semi-official  ones. 

Some  of  the  titles  are  Ayuntamiento,  Compaiiki, 
Dccrd!),  Didamen,  Iniciatlva,  Jones,  Mexico,  Plan,  llan- 
dini,  '  C,'  Castanares,  Chico,  Flores,  Iniestra,  and  ^Sina- 
loa.  There  are  seventeen  topic  collections  or  sepa- 
rate reports  emanating  from  United  States  officers, 
most  of  which  relate  to  tlie  acquisition  of  California 
and  jn'inted  by  tluur  government.  They  appear  inider 
the  following  titles:  California  a7id  New  Mexico,  Con- 
quest, Cooke,  Exindsum,  Fremont,  Johison,  Jones, 
Kearny,  Kelley,  Marcy,  ]\[ason,  Monterey,  Slmhrick, 
Slaciun,  Sloat,  Stocktmi,  War  with  Mexico.  Some  of 
these  are  the  president's  messages  with  documents 
containing  a  large  number  of  important  papers. 
Three  titles  refer  to  matters  inserted  in  the  bookt:  of 
nc  igators  already  named,  Botta,  Documens,  and  ISan- 
chcz ;  six  to  articles  or  documents  appearing  in  the 
Nouvelles  Annates  des  Voyages,  to  wit,  Fages,  Galit- 
zin,  hi  Netrel,  Morineau,  Scala,  and  Smith  ;  and  twelve 
are  articles  in  American  or  English  periodicals,  such 
being  Americans,  Campaign,  Coulter,  Evans,  W'ar  ]Vest, 
Fonrgeaud,  History  of  the  Bear  Flag,  Larkin,  Peirce, 
Reynolds,  Squier,  and  Warner. 

I  have  in  my  library  about  twenty  periodicals  or 
publications  containing  information  about  California 
before  1848 ;  namely,  American  Quarterly  Register, 
American  Quarterly-  Review,  American  Review,  Ameri- 
can kState  Papers,  Annals  of  Congress,  Arrillaga,  Colo- 
nial Magazine,  Congressional  Debates,  Congressiwml 
Globe,  Edinhnrgk  Review,  Hansard's  Parliamentary  De- 
hates,  Home  Missionarii,  Hunt's  3ferchants'  Magazine, 
London  Mechanics'  Magazine,  North  American  Review, 


PERIODICALS. 


NouveUes  Annales  cks  Voyages,  Quarterly  Review,  Ixevisfa 
Sck'iit'Jlra,  and  Sonthcm  Qnarfcrli/  Rcvieir.  ^[y  rata 
l()'jU(^  si lows  about  seventy  newspapers,  of  wliieli  forty 
arc  }>rhited  in  Mexico ;  a  much  larger  number  con- 
tained mention  of  California  at  some  time.  I  <;ive 
here  the  names  of  only  those  which  are  valuable 
sources  of  information.  In  California,  the  Mmdcri'i) 
('ah'forviau,  San  Francisco  Californian,  ^Sa)l  Francisco 
Sfa,',  and  San  Francisco  Star  and  Californian ;  in 
Hoiiolulu,  the  Friend,  Hawaiian  Spectator,  Sandwich 
Isla)id  dazettc.  Sandwich  Island  News,  and  Dilipiesian  ; 
in  Oregon,  the  Spectator.  Niles^  Register  has  been 
found  most  useful  among  the  eastern  periodicals. 

I  have  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  titles  of  books, 
documents,  and  articles  relating  to  Californian  history 
prior  to  1848,  though  printed  later.  Of  this  number, 
seventy-five  are  in  book  form,  and  include  some  im- 
portant monographs  on  early  aflairs  of  the  country, 
several  collections  of  documents,  reprints  and  transla- 
tions of  early  works,  treatises  on  Mexican  law  affect- 
ing California,  many  briefs  in  land  cases,  oflicial  papers 
of  the  United  States  government  on  the  conquest  and 
U)llitary  rule,  but  printed  after  1848,  Russian  papers 
on  tlie  Ross  and  Bodega  colony, .several  narratives  t>f 
visitors,  and  si^veral  works  on  the  Mexican  war.  Some 
of  tlu'se  in  alphabetical  order  are,  Ah})ott,Hi<ieJoic,  (Cali- 
fornia, California  Land  Titles,  California  and  North 
Mixico,  (\dro,  Cavo,  Colton,  Cooke,  Diccionario,  Docu- 
ineidos,  Doyle,  Drake,  Dunhar,  Dwindle,  Figueroa, 
Flagg,  Fremont,  Furher,  Gomez,  Guerra,  Hale,  llalleck, 
Ilartmann,  flawes,  Ifoffman.  Homes,  Ide,  Jay,  .fenkiiis, 
Jones,  Jjfncey,  Marcoii,  }[c(ilas]ia)},  Mansfield,  Mcxinin 
I''"'-  Valou,  Pheljts,  RaiDsay,  JiandoJph,  Revere,  Ripley, 
hi  vera,  Stockton,  Taylor,  Vidtam,  I'allejo,  ]'elasco, 
l^ischer,  Tikhmevef,  Material ni,  Re:an.(f,  Marhf,  and 
Kiih'hnikof,  the  most  important  being  those  apjiearing 
under  tlie  names  of  Dwindle,  Ide,  Larkin,  Mcdrlaslian, 
and  Palou.  About  the  same  in  nuntber  are  the  doc- 
uments and  articles  of  this  class,  and  quite  similar  in 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


their  character  and  variety  to  the  books,  including 
also  titles  of  pioneer  remhiiscences  in  newspapers, 
which  might  be  multiplied  ad  infinitum.  Such  are 
Archibald,  Arroyo,  Assembly,  Biographical  SketcJies, 
Bofjffs,  Bowers,  Brooklyn,  Brown,  Buchanan,  Clark,  Ball, 
Daubenbiss,  Degroot,  Dwinelle,  Dye,  Elliot,  Espinosa, 
Folsom,  Foster,  Fremont,  Haley  Halleck,  Hecox,  Hittell, 
Hopkins,  Jones,  Kern,  Kearny,  King's  Orphan,  Kip, 
Jjcese,  McDougall,  McPherson,  Marcou,  Marsh,  Mason, 
Mexico,  Micheltorena,  Peckham,  Reed,  Sherman,  Steven- 
son, Stillman,  Stockton,  Sutter,  Taylor,  Toornes,  Trask, 
Vallejo,  Veritas,  Victor,  Warren,  Wiggins,  and  Wolskill. 
Of  the  three  hundred  titles  of  works  quoted  in  my 
Hi>itory  of  California,  which  were  printed  after  1848, 
but  containing  attempts  at  historical  research  em- 
bracing the  periods  prior  and  subsequent  to  that  year, 
there  are  two  of  a  general  nature  entitled  to  especial 
consideration.  I  refer  to  Tuth iWs  History  of  California, 
San  Francisco,  1866,  8vo,  xvi.,  657  pages,  and  Glee- 
son  s  History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  California,  San 
Francisco,  1872,  Svo,  2  vol.,  xv.,  446,  351  pages. 
Tlio  former  is  the  work  of  a  clever  and  honest  writer, 
ond  dosarves  more  credit  than  the  public  has  awarded 
it.  Without  claims  to  exhaustive  research,  it  has 
been  intelligently  prepared,  and  is  certainly  a  good 
popular  history.  About  one  third  of  it  treats  of  the 
period  preceding  the  gold  discovery.  The  author  was 
a  journalist,  and  died  shortly  after  the  publication  of 
his  book.  Gleeson,  a  less  able  writer  than  Tuthill, 
and  religiously  biassed,  was  not  wholly  free  from  in- 
accuracies. As  a  catholic  priest,  he  had  facilities  for 
consulting  authorities,  which  he  did  as  appears  in  his 
many  details.  He  had  also  free  access  to  my  library. 
His  picture  of  mission  life  and  annals  is  pleasant,  and 
tolerabl}"  accurate.  Sketches  found  under  the  head- 
ings of  Capron,  Cronise,  Frost,  and  Haiitings  contain  no 
original  material,  and  their  authors  made  only  an  in- 
adequate and  partial  use  of  that  which  was  easily 
accessible  to  them. 


LOCAL  ANNALS. 


768 


y 


10 

In- 

h 


My  list  contains  some  seventy  titles  of  local  histo- 
ries, which  possess  considerable  hnportance.  Some 
of  them  are  the  centennial  sketches  prepared  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  United  States  government,  such  as 
those  of  Los  Angeles,  by  Warner  and  Hayes,  and  of 
San  Francisco,  by  John  S.  Hittell.  The  latter  is  in- 
cidentally a  history  of  California,  and  like  tlie  earlier 
Amials  of  San  Francisco,  by  Soule  and  others,  lias 
much  merit.  Hall's  History  of  San  Jos4  is  also  a  cretl- 
itable  work.  There  are  likewise  many  county  histo- 
ries, several  of  them  in  atlas  form,  copiously  illustrated 
with  portraits,  maps,  and  views,  each  containing  a 
preliminary  sketch  of  California  history,  with  more 
details  respecting  the  county  which  is  the  subject  of 
the  work.  Most  of  these  books  have  been  prepared 
mainly  as  a  speculation,  but  in  some  of  them  good 
material  was  furnished.  Few  are  reliable  on  matters 
of  early  history,  but  aiford  in  the  aggregate  consider- 
able data  on  local  annals  after  1840,  as  well  as  bio- 
graphical details.  Without  being  properly  history, 
they  supply  some  useful  material  for  history. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  speak  of  the  thousand  and 
more  remaining  titles  of  manuscript  authorities  in 
my  collection,  from  which  alone  the  history  of  Cali- 
fornia could  be  written  more  completely  than  from 
all  other  sources  combined.  These  authorities  have, 
for  the  most  part,  never  been  consulted  by  any  other 
writer,  and  essentially  exist  only  on  my  shelves. 

First :  Thirteen  collections  of  Californian  public 
archives,  the  originals  of  which  are  about  350  bound 
volumes  of  from  300  to  1,000  documents  each,  and 
an  immense  quantity  of  unbound  papers  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, Los  Angeles,  Salinas,  San  Jose,  Santa  Cruz, 
San  Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Bilrbara,  and  Sacramento,  all 
of  which  have  been  transferred  in  full  or  epitomized 
copies  to  my  library.  These  copies  or  extracts  are 
more  useful  for  historical  purposes  than  the  originals, 
because  they  are  more  legible,  and  free  from  repeti- 


764 


BrBUor.nAriiY  of  pastoral  California. 


tions  and  verbiage.  As  to  the  nature  of  these  docu- 
iMitits,  it  is  enoutjjli  to  say  that  tliey  are  the  originals, 
blotters,  or  certified  copies  of  the  records  of  the  Span- 
ish and  Mexican  govcninients  for  the  respective  period 
of  their  domination  over  California,  national,  provin- 
cial, territorial,  departmental,  as  well  as  municipal. 
Among  them  are  many  for  the  time  the  country  was 
under  military  rule,  after  its  occupation  by  the  United 
States.  They  embrace  from  the  year  1768  to  that  of 
1850.  In  these  collections,  containing  over  250,000 
documents,  about  200  have  been  quoted  in  my  history 
under  distinct  titles. 

Second :  In  the  nature  of  public  archives,  we  have 
also  tlie  missionary  records.  As  the  missions  became 
secularized,  their  records  of  baptisms,  marria<;es,  and 
intiTHients  naturally  went  into  the  possession  of  the 
secular  priesto  in  charge  of  the  several  parishes. 
Other  mission  pi.,pers,  gathered  in  collections,  are  held 
by  the  archbishop  of  San  Francisco,  the  bishop  of 
Monterey  and  Los  Angeles,  and  the  Franciscan  con- 
vent at  Santa  Barbara,  the  last  named  behig  much 
the  largest.  All  these  papers,  as  well  as  the  old  mis- 
sion records,  have  been  at  my  disposal  for  taking 
extracts,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  respective  ecclesiastical 
authorities,  and  of  the  parish  priests  having  the  records 
in  charge. 

Third:  I  have  seven  collections  of  public  archives, 
similar  to  those  above  named,  with  this  difference:  that 
they  are  originals  collected  by  me  from  private 
persons. 

Fourth  :  Some  scattering  papers  which  were  found 
at  a  few  of  the  missions,  yielded  me  a  volume  of  ex- 
tracts and  statistics ;  and  from  private  sources  I  ob- 
tainixl  fifteen  originals  of  similar  nature. 

Neither  the  secular  nor  mission  archives  are  com- 
plete. Large  numbers  of  the  former  had  been  de- 
stroyed, even  before  the  last  change  of  flag,  and  many 
others  had  not  been  surrendered  to  the  United  States' 
authorities,  or  to  those  of  the  catholic  church,  and  re- 


MANUSCRIPT  ARCniVKS. 


765 


mainecl  in  private  hands.  My  efforts  to  gather  these 
scattered  papers  were  rewarded  beyond  my  most  san- 
guine expectations,  the  results  being  shown  in  : — 

Fifth:  fifty  collections  of  Donunentos  para  la  His- 
toria  <lr  Califomna,  in  1 1 0  volumes  with  not  less  than 
40,000  documents,  thousands  of  which  are  very  val- 
uable, contaniing  records  to  he  found  nowhere  else. 
One-half  of  them  are  originals,  and  of  the  same  char- 
acter as  those  in  the  public  and  mission  archives; 
while  the  other  half  is  even  of  greater  worth,  being 
largely  private  correspondence  of  prominent  citizens 
and  officials  on  current  affairs,  and  afibrding  an  almost 
unbroken  record.  Twenty-nine  of  these  collections 
bear  the  names  of  the  Californian  ffimilies  whose  rep- 
resentatives presented  them  to  me;  each  heading  Is 
followed  by  Documentos  or  Papeks.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  them:  Alviso,  Arce,  Avila,  Bandinl,  lUniiUa, 
CarriUo,  Castro,  Coronel,  Cota,  EsludiUo,  Fernandez, 
Gomez,  Gonzalez,  Gnerray  Norierja,  Marron,  Moreno, 
Olvera,  Pico,  Pinto,  Requena,  i^ohcrancs,  Valfe,  and 
Vallejo.  Of  these,  the  most  valuable  is  that  of 
Mariano  G.  Vallejo,  in  37  large  volumes  with  not  less 
than  20,000  original  papers.  Vallejo,  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  of  the  Hispano-Californians,  was 
born  in  Monterey  in  1808.  After  receiving  the 
scanty  rudimentary  education  which  the  country  then 
afforded,  he  entered  the  military  service  in  1823  as 
a  cadet  of  the  Monterey  presidial  cavalry  company. 
He  received  his  promotions  in  regular  t)rder,  and 
when  a  lieutenant  commanding  the  company  and  post 
of  San  Francisco,  he  was  commissioned  to  securalize 
the  San  Francisco  Solano  mission.  In  1834  he  car- 
ried out  the  instructions  of  Governor  Figueroa,  and 
installed  a  civil  government  in  San  Francisco.  In 
1835  he  founded  Sonora,  holding  the  doublc-connnis- 
sion  of  comandantc,  and  director  of  colonization 
on  the  frontier  north  of  San  Francisco.  In  183f)  he 
joined  the  revolutionary  movement  which  ousted  the 
jefe-politico  and  comandante-general,  Gutierrez,  from 


m 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


his  poRitlon.  From  this  time  until  1842,  the  two  au- 
thorities were  separated,  Yallcjo  hohlin^  that  of 
coinanclaiite-t;eneral,  which  was  roooirnizod  \n  1888  hv 
the  government  in  Moxu'o.  In  1842  he  surroiulcri'd 
the  office  of  comandantc-genoral,  and  was  appointed 
connnandant  of  the  northern  line  from  Sonoma  to  Santa 
Ines. 

The  next  collection  in  extent  is  that  of  the  Guerra 
y  Noricira  family  of  Santa  Barbara.  The  founder  of 
tliis  family  in  California,  Jose  Antonio  de  la  Guerra 
y  Noriega,  occupied  during  his  long  life  a  position 
hardly  second  to  any  other  individual  for  his  ability, 
independence,  sterling  character,  and  generally  ac- 
knowledged merits.  He  was  a  native  of  Si»ain,  of 
gentle  parentage,  and  of  high  family  connections,  and 
came  to  California  us  a  cadet  in  1801.  He  rose 
gradually  until  he  attained  the  rank  of  captain,  in  1818. 
During  his  long  military  career,  he  filled  the  positions 
of  habilltado,  or  paymaster  of  military  companies, 
connnanded  several  posts,  that  of  Santa  Bilrbara  being 
tlie  last.  He  was  also  chosen  habilitado-general  in 
jMexico,  and  deputy  to  the  Mexican  congress,  lie 
retired  from  the  service  of  1842,  though  he  continued 
to  wiekl,  as  he  had  wielded  before,  a  powerful  iniluence 
in  Santa  Bilrbara,  which,  to  his  cretlit  be  it  said,  was 
always  for  tlie  general  weal.  In  Santa  Barbara  he 
was  called  the  patriarch,  to  whom  the  people  generally 
ap}»lied  to  settle  controversies.  His  charities,  and 
those  of  his  wife,  nee  Maria  Antonia  Carrillo,  were 
almost  unbounded.  Probably  his  Spanish  birth  pre- 
ventcxl  his  reaching  a  high  political  and  military  rank 
under  tlie  Mexican  rule.  Captain  de  la  Guerra  died 
in  1858,  leaving  several  sons  and  daughters,  some  of 
wliom  have  held  honorable  positions.  His  two 
daughters,  Mrs  Hartnell  and  Mrs  Ord,  have  also 
contributed  to  the  information  contained  in  this  vol- 
ume. For  extended  biographical  information  on  the 
late  captain,  I  refer  to  the  pioneer  register  and  index 
of  my  History  of  California. 


COLT.ECTIONS  OF  DOCUMEXTS. 


Of  course,  the  value  of  a  collection  must  not  be 
judged  solely  by  its  bulk;  for  sciue  of  the  smaller 
oiU'S,  containing  all  the  papers  which  the  donor  had 
to  give,  such,  for  instance,  as  those  of  M<miio,  Olrcra, 
and  PintOf  are  quite  as  important  as  some  of  the  larger 
ones. 

Sixth :  There  are  twenty  collections  under  foreign 
names,  in  some  cases  that  of  the  pioneer  family  who 
owned  them,  and  in  others  that  of  the  collector  or 
donor.  Such  appear  under  the  headings  of  Anhlr;/, 
DociimentoSy  Fitch,  Gri(}iii,  Grif/shy,  Jlai/cn,  Ififfcll,  Uir 
kin,  Ja}i,ssf)is,  }fclni'tfri/,  Montnrii,  Murray,  Pi'iarf,  Sar- 
age,  Saivi/cr,  and  Sjtear.  Most  of  the  documents  in 
these  collections  are  in  English,  but  aside  from  this, 
they  are  of  the  same  nature  as  the  others.  At  tlu 
head  of  this  class  stand  Thomas  O.  Larkin's  nine  vol- 
umes of  Documods  for  the  Uldorrj  of  California,  \m'o- 
sented  to  me  by  Mr  Larkin's  family,  through  his 
S')n-in-law,  Mr  Sam|)son  Tams.  This  collection,  be- 
yond a  doubt,  exceeds  all  the  others  in  value  for  the 
history  of  California  in  1845-6,  for  without  its  con- 
tents, the  history  of  that  eventful  period  could  be  but 
imperfectly  given.  Larkin,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
was  the  consul,  c  id  confidential  agent  of  the  United 
States  government,  as  well  as  a  leading  nuuvhaiit  at 
Monterey.  His  correspondenee  and  relations  with 
the  leading  men  of  California,  both  native  and  foreign, 
were  extensive.  He  was  constantl}'  in  contact  with 
trade'rs  and  visitors  at  the  department's  seat  of  gov- 
ernment. The  letters  regularly  passing  between  him 
and  certain  prominent  foreigners,  mostly  Americans, 
at  San  Diego.  L<>8  Angeles,  and  San  Francisco,  con- 
tain almost  all  tliat  was  worth  recording  of  the  coun- 
try's iK)liticai,  social,  connn(>rcial,  and  industrial  atliiirs 
in  those  years  and  several  preceding  ones,  Tjarkin 
was  also  intimate  with  the  masters  of  vessels  trading 
on  the  coast,  and  with  merchants  at  the  Ifawaiian 
islands.  This  collection  contains  hitters  from  Frdmont, 
Sutter,  Sloat,  and  other  prominent  actors  in  the  events 


768 


BinLIOGRArHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFOIlNTA. 


of  California,  not  to  speak  of  tlio  despatches  t<»  and 
froni  the  United  States  jjjoverninent,  and  comnumders 
of  war  sliips.  Tlien^  arc,  from  tlie  same  source,  a  lar^o 
mass  of  commercial  papcu's,  which  have  supjdied  mo 
with  pioneers'  names,  dates,  and  prices  ofconnnodities. 

Seventh :  I  have  in  my  list  five  hundred  and  iifty 
tith'S  of  separate  manuscrii)t  documents,  and  could 
properly  extend  their  nund)er  to  thousands;  hut  jios- 
sessiuL?  such  vast  material,  I  have  found  much  con- 
venience in  condensation.  Of  diaries,  journals,  and 
loor-hooks  of  expeditions  by  sea  and  land,  there  are  no 
less  than  eijj;hty  which  I  i)laco  in  the  first  class.  The 
second  class  is  composed  of  government  documents, 
immberinjjf  1(53,  of  which  27  are  orders,  instructions, 
and  reports  emanating  from  Si>anish  or  Mexican  offi- 
cials in  Mexico;  75  arc  similar  parts  from  high 
authorities  In  California,  34  like  documents  from 
commandants  and  other  inferior  officers  in  California, 
and  27  are  Mexican  and  Californian  rrfilanifufos,  pro- 
vincial and  nmnicipal.  The  third  class  consists  of 
104  mission  documents  of  various  kinds,  emanating 
from  the  guardians  of  the  San  Fernando  college,  and 
from  otlier  high  ecclesiastical  authorities  iti  S[»ain  and 
Mexico;  52  arc  papers  from  mission  presidents  and 
piefects,  and  from  the  bishop,  and  47  reports,  letters, 
etc.,  of  the  missionary  fiithers.  The  fourth  and  last 
class  is  composed  of  iiiiscollanoous  papers,  numbering 
nearly  200  titles,  which  are  very  important,  but  too 
numerously  subdivided  to  be  detailed  here ;  some  of 
them  are  old  diaries,  narratives,  personal  records,  ac- 
counts of  battles,  treaties,  papers  connected  with  civil 
and  criminal  trials,  with  the  Ilussian  settlement  at 
Ross,  etc. 

Eighth :  '  he  scattered  correspondence  of  about  two 
hundred  of  le  most  prominent  men,  forming  a  like 
number  of  ti  es.  The  author's  name  is  followed  by 
some  word  s  ;nificant  of  the  document's  character, 
such  as  carta,  'orrcspondcncki,  cscritos,  etc.  Seventy  of 
these  were  luen  who  wrote  prior  to  1824,  iind  130 


MANUSfRIPT  DOCUMENTS. 


m 


flourished  later.  Of  the  whole  number,  20  were  Span- 
Ibh  or  Mtixican  officials  who  wrote  out  of  California, 
20  wore  Franciscan  friars  of  the  Californian  niia.si«)ns, 
48  foreign  pioneer  residents  in  California,  and  1 1 1 
were  native,  Mexican,  or  Spanish  citizens  and  officials 
of  California.  Several  of  these  collections  in  each 
class  would  form  singly  a  thick  volume. 

Ninth :  There  is  still  one  more  class  of  manuscript 
material  to  be  noticed,  namely,  the  recollections  I  have 
taken  cf  men  living  at  the  time  I  began  my  re- 
searches, which  in  many  cases  include  those  of  their 
fathers;  altogether  covering  the  history  of  California 
from  its  settlement.  Besides  those  contained  in  other 
volumes,  I  have  the  reminiscences  of  1 60  old  residtnits, 
half  of  whom  were  natives  or  of  Spanish  blood,  and 
the  other  half  foreign  pio.ieers  who  came  to  the  coun- 
try prior  to  1848.  Of  the  former  class  a  considera- 
ble number  occupied  prominent  public  positions 
equally  divided  between  the  north  and  south.  Treat- 
ing of  these  men  in  alphabetical  order,  I  begin  by 
Jose  Al)reiio,  a  Mexican  who  came  to  California  in 
1834.  Being  young,  intelligent,  and  of  good  charac- 
ter, as  well  as  of  attractive  manners,  he  soon  attained 
influence  among  all  classes,  leading  to  his  preferment 
in  political  life,  and  his  holding  offices  of  trust  con- 
tinuously from  1836  to  the  end  of  the  Mexican  domi- 
nation,  notably  that  of  treasurer  of  the  department 
from  1839  to  1846.  No  man  was  more  highly  re- 
spected, or  had  better  opportunities  to  be  posted  on 
the  aff'airs  of  California  than  Abrego. 

Of  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado,  governor  of  California 
from  1836  to  the  end  of  1842,  I  need  give  here  no 
biographical  details,  as  I  have  done  so  elsewhere. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  possessed  the  brightest  mind 
of  any  Californi",n  of  his  time.  He  has  been  accused, 
mainly  through  church  influence,  of  having  plundered 
the  missions.  He  was  responsible  for  their  destruc- 
tion simply  because  he  was  the  governor ;  but  no  one 
could  justly  charge   him  with   having   appropriated 

Cal.  Past.    49 


m 


770 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORXIA. 


to  his  private  uses  any  portion  of  the  mission  prop- 
erty. Other  accusations,  chiefly  that  of  hostihty  to 
foreigners,  wore  greatly  exaggerated,  and  in  the  main, 
false.  In  my  list  of  authorities  are  many  of  Alvara- 
do's  writings.  His  original  letters  from  1836  to  1842 
arc  extremely  interesting,  and  reliable,  as  well  as  the 
best  authority  extant  on  the  history  of  those  years. 
Indeed,  they  alone  furnish  the  true  inwardness  of  that 
eventful  period.  Alvarado  also  dictated  for  my  use 
in  1876  an  Historia  de  California  in  five  volumes, 
wliich  in  tlie  preface  he  calls  Califnnna  mites  del  '48. 
"Civilization  down  to  the  preceding  century,"  he 
writes,  "recognized  only  the  rights  of  the  stronger 
and  more  cunning.  The  Indians  were  more  numer- 
ous than  the  Spaniards,  but  the  latter  W(^re  artful,  and 
by  crafty  means  subjugated  the  natives.  The  poor 
natives  were  reduced  by  the  friars  to  such  a  state  of 
servility  that  they  dared  not  entertain  even  a  thought 
without  the  consent  of  the  priest.  Mofrjls,  Gleepon, 
and  others  have  tried  to  throw  a  stain  upon  my  name, 
and  to  misrepresent  my  executive  acts,  because  I 
struck  the  death-blow  to  the  worm-eaten  system  of 
education  which  the  friars  practised  toward  the  In- 
dians. But  I  want  the  church  and  the  world  to  know 
that,  prompted  by  motives  of  humanity,  I  resolved  to 
free  tlie  Indians  from  that  thraldom.  My  rcipublican 
education  revolted  against  their  being  any  longer 
made  the  victims  of  men  whose  gowns  and  cowls 
were  gray,  but  whose  souls  were  black,  and  insensible 
to  the  sufferings  of  thousands  of  unfortunates,  who, 
deprived  of  their  freedom,  were  mere  puppets  in  the 
hands  of  those  coarse  priests,  who,  while  preaching 
purity  of  soul  and  body,  were  steeped  in  every  species 
of  vice. ...  I  am  satisfied  of  having  done  my  duty, 
have  faith  in  divine  justice,  and  am  ready  to  render 
an  account  to  my  creator  of  my  acts  in  the  premises," 
Alvarado  in  this  diatribe  refers  not  only  to  the  sys- 
tem, but  to  some  of  the  friars,  whom  he  names,  whose 
conduct  was  anything  but  praiseworthy. 


MANUSCRIPT  HISTORIES. 


There  was  a  peculiar  vein  of  generosity  in  Alva- 
rado's  ciiaracter.  He  was  not  rancorous  toward  his 
op[)onents,  nor  did  ho  visit  upon  their  faniiUes  any 
rosponsibihty  for  hostile  acts.  Very  often,  while  his 
political  oi>ponents  were  workins^  in  the  south  to  oust 
him  from  power,  he  was  protecting  and  providing  for 
their  families  in  the  north.  One  of  these  rnen,  a 
prominent  officer,  noted  for  his  bitter  h(JstiHty  to 
Governor  Alvarado,  left  his  family  in  Monterey  witli- 
out  provisions.  His  party  having  been  defeated,  he 
preferred  to  abandon  California;  and  had  it  not  been 
that  Alvarado,  through  a  third  party,  provided  for 
the  wife  and  children  during  two  years,  they  would 
have  suffered  for  the  necessaries  of  life.  I  have  also 
a  manuscript  by  Alvarado  entitled  Prlin'dko  Ihsriihrl- 
tuicido,  which  is  an  interesting  account  of  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  placers  in  the  San  Fernando  valley  in 
1841. 

Joso  Antonio  Alviso  gave  me  at  Salinas  his  inter- 
esting Ciunpana  de  Nailvidad.  Valentin  Alviso,  edu- 
cated in  Massachusetts,  and  who  has  occupied  several 
local  offices  in  Livermo''e,  furnished  me  valuable 
Doc  It)  lie  idos  'para  laJIii^torla,  forming  the  Alviso  family 
records;  he  has  also  rendered  me  aid  hi  other  ways, 
besides  contributing  to  the  Livermore  papers. 

Jose  Maria  Amador,  a  son  of  l*edro  Amador,  one 
of  the  first  soldiers  that  came  to  California,  was  also 
during  many  years  of  his  life  a  soldier,  first  in  the 
artillery,  and  next  In  tlie  presidial  company  of  San 
Francisco.  After  liim  was  naiiuxl  Amador  countv  in 
California,  aii'l  lie  lias  been  credited,  though  this  is 
d:)ubtful,  with  the  naming  of  IMount  Dialjlo  in  1814. 
There  have  been  few  men  in  California  al)out  whom  so 
many  stories  liave  been  told  by  the  newsi)a[)ers  as 
this  old  Californian.  He  was  often  s[>oken  of  as  a 
centenarian,  a  Si)anish  officer,  the  first  child  born  in 
San  Francisco,  founder  of  Sonoma,  etc.,  all  of  which 
were  untrue.  Even  he  had  come  to  represent  him- 
self as  older  than  he  really  was,  saying  that  he  was 


I  I 


772 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


born  in  1781,  when  his  birthday  was  the  18th  of 
December,  1794.  In  1877  he  was  living  in  pov- 
erty, and  a  cripple,  with  his  youngest  daughter,  near 
Watscmville ;  but  his  memory  was  unimpaired,  and  he 
clieerfully  dictated  for  my  use,  within  about  a  week, 
some  two  hundred  pages  of  his  recollections  of 
early  times.  His  Memorias  contain  a  fund  of  anec- 
dotes on  events  and  men,  as  well  as  information  on  the 
manners  and  customs  of  Californians  from  his  youth, 
followed  by  his  experiences  in  the  gold  placers  after 
1848.  Some  of  his  stories  must  be  taken  with  allow- 
ance, for  like  most  old  soldiers  he  was  a  little  given 
to  exaixoreration.  Nevertheless,  the  book  is  both  use- 
ful  and  entertaining.  I  will  insert  some  examples. 
E elating  how  his  father  brought  his  family  to  Call- 
fornia,  he  said,  that  the  sergeant  had  three  children  of 
his  second  marriage  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  San 
Francisco  company  :  "  los  condujo  en  alforjas,  dos  en 
una.  y  otro  en  la  otra  alforja,  y  para  emparejar  el  peso, 
puso  una  piedra  en  la  liltima.  Mi  madre  arreaba  la 
niula  en  que  venian  los  nifios,  y  mi  padre  la  tiraba." 
Oiioo  in  1837  a  party  of  Cosumnes  raided  his  rancho, 
San  Ramon,  and  carried  away  about  one  hundreil 
animals.  In  the  attempt  to  recover  the  property',  he, 
the  alferez  Prado  Mesa,  and  two  Englishmen,  Robert 
Livormore  and  another,  were  wounded,  Amador  re- 
ceiving four  flints  in  his  body,  which  were  afterward 
extracted.  A  i  expedition  of  70  soldiers  and  citizens, 
with  200  auxiliary  Mokelumnes,  started  out  to  avenge 
the  outrage.  About  200  C6sumnes,  half  of  them 
Christian  Indians  and  the  other  half  gentiles,  were 
captured  by  treachery  at  the  Stanislaus,  and  brought 
away  in  a  collera.  Tiie  auxiliaries  demanded  the  sur- 
renclcr  to  them  of  the  Christian  prisoners,  to  be  put 
to  death,  and  the  demand  was  granted.  At  intervals 
of  a  mile  or  so,  six  of  the  Christians  were  made  to 
kneel,  and  after  a  prayer  were  shot  with  arrows.  Then 
it  was  resolved  to  kill  the  gentiles,  after  baptizing  them. 
Says  Amador:  "I  ordered  Nazario  Galindo  to  take  a 


MANUSCRIPT  MEMOIRS. 


773 


bottle  with  water;  I  took  another;  he  began  at  one 
end  of  the  collera,  and  I  at  the  other.  We  baptized 
all  the  Indians,  and  they  were  afterward  shot  through 
the  back.  One  of  the  men  escaped,  and  swam  aoioss 
the  river.  He  was,  however,  killed  the  next  day 
together  with  some  23  other  men,  in  an  assault 
against  his  rancheria  by  the  Mokelumnes;  when  thty 
captured  the  women  and  children,  abt)ut  100  in  num- 
ber, all  of  whom  were  brought  to  the  mission  San 
Jose  and  baptized."  Captain  Jose  de  Jesus  Vallejo 
reprimanded  Mesa  for  the  execution  of  the  Indians. 
Mesa  laid  the  blame  on  Amador,  from  whom  A^allejo 
demanded  an  explanation,  receiving  for  an  answer 
that  "las  tortillas  sabrosas  se  comen  en  la  casa,  y  las 
amarijas  en  la  sierra."  With  Amadors  McmoriuH 
are  several  pages  contributed  by  Asisara,  an  ex- 
neophyte  of  Santa  Cruz  on  important  events  and 
matters  connected  with  that  mission. 

Francisco  Arce,  a  native  of  Loreto,  came  to  this 
Califoraia  when  a  boy,  and  held  office  during  many 
3'ears,  his  last  positions,  prior  to  the  American  annex- 
ation, having  been  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
government  secretary,  and  lastly  secretary  ad  interim 
of  Comandante-general  Castro.  He  thus  had  every 
opportunity  to  be  hiformed  on  the  inwardness  of 
public  affairs.  Being  also  a  lieutenant  of  auxiliary 
militia,  he  was  captured  with  a  lot  of  horses  for  the 
Califomian  cavalry,  by  a  squad  of  the  Bear  party, 
at  the  beginning  of  their  revolt  in  1846.  He  went 
with  Castro  to  Mexico,  and  served  in  the  Mexican 
valley  against  the  United  States  forces,  part  of  the 
tune  in  the  San  Patricio  legion  of  Irish  deserters. 
Taken  prisoner,  he  barely  escaped  being  shot  owing  to 
his  resemblance  to  O'Leary,  a  deserter  from  the 
American  army.  He  finally  abandoned  the  service, 
and  returned  in  1848  to  Lower  California,  and  in  the 
next  year  to  Monterey.  In  1877  I  obtained  from 
him  a  collection  of  historical  documents,  and  a  dicta- 
tion of  seventy-one  pages  of  his  Mcmorias  Hisforicas. 


m 


BIBLIOCJRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


Arce  states  that  Juan  Caballo,  a  soldier  thus  named 
because  of  his  horse-hke  features,  had  stolen  some 
poultry  from  a  woman,  whereupon  tlie  general  caused 
him  to  appear  and  answer  to  the  complaint.  Striking- 
a  military  attitude,  the  man  said :  "  It  was  not  I,  my 
general,  but  my  gossip  Coyote  " — another  soldier,  who 
for  his  resemblance  to  a  fox  was  nicknamed  Coyote-  - 
"que  hace  algun  tiempo  que  le  ha  dado  por  la  pluma" 
(who  for  some  time  past  has  taken  to  the  pluma,  which 
word  means  both  feather  and  pen).  The  general  re- 
plied "Get  out  of  here,  you  knave;"  and  laughing 
wondered  if  Coyote  was  writing  a  book;  he  paid 
the  woman  for  her  poultry.  Arce  added  that  these 
things  were  of  daily  occurrence,  and  the  general  never 
was  out  of  humor.  His  wife,  however,  complained, 
sa^'ing  that  she  did  not  like  to  see  her  husband  penni- 
less because  of  the  rascal it'ics  of  his  soldiers. 

Jose  Arnaz,  a  native  of  Spain,  came  to  California 
as  the  supercargo  of  a  Mexican  trading  vessel  in 
1840,  and  pursued  the  same  occupation  for  about 
three  years,  when  he  retired  and  went  into  business 
for  himself  at  Los  Angeles.  His  name  has  appeared 
ill  the  events  in  connection  with  the  ex-mission  of  San 
Buenaventura,  which  he  claimed  to  have  purchased  in 
1846.  In  1877  I  found  him  to  be  a  genial,  intelligent 
person  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  with  an  in- 
teresting family  living  at  his  rancho  Santa  Ana  near 
San  Buenaventura  In  1878  he  furnished  me  one 
hundred  pages  of  his  valuable  Recuerdos,  mainly  on 
the  life  and  customs  of  the  traders  and  rancheros  of 
California  in  the  fourth  decade  of  the  present  century. 
His  information  on  the  mode  of  carrying  on  trade  on 
the  coast  of  California  at  this  period  is  extremely  in- 
teresting. He  also  has  supplied  much  important  in- 
formation on  social  customs  at  Los  Angeles,  Mon- 
terey and  San  Francisco  early  in  the  forties.  Of 
the  Polin  spring,  at  the  presidio  of  San  Francisco, 
then  famous  for  its  supposed  effects  on  barren  women, 
he  says :  "Women  used  to  come  from  all  parts  of  the 


MANUSCRIPT  BOOKS  AND  PAPERS. 


775 


11- 


n- 


n, 

le 


coast  to  drink  of  and  bathe  in  the  Polin  water.  The 
wife  of  Captain  Spear,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  after  several  years'  marriagu,  had 
no  children.  One  day  Juana  Briones,  a  laundress, 
asked  the  captain  if  he  would  like  offspring,  and  be- 
ing answered  affirmatively,  guaranteed  that  if  Mrs 
Spear  were  entrusted  to  her  care,  he  should  have  his 
desire.  "Take  her,"  said  Spear,  whereupon  the  two 
women  marched  off  together.  In  one  year  from  that 
day  Mrs  Spear  had  twins,  all  owing  to  a  free  use  of 
the  Polin  water. 

Jose  and  Juan  Bandini  were  father  and  son.  The 
former,  a  Spanish  master  mariner,  came  the  first  time 
to  California  in  1819,  with  military  rcenforccments 
and  supplies,  and  after  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  hidependent  Mexico,  settled  with  his  son  Juan,  a 
Peruvian  by  birth,  soon  after  1822,  at  San  Diego.  In 
1827  he  wrote  a  long  Carta  Historicay  Descriptlva  de 
California  for  Eustace  Barron,  of  which  I  have  the 
i  blotter  copy.     I   have  also  a  manuscript  Historia  de 

California,  left  by  Juan  Bandini  at  his  death,  together 
with  many  of  his  original  letters  and  other  papers. 
Nearly  all  the  papers,  as  well  as  the  two  long  writings 
were  placed  in  my  librarj'^  several  years  ago  by  Don 
Juan's  widow,  then  residing  at  Los  Angeles.  These 
writings,  being  full  of  data  on  the  affairs  of  California, 
have  been  thoroughly  utilized  in  my  history.  For 
biographical  sketches  of  these  two  important  men  of 
southern  California,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
Pioneer  Register,  volume  II  of  my  History  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

Narciso  Botello,  a  Sonoran  b}  birth,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1833.  Being  a  man  of  good  abilities  and 
fair  education,  his  services  were  soon  in  demand  in 
various  quarters.  He  became  secretary  of  the  ayun- 
tamiento  of  Los  Angeles,  and  clerk  of  the  court  of 
first  instance.  Later  he  occupied  a  seat  in  the  de- 
partmental assembly.  In  the  political  dissensions  be- 
tween Mexicans  and  Califomians,  he  invariably  sided 


776 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


with  the  former,  and  in  the  difficulties  between  the 
southern  and  northern  Californians,  his  sympathies 
were  with  the  south.  He  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  affairs  that  agitated  the  country,  and  no  one  was 
better  informed  than  he  apon  every  event  which  oc- 
curred in  the  southern  section.  The  value  of  his 
Aiiales  del  &ur,  dictated  for  me  in  San  Diego  in  Janu- 
ary 1878,  is  a  narrative  of  the  political  and  other  com- 
plications of  California  from  1836  to  1847,  in  most  of 
which  he  was  personally  concerned.  His  experiences 
are  related  with  clearness  and  precision,  though  not 
always  without  bias.  That  portion  which  touches 
upon  events  resulting  from  the  American  occupation 
in  1846-7,  is  full  of  interesting  details.  Other  valua- 
ble parts  of  the  Anales  are  those  referring  to  social 
customs,  public  instruction,  and  the  administration  of 
justice.  After  the  annexation  of  California  to  the 
United  States  became  a  fixed  fact,  Botello  was  for  a 
time  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  1858-9,  anH  a  notary 
public  in  Los  Angeles.  At  the  time  he  dictated  the 
Armies  he  was  in  poor  circumstances,  and  living  in  the 
Santa  Maria  ranclio  near  San  Diego. 

The  next  in  the  list  of  my  original  authorities  en- 
titled to  more  than  a  passing  notice,  is  Manuel  de  J. 
Castro.  This  able  Hispano-Califomian  played  an  im- 
portant, and  sometimes  an  honorable  part  in  Californian 
affairs,  during  the  latter  part  of  Mexican  domination. 
Fully  informed,  both  on  the  events  that  passed  before 
him,  and  on  the  men  who  figured  in  them,  his  testi- 
mony, when  not  driven  by  necessity  from  the  truth, 
is  of  the  highest  importance.  From  him,  in  1875,  I 
was  able  to  secure  three  volumes  of  Documeutos  jyara  la 
Ifistoria  de  California,  a  most  important  collection  of 
original  papers.  A  few  years  later  I  managed  to  get 
— how,  is  told  in  my  Literary  Industries — another  col- 
lection of  similar  documents,  together  with  valuable 
Lower  California  material.  And  finally  I  obtained 
his  Relacion  de  la  Alta  California,  which  was  dictated 
to  a  copyist  in  my  service.     This  narrative,  whatever 


MORE  ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS. 


Tli 


the  personal  character  of  the  author  may  bo,  I  place 
among  my  most  valuable  material,  down  to  the  time 
when  were  healed  the  dissensions  between  Governor 
Pico  and  Comandante-general  Castro,  innnod lately 
after  the  revolt  of  the  so-called  Bear  party.  In  con- 
nection with  this  revolt  he  eloquently  speaks  of  the 
execution  of  old  Serj^eant  Berreyesa  and  the  Haro 
twins,  near  San  Rafael,  and  of  the  effect  such  an 
event  had  on  the  Californians.  "  This  news  filhd 
with  consternation  our  whole  camp,"  he  writes.  "  It 
was  a  night  of  profound  meditation.  It  was  till  then 
unknown  whether  the  Californians  would  have  to 
struggle  against  savage  hordes  organized  under  the 
bear  flag  which  the  foreign  rebels  had  adopted,  or 
whether,  in  the  event  of  a  declaration  of  war  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States,  they  would  have  to 
figlit  against  civilized  soldiers ;  hiasmuch  as  Captain 
Fremont,  an  officer  of  the  regular  army,  and  under 
the  protection  of  the  United  States  government,  had 
become  the  leader  of  an  invading  band  of  adventurers 
or  pirates."  In  regard  to  the  reconciliation  b«  it  ween 
the  two  chief  authorities  of  the  department,  he  says : 
"  Prefect  Castro," — that  is  himself — "had  the  satis- 
faction of  mediating  at  the  private  interview  of 
Coinandante-general  Castro  and  Governor  Pico,  which 
took  place  on  the  arroyo  of  the  Santa  Margarita 
rancho,  and  of  prevailing  on  the  two  rulers,  to  warm- 
ly embrace  one  another  as  an  earnest  of  their  sincere 
reconciliation,  and  of  their  desire  to  work  in  unison  in 
the  defence  of  their  country."  Don  Manuel,  I  believe, 
h«)lds  rank  in  the  Mexican  military  service,  never 
having  discarded  his  original  allegiance,  though  he 
has  lived  in  California  many  years  since  the  country 
became  a  part  of  the  American  union. 

Another  authority  which  I  consider  of  the  highest 
value  is  Antonio  Franco  Coronel's  Cosas  de  ('alifornia. 
The  author  came  with  his  parents  to  this  distant 
territory  of  Mexico  when  a  lad,  in  18;U.  His  father, 
Ignacio  Coronel,  had  been  a  soldier,  first  of  the  Span- 


778 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAI,  CALIFORNIA. 


ish  army  in  Mexico,  and  later  served  under  Iturbide. 
He  came  with  the  colony  of  Hijar  and  Padres  enjjjaged 
as  a  public  instructor,  a  position  that  he  did  not  finally 
obtain  because  of  the  failure  of  the  colon}'.  He  was 
in  subsequent  years  occupied  most  of  the  time  as  the 
principal  of  a  school  in  Los  Angeles,  and  also  con- 
nected with  the  city  council,  and  the  courts.  Botello, 
on  speaking  of  public  instruction  in  Los  Angeles,  fur- 
nishes the  following  testimony  respecting  him:  "  Don 
Ignacio  Coronel  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and 
of  fair  education,  and  without  doubt  the  town  of  xjos 
Angeles  is  indebted  to  him  for  much  good  service  in 
this  branch,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  with  great 
earnestness,  aided  by  his  elder  daughter  Josefa,  and 
even  at  time?  by  his  wife.  His  was  the  only  school 
existing  in  the  town." 

Antonio,  his  son,  held  several  positions  of  trust 
under  Mexican  rule.  During  the  military  opera- 
tions in  the  south  in  1846-7,  he  contributed  his  ser- 
vices against  the  American  invaders,  and  while  on  his 
way  to  Mexico  with  despatches  and  a  flag  taken  from 
Conniiander  Mervine  at  San  Pedro,  narrowly  escaped 
capture  by  General  Kearny's  troops.  After  Califor- 
nia became  a  rtortion  of  the  American  union,  Coronel 
accepted  the  situation  in  good  faith,  and  afterward 
held  a  respectable  standing  both  socially  and  politi- 
cally in  Los  Angeles,  near  which  city  he  has  a  vine- 
yard and  orange  orchard.  He  held  the  positions  as 
an  American  citizen  of  county  assessor,  mayor,  member 
of  the  city  council,  and  state  treasurer,  and  was  placed 
on  the  board  of  agriculture.  He  is  a  man  of  ac- 
knowledged ability,  as  well  as  a  useful  citizen.  From 
him  I  obtained  several  valuable  papers  regarding  his 
father  and  himself,  and  in  1877  he  dictated  for  me  his 
Cosas  de  California.  This  is  a  folio  volume  of  205 
pages,  full  of  valuable  material.  The  first  140  pages 
treat  of  historical  events  in  California,  and  biographi- 
cal notes  on  men  who  took  part  in  them  from  early  in 
the  third  decade  of  the  present  century  to  the  consoli- 


COS  AS  DE  CALIFORNIA 


779 


dation  of  American  power.  The  next  4G  pages  con- 
tain the  autlior's  exj)erienco8  in  the  gold  i)lacers,  witli 
many  interesting  anecdotes  wliicli  I  liave  utili/iC>d  In 
another  volume.  Following  are  several  pages  on  re- 
lations with  the  Indians  of  the  frontier.  The  narra- 
tive is  full  of  interest.  There  are  several  pages 
devoted  to  the  annals  of  crhne  in  the  vicinity  of  Los 
Angeles  during  the  four  or  five  years  which  imme- 
diately succeeded  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California. 
From  page  211  to  the  end  the  narrative  furnishes 
copious  infonnation  on  missions,  population,  pul)lic 
instruction,  mode  of  life,  occupations,  food,  dress,  and 
amusements  of  the  Californians.  The  whole  book  is 
full  of  valuable  matter  related  in  a  clear  and  pleasant 
styk;,  free  from  exaggeration  or  bias. 

Another  voluminous  and  most  valuable  contribu- 
tion is  that  of  Victor  E-  A.  Janssens,  a  resident  of 
Santa  Edrbara,  under  the  title  of  ]  'ida  y  Aventuras  en 
California,  dictated  by  him  for  my  use  in  1878.  A 
Belgian  by  birth,  Janssens,  while  still  a  lad  came 
from  Mexico  with  the  Hijar  and  Padres  colony  in 
1834.  It  is  unnecessary  to  detail  here  his  career, 
which  has  been  set  forth  in  the  Pioneer  Register  of 
the  fourth  volume  of  the  History  of  Califontia,  this 
scries.  He  had  good  opportunities  for  observation,  and 
seems  to  liave  improved  them.  He  was  well  informed 
regarding  everything  that  took  place  before  and  after 
the  American  annexation;  his  statements  are  entitled 
to  high  consideration.  The  book  begins  with  an  ex- 
cellent narrative  of  colony  aftairs,  which  is  followed 
by  a  detailed  and  clear  account  of  later  events,  namely, 
political  disturbances  almost  from  the  beginning  of 
Colonel  Chico's  rule  to  the  end  of  tlie  war  between 
the  factions  of  Alvarado  and  Carrillo  in  1838.  In 
continuation  are  several  pages  giving  a  vivid  account 
of  Indian  raids  and  other  troubles  on  the  frontier  of 
Lower  California  and  at  San  Diego.  There  is  also 
valuable  information  on  mission  affairs,  agriculture 
and  other  industries,  social  matters,  etc.     He   next 


780 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTOUAL  CAIJFORNIA. 


nslatcs  the  trouble  botweed  Pico  and  Castro,  and  the 
inilitJiry  operations  of  the  Californians  and  Anuri- 
oans  durin«jj  the  war  of  1840-7;  liis  adventures  and 
Huoccssea  in  the  p)ld  di«j;«jfinij;H,  Indian  assaults  aijjalnst 
his  rancho,  criminal  annals  and  other  matters  of  ^reat 
interest.  The  whole  forms  a  folio  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-thret;  pat;es,  evt^ry  one  of  which  atfords 
both  ontertainin<4 and  instructive  readln*;.  Besides  this, 
I  liad  copied  for  my  library  liis  collection  of  Jhiininuv- 
tos  jKtra  la  Ifistorin  de  California,  containing  several 
important  records.  As  a  specimen  of  the  author's 
descriptive  powers,  I  will  insert  here  the  manner  in 
which  the  Coronel  and  Olvera  families  were  treated 
in  1836,  sinjply  because  they  were  from  Mexico. 
This  affair  took  place  immediately  after  the  revolution 
which  drove  out  of  the  country  Comandante-Dfeneral 
(Gutierrez.  Janssens  was  in  the  conipany  of  tliose 
families  at  the  time.  "On  ruachinj^  the  rancho  of 
the  Verdugos,  almost  opposite  Cahuenga,  near  l^os 
Angeles,  they  saw  a  gathering  of  people  as  if  for  a 
ball.  Opposite  the  large  mansion  was  a  small  adobe 
house  occupied  by  an  old  woman  who  kindly  afforded 
shelter  to  the  wearied  travellers.  Many  persons  at 
the  large  house  were  drinking  liquor,  and  evi^ry  now 
and  then  was  heard  the  cry  'Down  with  Mexico!' 
'Death  to  the  Mexicans  1'  This  state  of  things  grew 
more  and  more  al.'irming  as  the  night  advanccHl.  i)no 
of  the  hostile  Californians  came  to  me  and  asked  who 
I  was.  Not  liking  his  looks  I  represented  myself  to 
be  a  Frenchman.  At  every  moment  wjis  heard  the 
same  cry  of  *  Mueran  los  Mejicanosl'  ])on  Ignacio 
Coronel  and  his  family,  and  the  rest  of  the  party,  in- 
cluding myself,  Rojas,  and  Ortiz,  became  greatly 
alarmed,  and  there  was  good  reason  for  it.''  He  goes 
on  detailing  the  continued  insults  they  were  the  ob- 
jects of  during  that  night,  and  concludes  the  nar- 
rative as  follows:  *  On  the  next  morning  we  started 
for  San  Gabriel.  These  infamous  people,  not  satisfied 
with  the  injury  and  insults  they  had  inflicted,  followed 


,     JANRSENS,   ORD,    AND  OSIO. 


781 


aftor  us,  lassoed  a  wil<l  l>ull,  and  on  pasHln*^  tho 
Arroyo  Scro,  alnumt  opposite  tho  town  of  I^oh  An- 
jjfclcH,  tlu!}'  let  tlio  brute  loose.  It  ruslied  madly 
upon  us,  and  attjickod  the  cart.  The  men  in  rhar«;e 
of  th«!  cart  Huccecded  in  (h'iving  thi^  bull  away,  and 
we  pasae<l  tho  arroyo.  Nothing  couhl  of  courst^  bo 
done  atjainKt  such  persons,  who  made  us  think  tliat 
we  W((ro  passing  midst  tril)es  of  wild  Indians."  The 
traveUers  were  relieve«l  from  furthtT  insult  l)y  Lieu- 
tenant Kocha,  a  Mexican  who  had  charge  of  the  mis- 
sion. The  inunigrants  called  this  unhappy  espisode 
their  Noche  Triste. 

To  Mrs  I*ru(hjnclana  Lopez  Moreno,  widow  of 
Joso  Mati'as  Moreno,  th(^  last  secretary  of  Pio  l^ico's 
government,  I  am  indebtt!<l  for  having  permitted  me 
in  IH78  to  e.xamine  her  late  husband's  papers,  .and 
make  copies,  resulting  in  a  volume  of  Dnniinnifas  jxtra 
la  llhtoria  dc  ('(ilijoniia,  among  which  an;  also  some 
important  records  of  the  frontier  district  of  Lower 
Cahfoniia. 

Mrs  A.  Ord,  nde  de  la  CJucrra,  and  whoso  first 
husband  was  Don  Manuel  Jimeno  Casarin,  who  held 
si'veral  liigh  ])ositions  in  California,  among  them 
those  of  mend)er  of  the  assembly,  government  secre- 
tary, and  several  times  acting  governor,  dictated  for 
me  at  Santa  Bdrbara  in  1H78,  her  Onirrntn'as  de  (\di- 
foniia,  a  manuscript  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six 
j)ag(>s,  wliicli  is  beyond  a  doubt  one  of  tho  most  rc^H- 
able  and  foscinating  narratives  in  my  collection,  treat- 
ing as  it  does  not  oidy  of  political  affairs,  about 
wliich  she  was  fully  informed,  but  of  social  life  and 
the  missions. 

Antonio  Maria  Osio's  Hhforia  de  California  manu- 
scri[)t,  a  c«)py  of  which  I  obtained  through  the  cour- 
tesy of  John  T.  Doyle,  is  a  work  of  much  merit,  and 
with  those  of  Vallejo,  Alvarado,  and  Bandini,  makes 
tho  collection  for  this  period  most  complc^te.  Jjiko 
the  others,  howt^ver,  it  is  very  uneven  as  a  record  of 
facts,  and  could  not  be  held  as  a  safe  guide  in  tho  ab- 


J» 


Bir.Lio;;uAi'iiY  or  pa.storal  californta. 


senco  of  tlu)  Driginul  records.  A  bioirraphlcal  sketch 
<jf  Osio  is  given  in  volume  IV.  of  my  Jlixtory  of 
('(ilifffniia. 

A  special  notice  is  clue  to  the  thirty  paLjes  ot  a 
nari'atlve  uiuler  the  title  of  Vim  Vkju  yunti  licrvcrdns, 
dictated  in  1877  l>y  Eulalia  Perez,  Widow  Marine, 
tlie  famous  centenarian  of  San  Gabriel,  and  Mlii( li  is 
full  of  interestin*'  items,  ])articularlv  on  mission  life 
and  daily  routine. 

The  last  Mexican  govirnor  of  California,  Pio  Pico, 
dictated  for  me  in  1878  some  of  his  recollections 
wliich  apptnir  on  my  shi'lves  entitled  Jfi.'^foria  dc  Cali- 
fornia. In  interest  and  accuracy  this  contribution 
favorably  compares  w'iSa  other  statements  by  pioneers. 
Don  Pio  also  jfave  me  at  the  same  time  two  volumes 
of  original  DoniiiicHtos  jxira  la  Ifisforia.  dc  (California, 
^vhich  contain  many  important  ])apers.  His  relative, 
Ilanion  Pico,  addi'd  to  my  collection  three  volumes 
of  Jhrumnifos  2'ara  la  JIis(ori(t  dc  Ca I iforiiia  which  ho- 
longed  to  his  late  father  Antonio  Afaria  Pico,  who 
was  a  prominent  man  both  before  and  after  the  ac- 
quisition of  this  country  by  the  United  States.  Joso 
de  Jesus  Pico  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  in  Avontccimiados 
en  California,  sevent^'-eight  pages,  has  given  his 
personal  expt^riences,  which  seem  to  be  pretty  well 
authenticated  bv  official  records.  To  this  narrative 
he  appended  two  original  documents  of  the  highest 
impoiiance. 

Three  others  of  tlie  citizens  of  California,  Rafael 
Pinto,  Florencio  Serrano  and  Estevan  de  la  Torre, 
residing  here  previous  to  the  American  occupation, 
have  contributed  very  extensive  and  varied  data 
of  the  most  desirable  kind  about  the  country.  Pinto, 
a  native  Californian,  and  tax  honorable  man,  in  liis 
A'puntacioncs parala  HiJo.ia  de  Cal if or)na,  one  hun- 
dred and  six  folio  pages,  dictated  for  me  at  HoUistcr 
in  1878,  furnished  a  narration  of  political  events  both 
north  and  south,  in  most  of  which  he  was  a  partici- 
pant as  a  military  officer.     Here,  as  well  as  in  the 


OUIOINAl  CUSTOMS  UECORPS. 


783 


description  of  social  customs,  his  narrative  is  trutliful 
and  I'utrrtaininu^. 

Val)l()  do  la  (Jruerra  was  collector  of  customs  ad  in- 
terim in  ^ronterey,  and  the  sujurior  othei'r  of  l*int*>, 
who  was  receiver  of  revenue  at  San  Francisco.  The 
former  ordered  the  latter  to  present  himself  in  ^fon- 
terev,  but  tlie  order  was  not  oheved.  The  two  otH- 
cers  were  friends,  hut  duty  must  he  placed  hiforc 
friendship  anionu;-  honorable  men.  llence  it  was 
when  the  tardy  Pnito  at  leiiijfth  appearr-d  at  Mon- 
terey, the  suj)orior  Pablo  frowneil. 

"  How  now,  sir,"  he  said,  ''whose  time  is  this  you 
squander  ? " 

"  I  was  ill,"  replied  Phito. 

"Ill,  were  youI"I  have  heard  of  such  sickness, 
and  have  a  sure  cure  for  it, — fifteen  davs'  confinement 
under  arrest." 

Pinto  went  dolefully  to  prison,  thouo^h  not  un- 
ha[)py  at  heart ;  for  he  carried  there  the  inia*jfe  of  tlie 
youn*.^  wife  for  whose  sweet  society  he  had  postponed 
his  go'incf.  Pablo  knew  all  about  it,  and  went  every 
da}'  to  visit  his  friend  in  prison.  Pinto's  penitence  so 
worked  upon  him,  that  on  th'>  fifth  day  the  prisoner 
vv'as  five.  Ajj;ain  among  his  comrades,  Pinto  turned 
t )  his  .superior,  and  said  :  "Sir,  I  impeach  you  for  de- 
reliction of  duty,  and  as  I  cannot  commit  you,  I  im- 
pose a  fine;  a  bottle  of  champagne." 

"How  is  that?"  asked  Pablo,  as  he  ordered 
the  wine  brought  on. 

"Did  not  your  love  for  me  cheat  justice  out  often 
of  the  fifteen  days  demanded  for  my  disobedience?" 
asked  Pinto. 

From  the  same  source  I  received  the  original 
records  of  the  San  Francisco  custom-house  down  to 
1846,  which  were  still  in  Pint(  )'s  pos.sessi<  m.  Why  they 
had  not  fallen  with  California  and  her  heuls  and  sj;old 
— all  for  fifteen  millions — into  the  hands  of  tlie 
United  States  oflUccrs,  when  the  American  fla<j  was 
hoistocl  over  Yerba  Buena,  and  the  custom-house  was 


784 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


seized,  I  will  relate.  When  news  arrived  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Monterey  by  Commodore  Sloat,  Pinto  re- 
solved to  depart  before  San  Francisco  should  also  be 
taken.  Before  going  he  packed  his  trunks,  placing  in 
them  the  custom-house  papers  and  flag,  and  sent  them 
to  the  house  of  William  A.  Leidesdora,  the  American 
vice-consul.  Commander  Montgomery,  after  taking 
possession  of  the  town  and  the  custom-house,  learning 
that  Leidesdorff  had  Pinto's  trunks,  demanded  that  they 
should  be  opened.  This  the  consul  refused  to  do ;  and 
as  the  commander  did  not  press  the  matter,  the  trunks 
in  due  time  were  delivered  to  their  owner.  The  flag 
Pinto  presented  years  ifter  to  Philip  Roach  for  the 
Pioneer  Society,  and  the  papers  finally  came  to  me, 
and  now  figure  on  my  shelves  under  the  title  of  PintOj 
Dociimentos  para  la  Historia  de  California. 

Florencio  Serrano  had  held  judicial  positions  under 
Mexican  rule,  and  after  the  American  occupation  he 
succeeded  Colton  as  alcalde  at  Monterey.  A  man 
of  pure  European  blood,  of  fair  education,  and  good 
repute,  he  was  somewhat  superior  to  his  associates. 
In  his  old  age  he  was  blind*  and  poor,  though  not  in 
want,  as  his  sons  cared  for  him  and  their  mother. 
Before  his  death  he  dictated  his  Apuntes  para  la  His- 
toria de  California,  in  which  he  gives  a  full  statement 
of  his  life,  and  recollections  of  Californian  aflairs, 
throwing  light  upon  many  important  topics,  in  excel- 
lent language  and  entertaining  style.  The  manuscript 
is  a  voluminous  one,  and  I  look  upon  it  as  one  of  the 
most  valuable  in  my  collection. 

Estevan  de  la  Torre,  a  son  of  the  secretary  under 
Sola  the  last  Spanish  governor,  unlike  his  brothers 
Joaquin  and  Gabriel,  never  allowed  himself  to  figure 
in  politics,  though  he  did  take  part  in  the  last  two 
years'  military  movements  for  the  defence  of  his 
country.  He  preferred  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agri- 
culture, commerce,  and  other  honest  occupations,  and 
was  noted  as  an  industrious,  hard-working  man.  In 
1877,  he  was  in  comfortable  circumstances,  had  a  wife 


DIVERS  MANtJSCRrPTS. 


785 


Ihe 


and  children,  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him.  That  year  he  dictated  to  ray  secretary  at  Mon- 
terey material  for  a  volume  of  234  folio  pages,  ap- 
pearing in  my  collection  with  the  title  of  Reminiscaicias. 
This  excellent  contribution  has  been  often  quoted  in 
my  History  of  California,  being  particularly  valuable 
as  a  pic'  are  of  manners  and  customs  in  Mexican 
times,  as  well  as  a  trustworthy  record  of  public  events 
passing  im  'er  hia  observations.  He  also  relates  his 
experiei  oes  in  the  gold  placers. 

I  must  mention  more  briefly  some  others,  who  are 
none  the  less  worthy,  as  I  am  warned  that  I  am  n*^ar 
the  end  of  this  volume. 

Catarina  Avila  de  Rios,  widow  of  Sergeant  Petro- 
nilo  Rios  of  the  artillery,  dictated  her  Recuerdos  His- 
tdricos,  being  mainly  an  account  of  the  massacre  of 
the  Reed  family  and  others,  at  San  Miguel  in  1849. 

Antonio  Berreyesa,  Reladon,  is  an  account  of  the 
murder  of  Sergeant  Berreyesa,  his  uncle,  and  of  the 
Haro  twins,  by  Fremont's  men  in  1846,  and  of  his 
own  troubles  with  squatters  and  land-lawyers. 

Juan  Bojorges,  Becuerdas,  are  his  reminiscences  on 
Indian  campaigns. 

Jose  Canuto  Boronda,  Notas,  are  notes  on  his  old- 
time  adventures.  He  was  a  soldier,  and  long  served 
as  the  orderly  of  Sola,  the  last  Spanish  governor. 

Felix  Buelna,  Narracion,  comprises  some  of  his 
recollections. 

Domingo  and  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo ;  to  the  wid- 
ows of  these  once  prominent  Californians  I  am  in- 
debted for  many  valuable  papers  connected  with  the 
history  of  their  count?  y,  including  among  them  no 
less  a  paper  than  tlv.  original  convention  of  Cahuenga 
between  Andrds  Pico  and  Fremont,  in  January  1847, 
which  put  an  end  to  hostilities  between  the  Ameri- 
cans and  Californians. 

Agustin  Escobar,  Campana  de  *4fj,  and  Clemente 
Espinosa,  ApuTiies,  contain  brief  notes  on  especial 
top'  . 


Cal.  Past.    00 


78G 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  PASTOIIAL  CALIFOR^^A. 


Josd  M.  Estudlllo,  Datos  Histdncos:  consisting 
mainly  of  a  narrative  of  events  in  the  San  Diesjo 
region,  and  data  on  the  coasting  trade  in  pre- American 
times. 

Ignacio  Ezquer,  Memorial,  c* stated  in  1878,  being 
a  few  of  his  rccolloctions  on  early  events. 

Henry  D.  Fitch  was  an  American  shipmaster,  mer- 
chant, and  land-owner  who  came  to  California  before 
1827.  His  widow  Josofa  Carrillo  de  Fitch  presented 
mo  in  1875  a  large  number  of  documents  of  interest 
for  Californian  history,  including  her  marriage  certifi- 
cate, and  her  husband's  Mexican  naturalization  papers. 
She  also  dictated  an  interesting  Narracion.  I  have 
hkewise  hi  the  Vallcjo  and  Cooper  collections,  hun- 
dreds of  Captain  Fitcli's  business  and  personal  letters. 

Josc^  Fernandez,  a  Spaniard  who  came  to  California 
in  1817,  and  served  in  Argiiello's  expedition  to  tli. 
north  in  1821.  In  the  course  of  his  life,  during  i\w 
Mexican  rule,  he  filled  several  local  oflSces,  besid(^s 
holding  the  rank  of  ca[)tain  in  the  militia.  After  the 
American  occupation  he  was  a  town  councilman.  In 
1874  he  dictated  for  me  his  Cosas  de  California,  a 
most  interesting  narrative.  Fernandez  was  held  in 
respect  and  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 

Miguel  Flores,  gave  me  at  San  Josd  in  1877,  Re- 
cuerdos  Historicos,  relating  only  ■'o  a* short  period  of 
Californian  history,  but  not  devoid  of  interest. 

Eusebio  Galindo,  born  in  1802,  and  many  years  a 
soldier  of  the  San  Francisco  presidial  company,  in 
1877  contributed  his  Apwifcs,  which  contain  much 
matter  worthy  of  presorvatir  n. 

Inocente  Garcia  in  his  Jlechos  Hisforicos  gives  do- 
tails  of  the  old  soldier's  life,  his  experiences  as  a  mis- 
sion administrator,  observations  of  a  general  nature, 
and  a  few  specimens  of  his  poetical  compositions. 

Josd  E.  Garcfa,  Ej)is()di<)!i,  and  M.  Garcfa,  Ajninfa- 
Kohre  Micheltfyrcim.  The  latter  is  a  brief  account  of 
the  Batallon  Fijo  de  California  brought  by  INIichcl- 
torena  to  this  country  in  1842.     MIcanor  de  J.  Cas- 


«•// 


DOCUMENTS   AND   MANUSCRIFTS. 


787 


tillo  Ganiica  writes  Rcmierdns  t)f  events  in  1844-(). 

Jc)s^  de  los  S.  and  Luis  C.  German,  brothers,  of 
Trcs  Pinos,  under  the  title  of  Sticesos  related  what 
they  know  of  California  events  in  1844-7,  which  on 
several  })oints  proved  valuable  material  for  history. 

Vicente  P.  Gomez  in  a  thick  folio  volume  under  the 
title  of  IjO  que  Sale,  contributed  a  large  stock  of  in- 
formation upon  almost  all  subjects  connected  with 
California  history  and  social  life.  His  vein  of  anec- 
dote seemed  inexhaustible,  and  many  were  the  stt)ries 
he  told  while  working  in  my  library  and  hi  the  various 
archives. 

Teodoro  Gonzalez  wlio  lived  in  California  sinci;  1825, 
held  several  nmnicipal  and  judicial  offices,  and  became 
a  man  of  wealth,  was  placed  where  he  could  under- 
stand the  causes  and  etiects  of  the  several  revolutions 
which  disturbed  the  country.  Though  his  memory 
was  failing  m  1877  he  related  many  important  details 
which  are  preserved  in  his  Rcvolucloiies  de  California. 
Mauricio  Gonzalez,  a  pioneer  of  1840,  gave  in  hia 
Monorias  on  the  revc)lution  and  campaign^  against 
JMicheltorena  in  1844-5,  and  also  a  collection  of  orig- 
in.al  pap(>rs  that  had  l)elonged  to  his  father,  the  first 
collector  of  customs  of  Monterey.  Rafael  Gonzalez, 
of  Santa  Btlrbara,  in  his  Kxpcriaivias  relates  what 
passed  before  him,  hi  most  of  which  he  was  a  partici- 
pant. 

William  Edward  Petty  Hartnell  was  a  highly  cdu- 
i.iU'A  and  honorable  Enijlishman,  who  resided  in 
Ca'i^unia  since  1822,  and  married  Senorita  Teresa  de 
lluerra.  A  detailed  account  of  his  career  is 
'  n  In  the  Pione«>r  lii!gi.ster,  volume  III,  of  my 
ji:','  r*,  nf  Cali/orm'a.  I  posses.s  hundreds  of  letters 
and  jmpers  whi*ii  emanated  from  or  belonged  to 
him.  IndiH^d,  his  family  documents  form  more  than 
one  volume  of  the  Vallejo  collection,  and  should  be 
under  his  own  name.  Among  these  were  the  original 
records  t)f  the  Convention  of  '^/.O,  and  the  valuable 
Diario  del  Vmtador  General  de  Misiones,  183U-40. 


1-. 


788 


BrBI-IOCxRAPHY  OP  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


C^rloe  N.  Hijar's  California  en  '34  contains  mainly 
data  on  the  colony  of  Hfjar  and  Prdres.  The  author 
came  with  his  uncle  Josd  M.  Hijar,  who  had  a  com- 
mission as  jefe-politico  and  director  of  colonization  of 
California. 

Julio  Cdsar,  an  intelligent  ex-neophyte  of  San 
Luis  Rey  living  at  Tres  Pinoain  1878,  dictated  to  my 
secretary  Cosas  de  Indias,  a  really  good  account  of 
mission  affairs. 

Cayetano  Juarez,  a  soldier  of  the  San  Francisco 
company  in  1828,  alcalde  of  Sonoma  in  1845,  and  in 
later  years  a  wealthy  ranchcro  of  Napa  county,  gave 
in  some  rambling  Notas.  This  is  the  man  who  planned 
the  resc'o  of  the  Sonoma  prisoners  in  1846  from 
the  Beai    >  and  swam  about  nine  miles  to  escape 

capture. 

Justo  Larioo,  Convulsiones  de  Calif orrJa .  is  an  in- 
teresting account  of  the  political  disturbances.  Esto- 
lano  Larios,  gives  Vida  y  AventuraSy  not  of  himself 
but  of  his  father,  a  famous  bsar  hunter. 

Of  Jacob  P.  Leese,  pioneer  of  1833,  I  have  a 
biographical  sketch,  and  the  Bear  Flag  Revolt,  which 
is  the  best  narrative  on  the  subject  extant.  His  wife 
furnished  me  an  Historia  de  las  Osos  to  which  I  ascribe 
no  special  value. 

Apolinaria  Lorenzana  was  one  of  the  foundling 
children  sent  to  California  by  the  \  Iceroy  of  Mexico 
in  1800,  and  who  were  here  distributed,  as  she  ex- 
pressed it  "  como  perritos,  entre  las  familas."  Living 
at  Santa  B.irbara  in  1878,  blind  and  indigent,  she 
related  in  a  volume  entitled  Memorias  de  la  Beata 
many  interesting  items  on  early  times,  especially  in 
regard  to  San  Diego. 

Jose  del  C  Lugo,  of  Los  Angeles,  who  at  one  time 
was  in  affluent  circumstances,  and  occupied  a  promi- 
nent position,  in  Vida  de  un  Ranchero  treats  of  political 
and  other  events,  manners  and  customs,  etc.,  in  the 
years  preceding  and  immediately  succeeding  the 
American  annexation. 


OTHER  MANUSCRIPTS. 


789 


time 
)mi- 
tical 

the 
Ithe 


Then  we  have  by  Juana  Machado  Ridington,  of  San 
Diego,  Tiempos  Pasados  de  California;  by  Felipa 
Osuna  Marron,  also  of  San  Diego,  Recuerdos,  and  the 
Papeles  Originaks  of  her  late  father,  an  old  alcalde  of 
that  town  and  mission  administrator. 

Juan  B.  Moreno's  Vida  Militar  consists  of  a  few 
facts  on  military  operations  during  the  American 
war.  Francisco  Palomares'  Meinorias  are  chiefly  his 
adventures  as  an  Indian  fighter,  which  are  supposed 
to  be  truthfully  related. 

Manuel  Torres*  Peripedas  de  la  Vida  en  California 
is  a  readable  manuscript,  de'  oted  to  manners  of  life, 
and  remarks  on  early  men,  rather  than  a  narrative  of 
events.  The  author,  a  Peruviian,  and  at  one  time  a 
member  of  the  ^.Ste  legislature,  came  to  California 
in  1843. 

Ignacio  del  Valle,  a  native  of  Mexico  and  a  mili- 
tary officer,  figured  largely  in  the  political  aftairs  of 
California.  After  the  American  occupation  he  held 
several  offices  of  honor,  and  served  also  in  the  state 
legislature  in  1852.  His  record  has  been  that  of  a 
good  officer  and  honorable  citizen.  In  1877  he  con- 
tributed with  the  title  of  I/)  Pamdo  de  California  a 
few  pages  of  his  recollections,  which  are  quite  inter- 
esting, and  also  presented  me  a  number  of  documents, 
among  which  are  some  important  ones.  They  appear 
on  my  shelves  Vi  his  name  as :  Valle,  Documentor  para 
la  Historia  de  California.  I  may  mention  further, 
Victoriano  Vega,  Vida  Califomiana,  62  pages.  Pablo 
Vejar,  Recuerdos  de  un  Viejo,  90  pages.  Vejar  led  an 
adventurous  life,  and  vividly  records  it.  He  was 
the  only  prisoner  taken  by  Kearny's  army  at  San 
Pascual. 

To  the  above  array  of  original  authorities  I  might 
add  many  t)ther  contributors,  whose  narratives, 
though  less  voluminous,  are  not  on  this  account  less 
worthy  of  being  quoted  in  my  work  on  California. 
Their  names  have  been  duly  presented  in  its  pages. 

Of  the  foreign  pioneers  who  have  given  their  tes- 


7!0 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


tirnony  upon  Californian  affairs,  prior  to  1848,  being 
87  in  number,  12  wrote  on  particular  subjects;  20 
were  residents  of  California  earlier  than  1840;  35  came 
overland  as  emigrants,  hunters,  soldiers,  and  settled 
previous  to  1845-8,  and  20  over  the  seas,  as  traders 
or  sea-faring  men.  Of  these  numerous  contributors, 
the  followintr  are  entitled  to  hijjjh  commendation,  the 
first  place  belonging  b}-  all  rights  to  William  Heath 
Davis'  Glimpses  of  the  Past,  which  furnish  most  de- 
tailed and  accurate  records  of  early  events  and  men. 
Davis  first  came  to  California  when  a  boy,  again  in 
1833,  and  a  third  time  in  1838,  from  which  year  he 
has  been  a  permanent  resident  here,  and  engaged  in 
commercial  enterprises.  These  facts  are  mentioned 
only  to  make  patent  the  favorable  opportunities 
he  has  had,  making  use  of  his  naturally  bright  in- 
tellect (lal  powers,  to  acquaint  himself  with  and  retain 
in  his  memory  all  events,  and  traits  of  personal  char- 
acter which  were  brought  under  his  observation. 
A  biographical  sketch  of  him  may  be  seen  in  the 
the  Pioneer  Register  of  volume  IT.  of  my  History 
of  California.  His  GUmpscs  of  the  Past  cover  hun- 
dreds of  pages  containing  not  only  his  personal  expe- 
riences, but  thousands  of  items  of  early  men  and 
times,  especially  on  commerce,  and  the  customs  of 
the  nativto  and  foreign  pioneers.  His  memory  is 
fresh,  but  his  recollections  are,  in  many  instances, 
based  on  memoranda  made  years  ago. 

Other  foreign  contributors  deserving  especial  men- 
tion are  the  following  :  William  Baldridge,  a  pioneer 
of  1843,  for  his  Days  of  '46,  written  in  1877,  and  for 
several  papers  given  by  him  at  various  times  for 
newspapers  and  books,  which  are  noted  for  their  com- 
mendable accuracy.  Josiali  Belden,  Historical  State- 
ment, of  70  pages ;  a  narrative  such  as  a  man  of  his 
clear  head  would  produce.  I  have  also  a  number  of 
his  letters.  John  Bidwcll  of  Chico.  His  printed 
Journey  to  California  is  now  among  rare  books.  For 
the  particulars  of  Bidwell's  early  life  I  must  refer  to 


PIONEER  MANUSCKIPTS. 


791 


20 


^y 


men- 
jiiecr 
d  for 

for 
coiu- 
State- 
f  his 
er  of 
intecl 

For 
'er  to 


the  Pioneer  Register  in  vol.  II.  of  ray  History  of  (kiJi- 
foniki,  and  confine  uiy  remarks  here  to  his  California 
in  1841-8,  a  manuscript  of  233  pages  dictated  by  hin: 
for  me,  and  which  I  regard  as  one  of  the  most  valuable 
in  my  collection  of  pioneer  reminiscences.  Aside  from 
that  I  have  many  of  his  letters,  and  other  [)apers, 
throwing  light  on  California  events.  Henry  W.  Big- 
ler.  Diary  of  a  Mormon,  an  excellent  narrative  of  the 
march  of  the  Mormon  battalion  to  California  in  1847, 
as  well  as  on  details  of  the  gold  discovery  in  1848. 
Joseph  B.  Chiles,  Visit  to  California  in  '41.  This 
person  made  several  overland  journeys  to  this  country 
after  that  year.  John  Forster,  Pioneer  Data,  besides 
other  contributions  respecting  his  experiences  since 
he  first  came  to  California  early  in  the  thirties. 
Walter  Murray's  Narrative  of  a  California  Volunteer  is 
a  copy  of  his  original  diary,  which  his  widow  placed 
at  my  disposal.  It  is  one  of  the  best  authorities  on 
the  history  of  Stevenson's  regiment,  to  which  the 
author  belonged,  especially  on  the  operations  of  the 
.same  in  Lower  California,  in  which  Murray  par- 
ticipated. It  will  be  well  to  observe  that  Murray 
was  afterward  a  lawyer,  journalist,  and  district  judge, 
having  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  legislature.  It  is 
said  of  George  Nidever,  a  Tennessean  hunter  who 
came  to  California  in  1833,  that  he  killed  200  grizzly 
bears.  His  Life  and  Adventures  is  a  long  and  most 
valuable  narrative.  In  1878,  at  the  age  of  76,  he  put 
into  a  tarscet  three  rifle-balls  in  succession  within  the 
space  of  a  square  inch  at  the  distance  of  sixty  paces. 
Nidever  died  at  Santa  Bdrbara  in  1883.  C3f  John 
Augustus  Sutter  I  give  an  extensive  biographical 
notice  in  the  Pioneer  Register  of  vol.  V.  of  the 
History  of  California.  His  Personal  Recollections  I  took 
from  his  lips  at  his  home  in  Pennsylvania. 

Jonathan  T.  Warner,  a  pioneer  of  1831,  and  one  of 
the  men  most  conspicuous  in  California  since  the 
American  annexation,  contributed  to  newspapers  and 
to  diflerent  parties  important  items  on  early  history 


702 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  PASTORAL  CALIFORNIA. 


of  this  country,  which  have  been  made  known  to  the 
public  by  the  press.  His  contributions  to  the  cen- 
tennial history  of  Los  Angeles  is  of  great  value.  He 
has  furnished  me  a  brief  Biographical  Sketch,  and  a 
more  extended  book  of  Reminiscences,  which  I  have 
often  quoted  in  the  History  of  California.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  best  authorities. 

Benjamin  Davis  Wilson,  a  Tennessean  trapper  and 
trader  who  came  to  California  in  1841,  and  who  occu- 
pied a  position  of  prominence  before  and  after  the 
United  States'  acquisition  of  California,  in  his  Ohscrca- 
tions,  dictated  late  in  1877,  a  few  months  before  his 
death,  at  his  estate  called  Lake  Vineyard,  near  San 
Gabriel,  has  contributed  data  on  historical  events  of 
considerable  value,  but  in  some  parts  inaccurate. 

The  testimony  of  foreigners,  taken  all  in  all,  1  re- 
gard as  of  less  value  than  that  of  the  native  Califor- 
nians ;  for  although  the  latter  may  be  the  superior  of 
the  former  in  native  mendacity,  foreigners  have  in 
many  cases  taken  but  little  interest  in  the  subject. 

As  might  be  expected,  while  the  contributions  of 
both  native  and  foreign  pioneers  have  been  in  the  ag- 
gregate of  much  value,  I  have  found  in  many  cases, 
as  the  result  of  defective  memorj^  a  strange  and  often 
inexplicable  mixture  of  truth  and  fiction.  Fortu- 
nately I  have  not  been  put  to  the  necessity  of  basing 
the  history  of  California  wholly  on  this  kind  of  evi- 
dence. Original  documents  have  been  at  hand  in 
abundance  to  guard,  corroborate,  and  correct. 


GLOSSARY. 


For  the  benefit  of  those  among  my  American  and  English  readers  wlio 
may  not  be  conversant  with  the  Spanish  language,  I  append  a  list  of  the 
m  >rc  common  words  used  in  Mexico  and  Hispano-California,  and  con- 
tained in  my  HUtonj  of  CaUforn'm  and  in  this  volume,  together  with  their 
corresponding  significations  in  our  vernacular. 


Abadesa.     Abbess. 

Abajefios.  Inhabitants  of  sonthern 
California. 

Abisuio.     Bottomless  pit. 

A  boca  Uena.     Perspicuously,  openly. 

Abortos  del  iutieruo.  Hellish  abor- 
tions. 

Abilrrido.     Disgusted. 

Acontecimiento.     Event. 

Acuerdos.     Decisions. 

Acusador.     Accuser. 

Agiotistas.  Money-changers,  stock- 
l)roker8,  bill-brokirs,  (Uscouuters  of 
govt  warrants. 

Agregados.     Attaches,  added. 

Agugenw.     Holes. 

Aial)ado.     Praised  be. 

Alauieda.     Grove  of  trees. 

Alual)ala.  Excise;  also  customs  du- 
ties. 

Alcaldadas.     Alcalde's  blunders. 

Alcalde  mayor.  Magistrate  of  a  dis- 
trict inferior  to  a  governor's. 

Alcahueteria.  Bawdry,  trickery, 
concealment. 

Alcatraz.     Pelican. 

Almud.     Twelfth   of  a  fanega,  q.  v. 

Almuerzo.  Breakfast  (usually  a  sec- 
ond one). 

Alocucion.     Address. 

A  medias  pivlabras.     With  mere  hints. 

Ameno.     Agreeable,  enchanting. 

Amigas.     Primary  schools. 

Aino.     Master,  owner. 

Amor  patrio.     Love  of  country. 

Auata.     Annats. 

(793) 


Aprehensor.     Captor. 

Apuntes.    Notes,  memoranda. 

Aranoel.     Tariflf. 

Arbitrios.     Means,  resources. 

Archivo.  Record  office;  in  plural, 
archives. 

Ardilla.     Scpiirrel. 

Arete.     Earring. 

Arreglo.     Arrangement. 

Arribeflos.  Inhabitants  of  northern 
California. 

Arriero.     Muleteer. 

Arroba.     Twenty-five  pounds. 

Arroyo.     Rivulet,  or  current. 

Asamblea.     Assembly. 

Asistencia.  Assistance;  branch  of  a 
mission. 

Atentado  escandalosfsimo.  Most 
scandalous  outrage. 

Audiencia.  Supremo  court;  in  Mex- 
ico, together  with  tl>e  viceroy,  it 
was  also  a  royal  council. 

Auto-de-fe.  Sentence  by  tlie  inquisi- 
tion. 

Auto  de  posesion.     Act  of  possession. 

Averia.     Average,  damage. 

Averiguacion.     Investigation. 

Ayuntamiento.     Municipal  council. 

Azotes.     Lashea. 


% 

Balila  rcdonda.     Round  bay. 

Banda.     Side,  scarf. 

Bando.     Edict. 

Bando  econdmico.     Financial  edict. 

Barranca.     Ravine,  precipice. 

Basquiiia.     Upper  petticoat. 


794 


GLOSSARY. 


Beato,  a.     Devout. 

Buiieinurito  de  la  patria.  Deserving 
well  of  the  country. 

Bidarka.     Skin  boat. 

Bienea.     Property. 

linhiH  do  plata.     Silver  balls. 

Bolcto  de  duseuibarco.  Landing  per- 
mit. 

Bolsilla.     Little  purse. 

Bolsillo.     Pocket. 

Borrador.     Blotter-copy. 

Borregada.     A  Hock  of  sheep. 

Borrego.  .Sheep;  also  name  of  a  Cal. 
danuu. 

Brazodo  mar.     See  'Estero.' 

Brazos  fuertes.  Powerful  or  strong 
arms. 

Brea.     Rosin,  pitch. 

Breves,  Papal     briefs. 

Bronco.     Unbroken  horse. 

Buenos  diaa.     Good  morning. 

Bulas.     Papal  bulls. 

Burla.     Mockery. 


0 


Caballar.    Belonging  to  or  resembling 

horses. 
Caballo.     Horse.     Muy  de  &  caballo. 

An  accomplished  horseman. 
Cabeccra.     Head  town  of  a  district; 

source  of  a  river. 
Cabeza.     Head.     Cal>eza  de  proceso. 

Head  of  a  criminal  proceedmg, 
Cal)o  de  Homos.     Cape  Horn. 
Cabotage.     Coasting  trade. 
Cacaiste.     Mexican,  a  sort  of  bench. 
Calabozo.     Calaboose,  prison. 
Calzada.     Causeway,  paved  highway, 

high-road. 
Campafia.     Campaign. 
Campo.     Field. 

Caflada.     ( Uon  or  dale  between  moun- 
tains; dale. 
Ca&on.     Cannon.     Caflouoito.   Small 

cannon. 
Candnigo.     Canon. 
Cantait's  a   la  Virgen.     Canticles  to 

tlie  Virgin. 
Capadoi-.     Gelder  or  castrator. 
Capataz.     Boss. 
Capitan  de  armas.     Commander   of 

troops. 
Capitana.     Flag-ship. 
Capitanejo.     Petty  chief. 
Carrera  de   baqueta.     Running    the 

gauntlet. 
Carta.     Letter,  chart. 
Carta  de   naturaleza.     Certificate  of 

naturalization. 


Carta  de  seguridad.  Passport,  or 
permit  to  reside. 

Casa  conaistorial.     Municipal  hall. 

Casas  Grandes.     Liirge  liouaes. 

Casas  reales.     Builduigs  of  tlie  crown, 

Castigo  de  sangre.  Punishment 
drawing  blood, 

Catorce.     Fourteen. 

Caucion  juratoria.  A  person's  own 
recognizance. 

Cayuco.     Dug-out. 

Cedula.     Letter. 

Celador.     Watcliman. 

Celuberrima.  Most  celebrated,  or  il- 
lustrious. 

Cepos.     Stocks  for  punishment. 

Corro.     Hill. 

Cliahuistle.     Rust. 

Chancaca.     See  'Panocha.' 

Cliapeton.  One  of  noble  birth  who 
never  was  of  any  use;  one  wlio  came 
to  America  without  a  royal  pass- 
port. 

Chapulin.     Locust. 

Cimarrones,     Runaways  or  deserters. 

Clerigo.     Clergyman, 

Comandante  de  cscuadron.  Major  of 
cavalry. 

Comandante  superior  politico  y  njili- 
tar.  Superior  civil  and  military 
connnandant. 

Comendador.     Knight  commander. 

Comilitona.     See  'Comilona, ' 

Comilona. 
edibles. 

Comisario. 
official. 

Comision. 


A  feast  witli    plenty  of 

Commissary,  a  treasury 

Commission,     trust.     Co- 
Secret  commis- 


niision  reservada. 

sion. 
Compaflero.      Companion,    comrade, 

chum. 
Compaflia  de    honor.      Company   of 

honor. 
Canipafifa  extrangera.     Company  of 

foreigners. 
Comodidad.     Comfort,  utility. 
Compadre,  comadre,  gossips. 
Compadrazgo,     Bond  of  affinity   l)e- 

tween  the  parents  of  a  child  on  one 

side,  and  the  sponsors  of  the  child 

on  the  other. 
CompaAia   franca.     Privileged    com- 
pany. 
Condiciones  convenidas.     Conditions 

agreed  upon. 
Cdngrua.     Stipend. 
Congreso  constituyente.     Constituent 

congress. 
Couuunistro.     Assistant  minister. 


GIaTSSARY. 


996 


Connuiatado,  a,  os,  aa.  Conrjuercd, 
subjugated. 

CoiKiuiMtar.     To  uonqucr. 

CoiiMcjo.  Council.  Conse  jo-general 
lie  puoMo!)  uuidos.  Council-general 
of  nnituil  town.s,  or  peopli'. 

Consiileracion  nomenor.  Of  not  le»H 
consideration. 

Contiidor.     Accountant,  auditor. 

Contestacion.     Answer. 

Contribucion   forzoaa.     Forced   loan. 

Coutorno.     In  circuit. 

Convenio.      Convention,    agreonient. 

Corbeta.     Corvette,  or   sloop-of-war. 

Cordilleras,  Messages  from  place  to 
place. 

Corina.     Species  of  fetters. 

Corral.  A  pen  for  live-stock,  and 
even  for  poultry. 

Coyote.     A  small  California  wolf. 

Cuadrilla.     Gang. 

Cuarta.     A  whip. 

Ciiarto  dc  las  solteras.  Single  wo- 
men's quarters. 

Culto.     Cult,  worship,  cultured. 

Cu.jtodia.  Number  of  convents,  not 
enough  for  a  proviucia;  remon- 
strance. 

Cuero.     Hide  of  cattle  or  horses. 

Cuerpo.     The  body. 

Cuerpo  del  delito.     Corpus  delicti. 

D 

De  entilo.     Usual. 

Detinii  lores.  The  councillors  of  a 
custodia. 

Delitos  de  sangre.  Crimes  with 
l)k)odslied. 

Derechos.     Duties. 

Derrochador.     Squanderer. 

Derrotero.     Directions  for  sailing. 

iJesagiie.     Drainage. 

Desaliogo.     Relief. 

De.sayuno.     Breakfast. 

Descubridor.     Discoverer,  or  detector. 

Desesperado.      Desperado. 

Destierro.     Banishment. 

Diablo.     Devil. 

Dia  de  fiesta.     Feast-day. 

Dia  del  juicio.     Day  of  judgment. 

Dictamen.     Report,  opinion. 

Dieta.     Daily  pay. 

Diezmos.     Tithes. 

Dirdn  y  Diremos.  They  will  say,  and 
so  shall  we. 

Discretorio.  Council  of  a  head  con- 
vent. 

Dispeusa.     Pantry-room. 

Divertirde.    To  amuse  oueaelf. 


Doctrina.    Doctrine;  ouracy  held  by 

friars. 
Doctrineros.      Friam    in    charge    of 

parishes. 
Donativos.     Donations,  gifts. 


Ethado.     Past  x)articiple  of  echar,  to 

throw,  or  put  in.     Kcliado  yer))a  en 

los  dlcos.     Had  put  poison   iu  the 

sacred  oil. 
Echar  con  cajas  destempladas.     To 

dismiss  unceremoniously. 
Economia     de     sangre.      Saving    of 

bloodslied. 
El  capitan  fraile  tenia  mas  maflas  ^ue 

un   burro   do   aguador.     The    fria/ 

captain  iiad   more  tricks  titan  the 

donkey  of  a  water-carrier. 
Embarcadoro.     I.Andiiig-place. 
Emigrados.     Emigrants,  immigrants. 
Kmpa.-ttados.     Bound. 
Eneliilada.     Stutt'ed  peppers. 
Enfermo.     Sick. 
Enrama<la.     A  shed   or  hut  covered 

witli  branches  of  trees. 
Ensenada.     A   bight,   or  small   bay, 

cove. 
Entrada.     Entry,  entrance,  invasion, 

excursion. 
Escala.     See  'Puerto  de  Escala.* 
Escalador,    es.     Climber,     one    who 

scales  walls. 
Escandalos.      Scandals. 
Esciindalo   de  gran  tamafio.     Large- 

sized  scandal. 
Escoltas.     Mission  guard. 
E.scondida.      Hitbleu. 
E.scril)ano.     Notary. 
Escrito.     Writing;  also  written. 
Espinazo.     Spine. 
Estado.     Statement,  or  account. 
Estero.     Creek,  cove,  ami  of  tlie  sea. 
Estoy.     I  am. 
Excusa.     Excuse. 
Excma,  contraction  of  exeelentisima. 

Most  excellent. 
Excomunion  mayor.     Excomnjunica- 

tion  major. 
Expediente.      Collection     of    papers 

upon  a  subject. 


Fandango.     A  dance  of  the  common 

people. 
Fanega.     A  bushel  and  a  half. 
Farallones.     Small,   pointed   islands, 

bummocka. 


796 


GLOSSARY. 


Fiivorecedor.     Favorer,  fricml. 

Fti.stejar.     To  ontertiiiii,  to  fciint. 

Fiilulidixtl.     Fealty,  faitlifuluew. 

Ficrro.     Hraiii  ling- iron. 

Foineiitu.     Dcvelopuieut. 

Fondo  <lo  gratificacion.  Extra  allow- 
ance to  ejich  inilit.  company. 

Fondo  (lu  Invdliiloa.  Fund  of  inva- 
lided soldiers. 

Fondo  de  Montepfo.  Fund  of  pension! 
for  olHcers'  widows  and  orphans. 

Fondo  de  retouciou.  Fund  uf  amounts 
rctiiineiL 

Forzados.     Forced. 

Fragata.     Frigate,  full-rigged  ship. 

Friigiles.      Fragile. 

FraUero.  One  under  the  influence  of 
priests. 

Freano.     Alder  tree. 

Fuego.     Fire. 

Fuoro  eclexidstico.  Ecclesiastical 
privileges. 

Fiiero  militar.     Military rrivileges. 

Funios.     See  'Humos.' 


& 


fJabelas.     Imposts. 

(ianado.     Live-stock,  cattle. 

Crananciales.  Property  acquired  dur- 
ing marriage. 

fiafian.     Ploughman,  herdsman. 

(iefaturii.     Otlico  of  a  gefe  tir  chief. 

(lufo.  Chief.  Gefe  politico.  Politi- 
cal chief. 

Gente.      People. 

Gento  de  razon.     Civilized  people. 

Gentilidad.   Heathen  people  or  region. 

Gloria.     Glory. 

Golpc  de  estaido.  Coup  d'etat,  revo- 
lution. 

Golpe  de  mano.  Coup  de  main,  dar- 
ing stroke. 

Gracias.     Favors,  thanks,  graces. 

Grillos.     Shackles. 

Grito.     Cry,  declaration. 

Guarda-almacen.     Store-keeper. 

Guardia.     Guard  and  guard-Iumse. 

Giiera.  Mexican  for  light  complexion 
and  hair. 

Guerra.  War.  Junta  de  guerra. 
Council  of  war. 

Guijarro.     Coggleatone. 


Habilitacion.    Habilitado's  office;  also 

provision. 
Habilitado.     Paymaster  and  business 

agent  of  a  presidial  company. 


Hambre.     Hunger. 

Hermoso.     Haiulsome. 

Herrar.     To  brand. 

Hiilalgo.     One  of  gentle  birth. 

Hijo  del  Pais.    Native  of  the  country. 

Iloja  de  servicio.     Record  of  service. 

Homlire.  Man.  Honibre  de  bieu. 
Honest  man. 

Hr)y.     To-day. 

llnero.  Unfecundated  egg.  In  Cal- 
ifornia a  person  of  liglit  complexion 
and  hair. 

Huilo.  A  man  without  physical 
strength,  or  weak  in  the  legs. 

Humos.     Smoke. 


Inandito  atentado.     Unheard  of  ont- 

rage. 
Inconvenientes.     Objections. 
Indigente,  es.     Indigent. 
Indiuto.     Parilon. 
Insigne.     Signal,  notable. 
Intendente   honorario  de    provincia. 

An  honorary  intendent  of  province, 
luterventor.  Comptroller,  supervisor. 
Islas  desiertas.     Desert  islands. 


Jacal.     Straw  building. 

.Fara.  An  arrow,  or  dart.  Jarazo. 
An  arrow  wound. 

.Tardin.     Garden. 

.Inez.     Judge. 

J  ugador.     Gambler. 

Juntii.  A  board  or  corporation, 
meeting.  Junta  Inatituyente.  In- 
stituting board. 

.Juraniento.     Oath. 

Juzgado.     Court  of  justice. 


t 


Laguna.     Small  lake. 

Lanchas.     Launches,  or  lighters. 

Latido.     Throb. 

Latiias.     Small  laths. 

Lazar.     To  lasso,  or  catch  animals 

with  a  rope. 
Legua.     League. 

Levantamiento.     Uprising,  revolt. 
Libros  de    patentes.     Copy-book    of 

instructions. 
Lindo.     Beautiful,  handsome. 
Liviandad.     Levity,  incontinence. 
Lobes.     Wolves.     Lobus  Metodistaa. 

Methodist  wolves. 


GLOSSARY. 


Lo1)oa    tnarinos.      Soa-wolves,    sea- 

lioiiD. 
Loiiiad.     Heighta. 
Llano.     Plain 
Llavero.     Keeper  of    the  keys.     In 

tlie  inissiouii,  the  utore-keeper. 

M 

Maehete.        Cutla.s».       Macheteron. 
Men  armed  witli  inacheteM. 

Mailrina.  Goilinother,  or  fenialu 
Huonsor. 

Mai.     Evil,  complaint. 

Malvado.     Villani,    wretch,   wicked. 

Mauada.     A  herd  of  sheep. 

Manga.s.     Bed-clothes  and   blankets. 

Man^iiillo.     Friar's  sleeve. 

Manitiesto.     Manifesto. 

Manta.     Cotton  cloth. 

Mantilla,     Head  cover  for  women. 

Maflana.     Morning,  and  to-morrow. 

Mariposa.     ButterHy. 

Mariscadas.     Military  raids. 

Maronieros.     Rope-dancers. 

Mas  o  meuos.     More  or  less. 

Matanza.     .Slaughter. 

Matriarca.     Matriarch. 

Mecate.     Mexican  for  rope. 

Medio  real.     Half  a  real,  or  6|  cents. 

Mejicano.  Mexican.  AloMejicauo. 
After  Mexican  fashion. 

Memorias.     Memoranda. 

Mentira.     Lie. 

Mercenaries.  Friars  of  the  Order  of 
Mercy;   n.ercenary. 

Mesterto.     .See  '  Moatrenco. ' 

Milpas.     Indian  corn-tields. 

Ministros  fuudadores.  The  friars 
who  found  a  mission. 

Ministros  suplentes.  Substitute  jus- 
tices. 

Misa.     Mass. 

Morro.     .Steep  cliflf. 

Mostrenco,  s.  Strayed,  having  no 
owner.  Bienes  mostreucos.  ( iootls 
without  a  known  owner. 

Mochilas,  or  mochillas.  Leathern 
flaps  for  covering  a  saddle-tree,  a 
knapsack. 

Mocho.  A  bull  or  cow  with  horns 
cut  oflF.  Applied  also  to  human  be- 
ings or  animals  that  have  lost  a 
(inger,  thumb,  etc 

Morirse.    To  die. 

Muerto.     Dead. 

Muchachos.     Boys. 


Neoffa  (coined  word).  Status  of  neo- 
phyte. 

NiAas  expdsitas.     <rirl  foundlings. 

Nouil>ramiento.     Appointment. 

Niivenario  du  azotes.  Daily  flogging 
for  nine  days. 

Novia.     Sweetheart,  bride. 

Nuqueador.  One  who  broke  the 
necks  of  cattle. 

Nutria.    Otter. 


Obispado.    Bishopric. 

Obras  piadosas.     Benevolent  institu- 

tions. 
Oleo.     The  sacred  oil. 
Onza.     Gold  coin  worth  sixteen  silver 

dollars. 
Orden.     Order,  command. 
Ordenan/as.    Ordinances. 
Orejauo.   Wild.  Res  orejana  de  tierro. 

Cattle  marked  on  the  ears. 
OrguUo.     Pride. 
Ost).     Bear. 
Otro,  a,  OS,  as.     Other. 


Nada  mas. 


N 
Nothing  more. 


» 


Facotilla.     Small  trading  venture. 
Padre.     Fatlier. 

Padrino.     Godfather,  or  sponsor. 
Patlron.     Census. 
Pais.     Country. 

Paisanos.     Civilians,  fellow-country- 
men. 
Palabra  de  esponsales.     Bctrotlial. 
Palos.     Sticks,  Idows  with  a  bludgeon 

or  cudgel.     Matar  a  [mlos.     To  kill 

with  blows. 
Panela.     See  'Panocha.' 
Panocha.     An  ear  of  millet  or  maize; 

applied  to  the  disc-shaped  loaves  of 

coarse  sugar. 
l*apel.     Paper,  writing. 
Papel  de    Iglesia.      (.^urch    asylum 

certificate. 
Papeleta.     Clieque,  or  ticket. 
Paquete  mercantc.    Merchant  packet- 

.sliip. 
Parages.     Places,  or  regions. 
Paraiao.     Paradise. 
Parecer.     Opinion,  or  report. 
Parro<iuia.       Parish,       and      parish 

church. 
Partido.     Sub-district. 
Pascua  tlorida.     Easter. 
Paseo  maritimo.     Excursion  by  sea. 
Pastorela.     blyl,  poem  in  which  the 

Speakers  act  as  shepherds. 


798 


GLOSSARY. 


Patronato.  Royal  patronage  over  the 
church. 

Petlrero.     Swivel-gun. 

Pelador.     Flayer,  tikirmer. 

Peor  es  Nada.     Notiiing  is  worse. 

Perdulario.     Devil-may-care. 

Periudicos.     Periodicals,  newspapers. 

Perinanencia.     Permanence,  stay. 

Pescadero.  Fishing-place,  tishmonger. 

Pez.     See  'Brea.' 

Pienso  que  no.     I  think  it  will  not  1>e. 

Placer.  Place  where  gold  is  found  in 
dirt,  either  on  dryland  or  in  the 
l>ed  of  a  stream. 

Pliitica.  Discourse,  colloquy;  also 
pratique. 

Play  a.     8ea-ljeach. 

Plaza.     Open  square  in  a  town. 

Pliego.     Hneet  of  paper. 

P()l)liulores.  Settlers  or  fountlers  of  a 
town  or  country. 

Poder  ejecutivo.  Executive  author- 
ity. 

Policia.     Police. 

Politicos  arbitristas.  Scheming  poli- 
ticians. 

Populachero.  One  wLo  cov.i-ts  the 
rabble. 

Portero.     Door-keeper. 

Pozo.     Spring  or  well. 

Pozolera.     Pozole  pot. 

PrelHjndado.     Prebenilary,  canon. 

Prefereucia.  Preference.  De  profer- 
encia.     In  preference. 

Presliitero.     Presbyter,  clergyman. 

Presidiarios.     Convicts. 

IVesidio.     Frontier  post,  penal  place. 

Prest.     A  soldier's  pay. 

Prestamo.     Loiii. 

Protosto.     Pretext. 

Prevenciones.     Instructions. 

Priinicias.     First  fruits. 

Principio.     Begirning. 

Proccder.     Proceeding. 

I'roclaiiia.     Proclamation. 

Promovedor.     Promoter. 

Propitidiid.  Proprietorship,  property, 
propriety. 

Propios.     Town  lands. 

Provincia.      Province. 

Proyecto.  Project.  Proyecto  de  ley. 
Bill  or  draft  of  a  law. 

Pueblo.     ( 'bartered  town ;  also  people. 

Puebl(i.<  do  visita.  Indian  towns  vis- 
ited from  a  di>4tant  convent. 

Puerto  de  calratage.  Port  open  to 
coast'ng  trade. 

Puerto  hiutilitailo.  Port  open  to  om- 
merce. 

Puerto  de  eacala.     Way  port. 


Pulpa.    The  meet  solid  part  of  tha 

desh. 
Puflado  de  advenedi/os.     Handful  of 

upstarts. 


Quejas.     Complaints,  grievances. 
Quintema.     Five  nommees. 


Racion.     Ration. 

Rancherfa.     Indian  village. 

Ranchero.  A  person  owning  a  rancho 
or  living  in  one. 

Rancho.  Tract  of  land  used  almost 
wholly  for  pasturage.  Since  the 
American  annexation,  it  has  been 
anglicized  ranch,  and  applied  to 
even  small  farms  and  single  houses. 

Real.  Royal,  real,  a  silver  coin,  a 
royal  camp  or  tent.  In  Spanish 
times,  a  mming  district. 

Realistas.     Royalists. 

Reata.  A  rope  of  rawhide  for  lasso 
ing  animals. 

Reatazo.  A  lash  with  a  reata  or 
lariat. 

Recogida.     A  gathering  of  Iiorses. 

RcconocimiPTito.  Recognition,  ac* 
know  lodgment. 

Kecuerdos.     Recollections. 

Reilucido,  os.     Reduced. 

Regidor.     Alderman. 

ReglamentoB.  Regulations,  ov  by- 
laws. 

Reintegro.  Reimbursement,  or  re< 
payment. 

Remlicion.    Surrender. 

Reo.     An  indicted     person. 

Rt'partimientos.      Apportionments. 

Res.     A  head  of  neat  cattle. 

Reservado,  a.  Reserved,  or  confiden- 
tial. 

Revolncionario.     Revolutionist. 

Ritleros.     Riflemen. 

R4)l)le.     Oak  tree. 

Rmleo.     Rounding  up  cattle. 

Romancero  del  Cid.  Collection  of 
romances  or  ballads  of  tLe  Cid)  also 
the  singer  of  such. 

Ronda  de  cabrones.  Patrol  of  cuck- 
olds. 

Ropa.     Clothing. 

Ro<ario.     A  rosary,  evening  prayers. 

Riibrica.  A  scroll  or  flourish  appended 
by  Spanish  people  to  their  sigua- 
tures. 


GLOSSARY. 


799 


S 


Sala.     Hall,  or  parlor. 

Siila  capitular.     Municipal  hall. 

Sautcre  axul.     Blue  hloou,  uoble  birth. 

Salioa.     Excursion. 

Salinas.     Salt  marshes. 

Sam'>enito.  Garment  woni  bjr  the 
penit<»nt  convicts  of  the  in.jmsition. 

Santa  Oljcdicncia.     Sacred  obedience. 

Sauz.  Willow.  Sauzal.  Willow 
grove.  Sauzalito.  Small  grove  of 
willows. 

Segurida<l.     Security,  or  safety. 

Seis.     Six. 

Sefiorfa.     Lordiship,   worship,   honor. 

Sierra.  A  saw;  also  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains 

Sien'ita.     Sinall  sierra. 

Sierra  Nevada.  Ridge  of  mountains 
covered  with  snow. 

Silla.  Chair,  or  saddle.  Silla  vaquera. 
Saddle  used  by  vaquero. 

Sin.     Without. 

Siu'lico.     A  towai's  attorney. 

Sinodo.  Sti|)eud  of  a  missionary; 
alsi>  syncMl. 

Sitio.     Small  stock  range. 

Situado.     Appropriation. 

Socoyote.  Applied  to  the  youngest 
clnld  of  a  family,  and  also  the  low- 
est servant. 

Soldiulo.     Soldier. 

Soldado  distinguido.  Private  soldier 
of  gentle  birth. 

Sombrero.     Hat. 

Sublcviulo,  a,  OS,  as.  Rebelled,  rebel- 
lious. 

Sucesos.  Events,  occurrences,  suc- 
cesses. 

Sumaria.  The  first  proceeding  in  a 
trial. 

Suplcntc.     Substitute. 
T 

Tamal.    Indian  meal  dumpling  stuffed 

with  minced  meat,  chicken,  etc. 
Tipab>.      .\  shawl. 
Tapanoo.     C'ot.-k-loft,    or    room    over 

the  garret. 
Tnrdcada.     March  begun  late  in  the 

day. 
Tasajii.    .Terked  l)eef.    Tasjvjero.    One 

who  prepares  ji;rked  beef. 
Tecolero.     Masttu'  of  ceremonies  at  a 

ball. 
Tecolote.     Sjiecies  of  owl. 
Temblor.    Shake.    Temblor  de  tierra, 

or  terremoto.     Eartluiuake. 
Tescallis.     Aztec  temples. 


Tequezqnite.  Mineral  salt  used  chiefly 
in  mines. 

Tetjuio.  Task  allotted  to  the  mission 
neophytes. 

Tema,  tern.     Compoaed  of  three. 

Terrene.     Ground. 

Testigo.     Witness. 

Tierras.  Lauds  De  temporal; 
T^ands  depending  entirely  on  rains. 
De  regadio;  Irrigated  land.s.  De 
abrevancro;  Land  <  having  deposits 
of  water  to  which  aniiiial-,  resort. 

Tierra  de  guerra.     Hiutile  country. 

Tierra  de  paz.     Land  a>  peace. 

Tierra  tirme.     Main  land. 

Tierra  incognita.     Unknown  land. 

Tocante.     Couccming.  about. 

Toison  de  oro.     Golilen  fleece. 

Tomista.     Liquor-drinker. 

Tonto.     Stupid,   ftMiIish. 

Trabajadores.      Laborers. 

Tratado.  Treaty,  convention,  agree- 
ment. 

Tratamiento.     ComiHjUation. 

Tule.  Water-reed.  Tular.  A  field 
of  tules. 


Usia.     Contraction  of  vuestra  seftorf  a, 
your  lordship,  or  worship,  or  liouor. 


Vacuna.     Vaccination,  and  also  the 

vaccine  virus. 
Vacuno  ((iar.ado).     Xcav;  cattle. 
Valgame  Dios.     God  jirotect  me. 
Vallailo.      A  wide,   durp  tivnch;  also 

a  kind  of  fence  or  wall  with  thorny 

plants  on  top. 
Vatjuero.     A  covr-herder. 
Vara  <le  justlcia.      A  justice's  verge. 
Vecindario.     Tlie  citizens  <if  a  town, 

district,  or  street. 
Vecino.      Resident,    neighbor,    neigh- 
boring. 
Venta.     Sale  mark  of  rattle. 
Viatico.     I'rovJHion     fuf    a    jtcirney; 

also  the  viaticum  wn  ntiiimt. 
Vicario   castrense.       i'cputy    of    tiie 

chaplain-gen.        Vicario      foraneo. 

Vicar  forain. 
Vida.     Life, 
^'idrio.     Glass. 

\'illanos.     Villains,  wrcti'iics. 
V'olincitn.     A  small  ti.'tdlc. 
Visitador.      Inspector. 
Vocal.     V'ttiug  nieml)er  of  a  uorpora- 

tioo. 


800 


GLOSSARY. 


Vcimito  negro.    Blaok  v««.v       ..      L  *»  "°P'y  Poison.  ««»  Used 

fever.      «"'    ^^^^  vom.t.  yellow   Yerl«  Una.     Mint;  UteraUy,  good 

Vuesencia,     contractc'l     V  E     for 
Wru  excelencia.      Your  exceU  g 

I  Zacate.    Qnm. 

^  ^X  i„^  ^'«**!»8  '^'teh.  anch  aa 

-.  I  „  *".*'  •"  J-^'*  Angeles. 

Yataa.foryaeati.     All  ready.  |     SeSnia^''**  ""^''^^  *°    *='""•««  «^ 


INDEX. 


A1)ella,  Father,  incest  punished  by, 
334. 

Abrego,  J.,  story  of,  428;  manuscript 
of,  i69. 

Acapulco,  Humboldt  at,  1803,  101; 
commerce  with,  483. 

Agriculture,  in  CaL,  347-59;  445-6, 
449. 

Aguado,  Lieut,  story  of,  271-2. 

Aguadores,  business  of,  328. 

Agurre,  J.  A.,  stories  of,  472-4. 

Anumada,  Friar  T.,  mention  of,  188. 

Alaska,  commerce,  etc.,  with,  463-5. 

Albemi,  P.  de,  mention  of,  20(S;  com- 
mand of,  296. 

Altimira,  J.,  mention  of,  194,  216. 

Alvarado,  J.  B.,  n^ention  of,  244-5, 

252,  270-1;  'Historia  deCal., '  MS. 

283;   quot.    from  404;  petition  of, 

438;  education  in  Cai.,  516-7;  ex- 

'  com.  of,  524-6;  manuscript  history, 
769-71. 

Alviso,  J.  A.,  manuscript  of,  771. 

Amador,  Mayordomo,  otter  taken  by, 
1830,  476. 

Amador,  J.  M.,  stories  of,  214-15; 
story  of,  222;  quotation  from,  327; 
descript.  of  drass,  374;  quotation 
from,  403;  dances  mentioned  by, 
415;  remarks  of,  448;  statement  of, 
449-50;  education  of,  495;  manu- 
script of,  771-2. 

America,  early  civiliTatiou  in,  54-6, 
58-96;  are  oi  v»iii>iuent,  126-7; 
ori^n  of  races,  127-8. 

Americans,  encroachments  of,  461-2. 

Amords,  J.,  inang.  of  Sola,  1816,  425; 
mention  of,  218. 

Amorrio,  G.,  mention  of,  188. 

Amiuementa,  descript.  of,  406-36. 

Aroe,  F.,  manuscript  of,  773. 

Aigllello,  C.  M.,  loventory  of,  331  2. 

Argitello,  Gov.,  inatis.  of  Sola,  1810 
421;  education  in  CoL,  510. 

CAb.  I'ART.    51 


Argiiello,  A.  J.  D.,  mention  of,  251. 

ArgUello,  C,  mention  of,  463. 

Arguello,  J.  D.,  interce<lea  with  Ar- 
rilliiKa,  463. 

ArgUello,  Prefect,  mention  of,  438. 

A  r  mi  jo.  A.,  bandit,  649. 

Arnaz,  J.,  manuscript  of,  774. 

Aniaz,  statement  of,  287;  remarks  on 
dress,  396;  descript  of  bull-tight, 
434;  statements  of,  427. 

Arrillaga,  J.  J.  de,  mention  of,  202; 
Rez<inof's  negotiations  with,  etc., 
46.S-4. 

Arroyo,  Padre,  mention  of,  317. 

A  Vila,  v.,  daughters  of,  306;  horse- 
race of,  430. 


B 


Baca,  M.,  mention  of,  521. 

Baldridge,  W.  manuscript  of   780. 

lialls,  cost  and  <lescript.  of,  -..a-S. 

Baniba,  dance,  descript.  of,  410. 

Bandini,  Dofla  R.  de,  inuntion  of, 
407-8. 

Bandini,  J.,  remarks  of,  282;  quota- 
tion from,  438;  Banditti,  041-704; 
manuscript  of,  775. 

Barcenilla,  I, ,  mention  of,  213. 

Barona,  J.,  mention  of,  187. 

Bartlett,  W.  A.,  letter  to  'The  Cali- 
fomian,'  443. 

Bean,  Gen.,  murder  of,  677. 

Bear-tights,  descript.  of,  4.3.3-5. 

Bell,  T.  J.,  ban.ht,  650  1;  historj-. 
670;  adventures,  671;  capture,  672. 

Ik'll,  grist  mills  of,  454. 

liciden,  J.  quotation  from,  347; 
manuscript  of,  7!N). 

Benicia,  founding  of,  73.3,  739. 

Berreyesa,  A.,  manuscript,  786. 


Bibliography,  751  ctse<i< 
Bid  well,    J.,    quotation 


from, 
manuscript 


remarks    of,    440; 
790. 
Biglur,  H.  W.,  manuscript  of,  701. 

(UOl) 


342; 

of, 


802 


INDEX. 


Bodega,  Port.,   Rnss.  settlement  at, 

404-5. 
Boniilaud,    with  Humboldt's  exped., 

98-115. 
Borica,    D.    de,    founding    of    Santa 

Cruz,   1797,  253-4;  land  policy  of, 

education  in  Cal.,  495-9. 
Bojorges,  J.,  manuscript,  785. 
Borrego,  dance,  descript.  of,  411. 
Boscana,  G.,  mention  of,  187. 
Boston.,  commerce  with,  481-3. 
Botello,  N. ,  manuscript  of,  776. 
Branciforte,   Town,  mention  of,  354. 
Branily,  manufact.  of,  371-2,  449,  454. 
Bryant,  journey  of,  1846,  325-6. 
Bryant,  Sturgis  and  Co.,  trade  wish 

Cal.,  475. 
Bull-fights,  descript.  of,  432^. 
Buelna,  F.,  manuscript,  785. 
Burro,  dance,  descript.  of,  411. 
Burton,  H.  S.,  marriage  of,  330-1. 


California,  the  aborig.  era,  135-50; 
physical  features,  137-50;  abori- 
gines of,  151-61;  missionaries  in, 
15.3-78;  tlie  aborig.  era,  179;  mis- 
sionaries in,  1S2;  missions  of,  184, 
-246,  2.")()-7  ;  pueblos,  248-56,  258; 
laud  tenure,  256-8,  357;  society 
260-93;  military  system,  294-304; 
woman's  condition,  etc., in,  30.'>-33; 
marriage  and  divorce  in,  .307-21; 
immorality  in,  321-3,  33;i-4,  405; 
customs  and  amusements,  323  9; 
dress,  326-7,  332-3,  362,  373-400; 
stock-raising  in,  .33,")-47;  droughts, 
337-8;  agric,  347-59,  445-6;  fo<Kl 
and  '  riiik,  361-73;  dwellings  and 
furniture,  361  401-3;  training  of 
cliihlreu.  403-5;  anniscnients,  406- 
36;  condition  of  Indians,  437-9; 
ship-building  in,  439-40;  nii^ils, 
442-4;  horsemanship  in,  446-8; 
manufact.  of,  448-57;  commerce, 
459-87;  taxation  and  reveinie,  465- 
S,  474-83;  shi^)ping,  468;  educa- 
tion, 49.'i-521;  lil)raries,  etc.,  521-4; 
colloquial  terms,  526. 

Cambou,  r.  B.,  mention  of,  190,  19.3, 
215. 

(,'and)U8ton,  H.,  mention  of,  .'>20. 

Caniotes,  dance,  descript.  ot,  411. 

Cartpiinez,  strait  of,  site  for  a  city, 
731-2. 

Carrillo,  J.,  story  of,  427-8. 

Carrillo,  Mrs,  documents,  785. 

Carrillo,  T.  M.,  bandit,  (U9. 

Castillo,  M.  C,   divorce  of,  314-15. 


Castro,  Alcalde,  dress  of,  1835,  396. 
Castro,  J.,  story  of,  1104;  mention  oi, 

318;  excommunication  of,  524-5. 
Castro,  M.  J.,  manuscript  of,  776. 
Catalan  V'olunteers,  co.  of,  296. 
Caynameros,  story  of  the,  .526-7. 
Chal)olla,  P.,  story  of,  IVil-'l 
Chand)crlain,  J.,  stati^ment  of,  438. 
Chavez,  C,  bandit,  6.J3. 
Chavez,  J.  A.,  story  <if,  .304. 
Chico,    Gov.,    language    of    flowers, 

330. 
Chico,  M.,  anecdote  of,  198-9. 
Children,  training,  etc.,  of,  403-5. 
Chiles,  J.  B.,  manuscript  of,  791. 
China,  connnerce  with,  4.59-60. 
Christianity,  .spread  of,  7-8. 
Chivalry,  origin,  etc.,  i>f,  9-17. 
Cludula,  pyramid,  doscript.  of,  113. 
Churcli,  influence  of,  26-45,  80-2. 
Civilization,      comments    on,      1-56; 

effects  of,  267-8. 
Claudio,  robber-chief,   description  of, 

()48;  death,  6(59. 
Clymer,  (quotation  from,  .340,  453. 
Coin,  scarcity  of,  18-40,  485. 
Colonization,  hist,  of,  57  96. 
Commerce,  descript.  of,  4.59-87. 
Contradanza,     dance,     descript.     of, 

412. 
(^oronel,  A.  F.,  manuscript  of,  777-8. 
Crespl,  J.,  mention  of,  185,  205. 
Coronel,  J.,  on  Cal.  iiiis.sions,  2;?4-7: 

remarks   on  dress,  .392-3;  ball  de- 
scribed by,    408-9;    education     in 

Cal.,  510. 
Coriina,  J.   G.    de   la,    pamphlet   of, 

288. 
Costromitinoff,  \  'sit  to  8an  Francisco, 

1842,  425. 
Cotton,  raising  of,   351;  numufacture 

of,  449. 
Cucrnavaca,  Humboldt  at,  1803,  102. 
Custot,  O.,  story  of,  1838-9,  455-7. 


D 


l)anceH,  descript.  of.  406-20. 

Daniel,  P.,  bandit  traitor,  666;  men- 
tion, 675. 

Davis,  .1.,  schooner  built  by,  439-40: 
statement  of,  470. 


Davis,  ('apt.,  voyages  of,  471. 
Davis,  W.  H.,  manuscript  of,  790. 
Diego,  G.,  mention  of,  20*.t;  bishop  of 

Cal.,  229. 
Dolores,  mission,  tragedy  near,  284-5. 
i)ouglas,  J.,  quotation  from.  322. 
Drama,  the,  descrij'.i,.  ol,  42l>.  J 


INDEX. 


808 


n7-S. 

'iu-7: 
ill  do- 
()U     in 


3,  10-2. 
)5-7. 


;  men- 
:W-40: 


K'84-o. 


Dress,  deacript.  of,  326-7,  332-3,  362, 

.•i7:<-400. 
Ducarte,  horse-race  of,  430. 
Diiiiaut-C'illy,  reinat-ks  on  dress,  379- 

8();  description  of  ilaiice,  419. 
Dunictz,  F.,  mention  of,  185. 
Duran,      Father,    mention    of,    213; 

mention  of,  2.'W;  aguardiente  made 

liy,  371;  liquors  manufact.  by,  449; 

8tf>ry  of,  625. 
Dwellings,  <leseript.  of,  .361,  401-3. 
l>ye,  desoript.  of  ball-room  customs, 

416. 


E 


Earth's  end,  706-21. 

Edit!. India,  .Fcfe,  order  of,  240. 

Eulu-andia,  Gov.,  education  in   Cal., 

.■||()  12. 
Education,    condition,   etc.    of,  493- 

.V.M. 
England,  colonies  of,  (iO-5;  commerce 

with.  4S4  5. 
Escobar,  A.,  manuscript,  785. 
Ksioltfis,  dcscript.  of,  23S-40. 
1''s]iinola,  Scflora  1*.,  mention  of,  309. 
Espinosa,  E.,  manuscript,  7H5. 
Es])inosa,  S.,  mention  o*',  238-9 
Espinosa,  F.,  mention  of,  30(5.  . 
Estudillo,    .T.    M.,    mention   of,    187; 

stories  related  by,  47'- -4;  story  of, 

1817,  487-92;  manuscript,  786. 
E/.ipier,  I.,  manuscript,  786. 


Faj;cs,  fJov.,  lanil  policy  of,  2.i7;  let- 
ter of,  307. 

Fandango,  dance,  descript.  of,  411- 
12.  416. 

Felix,  Jv.,  mention,  (546. 

Fernandc/,  .1.,  manuscript,  7St>. 

Figucroa,  (lov.,  letter  ol^,  343;  report 
of,  441;  education  in  Cal..  ril4,  ."iKi. 

Florencio,  Father,  nuntinu  of,  429. 

Kliircs,  M.,  manuscript,  786. 

Flour,  manfact.  of,  454. 

F^n'-t.-r,  .1.  manuscript,  791. 

1  raneiseans,  in  Cal.,  24(5, 

Fuiter,  Father,  mention  of,  185,  189, 
199. 

Feudalism,  8prea<l  of,  2-6;  decay  of, 
(5-9. 


G 


Cralindo,  E.,  manuscript,  780. 

(ialindo,  R,  story  ot,  'MY2. 

(-iarcia,  F.,  party  described  by,  417; 


inaug.  of  .Sola,  42.3-4. 
Oarcfa,  I.,  J.  E.,  and  M.,  manuscripts, 

786. 
Garcia,  I.,  story  of,  368  9. 
liarcla,     Diego,    education     in   Cal., 

517-18. 
Garcia,     M.,     Three-fingered    Jack, 

(547;  capture,  (568. 
flarti.'is,  Col,  mention  of.  271. 
Gamlioa   y    Caballero,     mention    of, 

.371. 
German,  J.  de   los,    S.,    Jind   L.    C, 

numuseript,  787. 
Gloriosfsimo  Principe  Arcangel,  etc. 

mi.ssion  of,  15)9. 
(!ome/,  F.,  mention  of,  185. 
Gomez,  V.  P.,  manuscrii>t,  787. 
(ioumz,    remarks   on   dress,    392;  re- 
marks of,  44(5-7. 
fiomez,  v.,  bandit,  654. 
(Jonzalez,    Father,    mention   of,    318; 

opposed  to  prote-it.     marriage,  .'IJIO- 

1. 
Gonzjilez,   T.    and    M.,    manuscripts, 

787. 
Gonzalez,  P.,  horse-thief,  648. 
(ionzalez,    K.,  story  of,   207-8;  men- 
tion of,  229. 
fJonzalez,  M.   A.,  divorce  of,  31.5-16. 
(iuanajuato,     iiundxildt's    visit    to, 

180.3,  108. 
Guerra,    (.'apt.    de  la,    story   of,  .300; 

ordin's  of,    375  (5;  library   of,    .52.'{; 

documents  and  characteristics,  7('(>. 
Guijarros,    Point,     fortifications     at, 

'J9(5. 
(iutierrez.  mail  regulations  nf,  44.'{. 


» 


FIabilita<lo,  functions  of  the,  297. 
Ilat'ieudas,  descript.  of,  .'US. 
Hall,  (puliation  from,  45.'{. 
Hernandez,  I).,  bandit,  (>84-6. 
Ilartnell,  \V.  E.  P.,  contract,  etc.,  of, 

4(t(»-7;    letter  of,   48-1   5;  school  es- 

tabl'd  l)y,  513  14;  library  of,  .523; 

ilcicumeuts,  787. 
Haves,    .luilge,    remarks    of,    'J81 -2; 

:VJ(). 
Herrera,   Comisario,    interference  of, 

'_'2.'«. 
lliguera,  M.  N.,  marriage  of,  318-1'.). 
llitUs,  export  of,  467,  479;  e.illectiiri, 

etc.   f)f,   472  7;  curing,  47(5-7;  sale 

of,  484. 
Hijar,  C.  N.,  maiuiscript,  788. 
Hor.-ieuianship,  ile.script.  of,  446  8. 
Horse-racing,  descript.  of,  4'J9-31. 


804 


INDEX. 


I 


Humboldt,  A.  von,  travels,  etc., 
of,  1799-1804,  97-1 1<>;  character, 
97,  106,  132;  biog.,  97-«,  131-5; 
sui-veys  of,  116;  interoc.  communi- 
cation, 1*22;  theories  of,  126-30;  re- 
search and  learning,  132-3;  habits, 
133;  death,  1859,  134. 


Ibaflez,  Father,  story  of,  450-1. 

Indians,  condition,  etc.,  of,  in  Mex., 
124-6;  Indians  of  Cal.,  151-61; 
mission  management,  etc.,  of,  220- 
46;  amusements  of,  435-6;  con- 
dition of,  4.37-9;  traffic  with,  487. 

Inquisition,  workings  of  the,  44-0. 

Irrigation,  regulations  for,  355-0. 

Irvin,  J.,  bandit,  672. 


Jalapa,  Humboldt's  visit  to,  180.1, 114. 
Janssens,  £.  A.,   statement  of,    450; 

manuscript  of,  779. 
Jaral)c,  dance,  descript.  of,  412,  415- 

16. 
Jauine,  Friar,  mention  of,  185. 
Jimeno,  Father  A.,  mention  of,  198. 
.Tones,  Commodore,  mention  of,  428. 
.JoruUo,  volcano,  tlescript.  of,  lll-12. 
Jota,  dance,  descript.  ot,  412^15. 
Journals,  'The  Califomian,' 443-4. 
Juarez,  C,  manuscript,  7S8. 
Jurisprudence,  mediasval,  18-19. 

K 

Kuskof,  at  Ross  Colony,  465. 

L 

Land-tenure,  in  Cal.,  256-8,  357. 
Laplace,  remarks   of,  280;  statement 

of,  474. 
Larios,  M.,  bear  story  of,  434-5. 
Larios,  J.  and  E.,  manuscripts,  788. 
Larkin,  letter  to  Parrott,  282-3;  cost 

of  ball  given  by,  426;  romarks  of, 

479-81;  documents  and  biography, 

767. 
Las  Flores,  pueblo  of,  259. 
Lasucn,     Father,    mention   of,     199; 

mention  of,  206,  210;  education  in 

CaL,  495. 
Leather,  manufact.  of,  448,  452-4. 
Leesc,  J.  P.,  manuscript,  788. 
Leeso,  Alcalde,  report  of,  521. 
Ijciva,  bandit,  652. 
Libraries,  meutiou  of,  521-4. 


Literature,  spread  of,  19-29;  of  pas- 
toral Cal.,  see  last  cliapter. 

Lopez,  Friar,  mention  of,  208;  horse- 
manship of,  448. 

Lorenzana,  A.,  manuscript,  788. 

Los  Angeles,  city  of  founded,  etc., 
251-2;  site  of  transferred,  252;  capi- 
tal of  CaL,  259;  society,  etc.,  at, 
278;  wedding  at,  310-11;  munic. 
regulations,  M5,  355-6,  442;  pueblo 
of,  .354;  dress  in,  379-80;  horse-rac- 
ing at,  430-1;  mail-service  of,  444; 
education  at,  515-16,  518. 

Love,  H.,  description,  619;  captures 
Murieta,  666-7. 

Lugo,  J.  del  C,  remarks  on  dress, 
378-9,  388-9;  manuscript,  788. 


M 


Machado,  A.,  stories  of,  378;  472-4. 
Madariaga,  J. ,  complaint  of,  307. 
Mails,  descript.  of,  442-4. 
Manilas,  The,  bandits,  676. 
Manojo,  C,  anecdote  of,  198-9. 
Manufactures,    of   Mex.,    117-20;   of 

Cal.,  448-57. 
Manuscripts,  classes  of,  767-9. 
Markhoff,  quotation  from,  367;  des- 
cript. of  dress,  395-6;  pay  of  Ind. 

laborers,     438;     quotations    from, 

441-2. 
Marron,  P.  0.,  manuscript,  789. 
Martierena,  J.    M.    de,    mention  of, 

210. 
Martinez,  L.,  biog.,  etc.,  199-201. 
Martinez,  P.  A.,  mention  of,  210. 
Martinez,  Father,  mention  of,  450. 
Mason,  Gov.,  mention  of,  314;  order 

of,  331. 
Maxwell,  Dr,  ball  described  by,  418; 

quotation  from,  448. 
Mazatlan,  commerce  with,  483. 
McCuUoch,    H.,  contract,  of,  466-7. 
Meek,  Capt.  J.,  voyages,  etc.,  of,  471. 
Melius,  H.,  specimen  letter  of,  478. 
Menendez,  Father,  mention  of,  197. 
Mercado,  Father,  mention  of,  204. 
Merino,  Father,  mention  of,  213. 
Mexicans,    characteristics,    etc.,    of, 

260-93;    amusements    of.    406-.35; 

education  of  in  Civl.,  493-521;  col- 

lo<][uial  phraseol.,  526. 
Mexico  Valley,  descript.    of,   105-6. 
Mexico  City,    Humlwldt  at,   402-8; 

descript.  of,  103-4. 
Mexico,  Humlmldt's  travels  in,  180.3- 

4,    101-116;  mines  of,  108-11;  cli. 

mate  and  soil,    116-17;   manufact. 

117-20;     couimerce,     120-1;    cum- 


C 
C 
0 


INDEX. 


806 


Drder 
418; 


-7. 

1471. 

197. 


of, 
35; 
col- 


93- 

oli. 
[act. 
lum* 


mnnication,  121-2;  govt,  123-4; 
Indians  of,  124-6;  origin  of  races, 
127-8;  hieroglyphics,  128-9;  lan- 
guages, 129^-:{0. 

Micheltorena,  Gov.,  in  Cal.,  271-2; 
story  of,  281 ;  wedding  attended  by, 
310-11;  CO.  formed  by,  440;  decree 
of,  479;  tax  levied  by,  481;  educa- 
tion in  Cal.,  517-20. 

Military  system  of  Cal.,  294-304. 

Missions  of  CaL,  184-246,  256-7, 
274-6. 

Mohammedanism,  fall  of,  7-13. 

Montero,  M.  C,  mention  of,  317-18. 

Monterey,  a  presidio,  258;  a  .town, 
258-9;  a  city,  259;  society  in, 
288-90;  presidio  at,  294;  fortifi- 
cations of,  296,  303;  garrison,  303; 
district,  agric.  in,  337;  munic.  reg- 
ulations, 369;  amusements  at, 
406-7;  ball  at,  418;  inaug.  of 
Gov.  Sola,  421-5;  ship-buildine 
at,  439;  pier  built  at,  441 ;  mail- 
service  of,  443-4;  saw-mill  at,  455; 
commerce  of,  460-70;  otter-hunting 
at,  470-1;  commerce  of,  478-80; 
foreign  vessels  at,  487-92;  educa- 
tion at,  497-502,  507-8,  512-14;  ed- 
ucation at,  515;  education  at,  518. 

Mora,  Dr,  mention  of,  282. 

Moraga,  Lieut  J.,  founding  of  San 
Jose,  251. 

Moraga,  G.,  founding  of  Santa  Cruz, 
254-5. 

Morineau,  remarks  of,  279;  quota- 
tions from,  342. 

Moreno,  J.  B.,  manuscript  of,  789. 

Moreno,  Mrs  P.  L.,  documents,  781. 

Mugartegui,  Father,  mention  of,  188. 

Murgufa,  mention  of,  211. 

Murieta,  J.,  descript.  of,  645;  history, 
655-8;  achievements,  659-67;  death, 
6<)8. 

Murray,  W.,  manuscript  of,  791. 

N 

Neve,  Gov.,  pueblo  founded  by,  248; 

regulation  of,  249-50,  294. 
New  Mexico,  traffic  with,  486. 
New  Spain,  effect  of  revolution   in, 

300-2. 
Nidever,  G.,  manuscript  of,  791. 
Nievos,  M.  de  las,  story  of,  306. 


Obregon,  mine  worked  by,  108. 
O'Cam,  J.,  voyage  of,  462. 
Olbes,  Father,  cruelty  of,  209-10. 


Oliva,  Father,  mention  of,  186-7. 
Or<l,  Mrs  A.,  mention  of,  202,  230; 

manuscript,  781. 
Osio,  A.  M.,  manuscript  781 . 


Pacheco,  F.,  library  of,  523. 

Pacheco,  S.,  Iwill  given  by,  408. 

Padilla,  Capt.,  mention  of,  204. 

Paloinares,  F.  789. 

Palou,  Friar,  Serra's  biog.,  etc.,  168- 
72;  mention  of,  185,  285. 

Papacy,  influence  of  the,  40-5. 

Parron,  Friar  F.,   mention  of,  184-6. 

Patron,  F.,  marriage  of,  318-19. 

Payeras,  M.,  mention  of,  199. 

Peltries,  traffic  in,  459-60. 

Pefla,  T.  de  la,  mention  of,  185, 
208,    211. 

Pefta,  B.,  statement  of,  .S94;  remarks 
on  dress,  386,  392;  description  of 
bull-ftghtB,  43.3-4. 

Peralta,  1.,  story  of,  .108. 

Perez.,  E.,  statement  of,  226;  manu- 
script of,  782. 

Perez,  B.,  mention  of,  229. 

Peru,  commerce  with,  464-,5. 

Petaluma,  flour-mill  at,  454. 

Peyri,  Father,  mention  of,  188. 

Phelps,  Capt.,  statements  of,  428-9; 
474-5. 

Pico,  A.,  law-suit  of,  1840,  430-1. 

Pico,  J.  de  J.,  mention  of,  202;  state- 
ment of,  450. 

Pico,  P.,  contract  of,  230;  biog.,  287; 
treatment  of  women,  305-6;  raii- 
cho  of  attacked,  liSsi;  stories  ,of, 
346;  decree  of,  351-2;  manuscript, 
782. 

Pico,  S.,  bandit,  650. 

Pinto,  R.,  manuscript,  782,  784. 

Pomponio,  Indian  bandit,  682-3. 

Powers,  J.,  desperado,  674-5. 

Presidios,  descript.  of,  294-304. 

Priestcraft,  iuHuencc  of,  29-40. 

Printing,  effect  of  discov.,  27-8. 

Proaelytism,  remarks  on,  15.1-78. 

Pueblos,  descript.  of,  248-56;  353-4. 

Purisima,  mission  of,  199,  204; 
drought  at,  338. 

Puyol,  F.,  mention  of,  202-3. 


Queretaro,  Humlioldt's  visit  to,  107; 

factories  of,  107-8. 
Quiias,  Father,  J.  S.,  character,  etc., 

of,  219-20. 


808 


IXDEX. 


R 


Revemie,  sources,  amount,  etc.,  of, 
405-8,  474-83. 

Revilla  (rigedo,  Viceroy,  education 
in  C'al.,  41>5. 

Rezanof,  Count,  love  story,  332;  voy- 
age, etc.,  of,  4(j;{— 4. 

Rico,  F.,  journey  of,  358. 

Ridington,  J.  M.,  manuscript  of,  789. 

Rios,  C".  A.  de,  manuscript,  785. 

Rivera  y  Moncada,  Capt.,  mention 
of,  250-1. 

Robheries  of  railway  trains,  700-4. 

Robinson,  quotation  from,  326;  re- 
marks on  dress,  391;  fandango, 
described  by,  416. 

Roclia,  A.  J.,  mention  of,  437. 

Rodeos,  descript.  of,  340-1, 

Rodriqucz,  J.,  mention  of,  429. 

Romeu,  mention  of,  206. 

Ross  Colony,  mention  of,  464-5. 

Ruiz,  XI.,  (lei  A.,  marriage  of,  330-1. 

Ruiz,  Comandante,  story  of,  428. 

Russians,  encroachmenta  of,  401-5. 


S 


Sainsevan,  P.,    flour    mill  of,  454-5. 

Salazar,  Friar,  menti<»n  of,  208; 
founding  of  Santa  Cruz,  255;  report 
of,  303. 

Salt,  royal  monopoly,  etc.,  of,  486. 

.San  Antonio  de  Padua,  mission  of, 
202-4. 

San  Bias,  supplies  obtained  from, 
297;  commerce  with,  459,  480,  483. 

iSaint  Ronaventnra,  Bishop,  mention 
of,  193. 

San  Buenaventura,  mention  of,  193- 
-4;  education  at,  512. 

Sani.a  Barl)ara,  mission  of,  194-7;  a 
town,  259;  society,  etc.,  at,  278; 
presidio  at,  294,  dress  at,  396,  399; 
morals,  etc.,  of,  400;  party  at,  417- 
18;  nuiuic.  regulations  at,  420; 
mail-service  of,  44Ii-4;  education  at, 
490-7,  512-14,  518;  Umnery  at, 
4.-)3. 

San  Carlos,  mission  of,  204-7. 

S.incho,  .1.  B.,  mention  of,  203. 

San  !)iegi!,  mission  of,  1S4;  hist,  of, 
184-8;  presidio  at,  294;  fortifica- 
tions, etc.,  of,  303;  nuinic.  regula- 
tions, 393;  cntertiiinments  at,  4015; 
mail-service,  442-4;  education  at; 
490-7,  512;  education  at,  516,  518, 
rumored  bandit  invasion,  677-8. 

San  Dieguito,  pueblo  of,  259. 


San  Fernando,  mission  of,  192-3;  edu- 
cation at,  496,  512. 

San  Francisco  Solano,  mention  of, 
218-19. 

San  Francisco,  mission  of,  215-18: 
a  pueblo,  259;  presidio  at,  294; 
fortifications  of,  29G-7;  garrison 
of,  .303;  mail-ser\-ice,  442-4;  com- 
merce of,  4()0-7O;  otter-hunting 
at,  462;  commerce  of,  477;  edu- 
cation at,  490-7,  512,  518;  dis- 
covery of  bay,  722-3;  founding 
of  city,  72.3-50;  bay,  731,  7.36;  site, 
7.32;  naming,  733;  early  business 
houses,    744-9. 

San  Oabriel  Arcdngel,  mission  of, 
190-2;  mission  of,  2;J0,  232;agric.  at, 
.347;  mail-service  of,  443;  manuf.ict. 
at,  448,  454-5;  education  at,  490, 
512. 

San  Jose,  mission  of,  212-14,  225;  city 
of  founded,  etc.,  248-52;  mission  of, 
291;  munic.  regulations,  .344,  42(); 
colonists  of,  349-50;  condition  of, 
.354;  manufact.  at,  449-50;  educa- 
tion at,  490-7,  512,  518. 

San  Juan  de  Argiiello,  pueblo  of,  2.">9. 

San  Juan  Bautista,  mention  of,  210- 
11. 

San  .Tuan  Capistrano,  mission  nf.  188- 
90;  e(hication  at,  512. 

San  Juan  de  Castro;  pueblo  of,  259. 

San  Luis  Obispo,  mission  of,  199-201; 
manufac.  at,  449-50. 

San  Luis  Rey,  mission  of,  188;  mail- 
service  of,  443;  education  at,  512. 

San  Miguel,  mission  of,  202;  manu- 
fac. at,  4.>t;  education  at,  512. 

San  Pascual,  pueblo  of,  259. 

San  Rafael,  mission  of,  216-18. 

San  Pedro,  8hip-l)uilding  at,  4.39. 

Santa  Clara,  mission  ofj  211-12,  215. 

Santa  Cruz,  mission  of,  208-10;  city 
of  founded,  etc.,  252-5;  ship-buihl- 
ing  at,  439;  Santa  Cruz  county, 
grist-mills  ui,  454. 

Santa  Ines,  mission  of,  198-9. 

Sarria,  V.  F.  de,  mention  of,  20.3, 
421. 

Semple,  R.,  Carquinez  ferry,  739. 

Sepiilveda,  (tov.,  remarks  of,  282; 
quotation  from,  328-9;  law-suit 
against,    430-1;    remarks    of,    440. 

Sepiilveda,  I.,  remarks  of,  526. 

Serra,  Father,  biog.,  etc.,  of,  168-76; 
mention  of,  184-5,  188,  190,  193, 
200,  206-7,211. 

Serrano,  .F.,  mention  of,  204;  re- 
marks on  dress,  381;  manuscript, 
782,   784. 


INPEX. 


807 


it 
K). 


Ship-lmilding,  desmpt.  of,  439-40. 
.Sliilipinj^,  statist,  of,  4t)8;  duea,  478. 
Witjar,  li.,  mention  of,  202-3. 
.Simpson,  (i.,  remarks  on  drcsa,  396; 

remarks  of,  440;  letter  of,  477. 
Smiths,  the,  bandits,  673-4. 
Soap,  manuiact.  of,  448-9. 
Soberanoi,  M.,  mention  of,  204. 
Sola,   (Jov.,   mention  of,  239;  stories 

of,    301-2;  remarks  on  dress,  377; 

inaug.,  etc.,  of,  421-.');  treatment  of 

missionaries,    46.')-6;    educatiou  in 

Cal,  4'.W-502,  507,  510. 
Soledad,  mission  of,  201-2. 
Soiiicra,  Fatlier,  mention  of,  190. 
Sonoma,  pueblo  of,  259;  education  ac, 

518. 
Sotelo,  S.,  bandit,  681. 
Soto,  J.,  l>au<lit,  652. 
South   America,    Humboldt's   travels 

ill,  1799-1803,  99-101. 
Spain,  colonies  of,  59-96;  decadence 

of,  89-9<!. 
Spain,  feudalism  in,  6;  chivalry,  9-13; 

warfare,    15-17;   literature,    19-29; 

church   inrtucnce,  29-51;  cla-ss  dis- 
tinctions, 52-3. 
Spaniards,    characteristics,    etc.,   of, 

260-93;  amusements  of,  406-35. 
Stock-raising,  in  Cal.,  335-47. 
Stage  robberies,  688-700. 
Sugar,  manufact.  of,  455. 
Sutter,  Oen.,  practice  of  slavery,  438; 

manuscript  of,  791. 


Talioada,  Friar,  mention  of,  196. 
Tapis,  Father,  mention  <  f,  188,   198, 

211;  priest  of  missions,  421. 
Timber,  regulations  concerning,  441- 

Tobacco,  raising,  etc.,  of,  .151. 

Torre,  remarks  on  dress,  .378;  festivi- 
ties described  bj%  412-13. 

Torre,  E.  de  la,  manuscript,  782,  784; 
contract  of,  441. 

Torres,  M..  manuscript  of.  789. 

Trujillo,  T.,  mention  of,  315. 


u 


United  States,  commerce  with,  483. 


Valcnzuela,  J.,  roblier,  648-9. 
V^alladolid,   Mexico,  Huinbold's  visit 

to,  1803,  HI. 
Voleuciaua,  mine,  mention  of,  108. 


Valle,  I  del,  manuscript  of.  789. 

Vallujo,  1.,  comisionado  of  Santa 
Cruz,  255. 

Valle  jo,  .J.  de  J.,  remarks  of,  271; 
at  San  .Jose,  291;  statement  of,  485. 

Vallejo,  M.  G.,  remarks  of,  IWl-H; 
fanning  operations  of,  :148;  story 
of,  4W);  quotation  from,  405;  dance 
descrilied  by,  420;  privilfgc  granted 
by,  4.'i9;  remarks  on  mail  service, 
443;  stories  of,  45,')-8;  education  in 
Cal.,  .504-7;  library  of,  52.V4;  town- 
building,  730;  Ijiography  and  docu- 
ments, /65. 

Vallejo,  S.,  remarks  of,  326;  soap- 
factory  of,  449;  want  of  enterprise, 
4.-)2. 

Vargas,  M.  de,  school  opened  by, 
1794,  497. 

Vazf(uez,  T.,  bandit,  descrijjtion, 
651  -2;  atlventures,  678-80;  capture 
and  death,  681. 

Vega,  v.,  manuscript  of,  789. 

Vejar,  P.,  manuscript  of,  789. 

Vcleros,  business  of,  328. 

Vera  Cruz,  yellow  fever,  etc.,  in, 
114-15. 

Vcrgara,  bandit  traitor,  666. 

Viader,  Father  J.,  story  of,  214. 

Vicente,  Friar,  inaug.  of  (i«v.  Sola, 
1816,  422. 

Victoria,  letter  of,  1831,  45.3. 

Viticultuiv,  ill  Cal.,  3.")2  3. 

Vi/cayno,  Friar. 1.,  mention  of,  184-5. 

Vocabulary,  at  end  of  vol. 

W 

Warfare,  descript.  of,  15-17. 
Warner,  J.  T.,  maiiuscipt  of,  791. 
Wheat,  raising,  etc.  of,  351,  35."$,  445. 
Wilkes,  remarks  of,   280  1;  remarks 

on  trade,  476. 
WiiH!,  manufact.  of,  .371  2,  454. 
Win^hip,  Capt.  J.,  voy.ige  of,    lalO- 

11,  464. 
Wilson,  H.  D.,  manv.scrip',  of,  792. 
Witchcraft,  prevaloiico  of,  38  9. 
Wool,  manufact.  of,  448  5(),  45.'{-4. 


Xocliicalco,  monument  of,  102. 
Y 

Verba  Buena,  town  established,  723- 
31 ;  bears  and  panthers,  726;  name, 
I'M;  survey,  735-6. 

Yorba,  B.,  ineutiou  of,  396. 


1 


808 


INDEX. 


VorK  J.  A.,  mention  of,  316,  346-7. 
Yorba,  T.,  drew  of,  391. 
Ydscolo,  Indian  Untlit,  683-4 
Yount,  G.,  «tory  of,  467-8. 


z 


^!m  12.'  ^-  ^l'-  "^"'«  ^""ght  by. 
189-90;  mention  of,  234-7 

Zamorano,  Capt.,  mention  of,  441. 

A)mta,  dance,  deacript.  of,  410-11. 


irrought  by. 

1-7. 

n  of,  441. 

f,  410-11. 


